by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Religion Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Religious Studies is the 90th most popular major in the country with 9,470 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, religious studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,289 and had an average of $24,431 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Religion Major” ranking looked at 714 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in religious studies. To top this list, a school must have a successful religious studies program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Religion Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for religion students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Liberty University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major list. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 801 students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yeshiva University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major list. Located in New York, New York, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 547 degrees to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major list. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wake Forest, North Carolina. It awarded 92 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Religion Major. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 66 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at University of Virginia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southwestern Assemblies of God University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Religion Major. Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Waxahachie, Texas. It awarded 63 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Southwestern Assemblies of God University Religious Studies Report
Gratz College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major ranking. This small school is located in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 58 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #7, Jewish Theological Seminary of America did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 56 students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Women’S-Institute-Of-Torah-Seminary landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major ranking.
University of St Thomas Minnesota ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major list. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 45 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #10, Piedmont International University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major list. Piedmont International University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 42 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 Piedmont International University
Wayland Baptist University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major list. Wayland Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Plainview, Texas. It awarded 40 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Wayland Baptist University
Elyon College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major ranking. Elyon College is a small school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 41 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Yale University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major list. Yale is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 38 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara
Baylor University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major ranking. Baylor is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Waco, Texas. It awarded 36 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Beulah Heights University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major ranking. BHU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major ranking. Columbia University in the City of New York is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Religious Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 30 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major ranking. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 30 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Spertus College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 28 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
University of Georgia ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major list. UGA is a public institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
American Public University System landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major ranking. American Public University System is a large private for-profit school situated in Charles Town, West Virginia. It awarded 27 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Religious Studies at American Military University
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major list. The University of Texas at Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full The University of Texas at Austin Religious Studies Report
Harvard University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major ranking, coming in at #22. Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Crown College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major ranking. Crown is located in Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
Not only did these schools make the top 54 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | Andrews University | Berrien Springs, MI |
| 55 | Mount Vernon Nazarene University | Mount Vernon, OH |
| 55 | Georgetown University | Washington, DC |
| 55 | University of Mobile | Mobile, AL |
| 55 | Wabash College | Crawfordsville, IN |
| 55 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 61 | Denver Seminary | Littleton, CO |
| 61 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN |
| 61 | Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota | Winona, MN |
| 61 | Furman University | Greenville, SC |
| 61 | Grace College of Divinity | Fayetteville, NC |
| 66 | Gardner - Webb University | Boiling Springs, NC |
| 66 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 66 | Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX |
| 69 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 84 | Northwest Nazarene University | Nampa, ID |
| 84 | Mississippi College | Clinton, MS |
| 84 | Campbell University | Buies Creek, NC |
| 84 | University of Mary Hardin - Baylor | Belton, TX |
| 84 | Hope College | Holland, MI |
| 100 | Point Loma Nazarene University | San Diego, CA |
| 100 | Regent University | Virginia Beach, VA |
| 100 | Union University | Jackson, TN |
| 100 | New York University | New York, NY |
| 100 | Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry | Ambridge, PA |
| 100 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 100 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
| 100 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
| 100 | Oklahoma City University | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 100 | Arizona State University - Tempe | Tempe, AZ |
| 100 | East Texas Baptist University | Marshall, TX |
| 100 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 100 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 100 | Gordon College | Wenham, MA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
