by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Religious Studies is the 90th most popular major in the country with 9,039 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , religious studies graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $34,289 and had an average of $30,539 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 338 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,978 and $76,773 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California” ranking looked at 66 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in religious studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their religious studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Graduate School of Theology. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California. California Graduate School of Theology is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Garden Grove, California. It awarded 3 ’s religion degrees in 2021-2022.
Read more about Religious Studies at California Graduate School of Theology
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Claremont School of Theology. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California. Claremont School of Theology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Religious Studies at Claremont School of Theology
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Academy for Jewish Religion - California. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 0 ’s religion degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Religious Studies at Academy for Jewish Religion - California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Institute of Buddhist Studies. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California list. Institute of Buddhist Studies is a private not-for-profit institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Institute of Buddhist Studies
Out of the 66 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of the West landed the #5 spot on the list. UWest is located in Rosemead, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 9 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Religious Studies at University of the West
American Jewish University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 2 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Vanguard University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California ranking, coming in at #7. Vanguard is a small school located in Costa Mesa, California that handed out 18 ’s religion degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Vanguard University of Southern California
Westmont College ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 8 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Claremont Graduate University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California list. Claremont Graduate University is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 14 ’s religion degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #10, Simpson University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California list. Simpson University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Redding, California. It awarded 2 ’s religion degrees in 2021-2022.
The Master’s University and Seminary came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California ranking. The Master’s University is located in Santa Clarita, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religious Studies at The Master’s University
With a ranking of #12, Pomona College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California list. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California ranking, coming in at #13. Cal Baptist is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 23 ’s religion degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religious Studies at California Baptist University
Point Loma Nazarene University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California ranking. Point Loma Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California ranking, coming in at #15. SCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Clara, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
La Sierra University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California list. La Sierra University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 3 ’s religion degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, Harvey Mudd College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California list. Harvey Mudd College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California ranking, coming in at #18. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 41 ’s religion degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Occidental College ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California list. Oxy is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Pepperdine University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Malibu, California, and it awarded 4 ’s religion degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Crafton Hills College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California ranking. CHC is located in Yucaipa, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
University of Redlands ranked #22 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California list. University of Redlands is located in Redlands, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 10 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Scripps College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California ranking, coming in at #23. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
California State University - Bakersfield ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California list. CSUB is a medium-sized public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 13 ’s religion degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religious Studies at California State University - Bakersfield
California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in California ranking, coming in at #25. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religious Studies at California State University - Chico
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