College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion

9 Ranked Colleges
420 Degrees Awarded
$36,200 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion” ranking.

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.

Across California, there were 420 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,978 and $18,684 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in religious studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent religious studies programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the religious studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Religious Studies Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Religion Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion”.

Top 9 Best Religious Studies Colleges for Veterans in California

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 1,311 of the 46,287 students enrolled at University of Southern California were GI Bill® students, of which 862 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $20,487. During this same period, 388 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full USC Veteran Student Life Report

2

Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #2 spot on the list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s religion degrees to 38 students in 2020-2021.

UCSB also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 26,179 students enrolled at University of California - Santa Barbara, 286 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 128 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,510. On top of their other funding sources, 3 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCSB Veteran Student Life Report

3

Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 10 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 39,074 students enrolled at UC Davis, 31 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,489. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UC Davis Veteran Student Life Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion list. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 11 of the 26,434 students enrolled at UCR were GI Bill® students, of which 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,182. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UCR does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full University of California - Riverside Veteran Student Life Report

5

Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #5 spot on the list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 12 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 40,381 students enrolled at California State University - Northridge, 680 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 336 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,745. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Northridge does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at California State University - Northridge]](/colleges/california-state-university-northridge/student-life/veterans/)

6
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion ranking. SFSU is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 3 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, San Francisco State University supports 27,349 students, and 950 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 536 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,581. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. San Francisco State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at SFSU]](/colleges/san-francisco-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

7

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 42,051 students enrolled at Cal State Fullerton, 748 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 342 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,729. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cal State Fullerton does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Cal State Fullerton]](/colleges/california-state-university-fullerton/student-life/veterans/)

8
Cal Baptist crest
California Baptist University
Riverside, California

California Baptist University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion ranking. Cal Baptist is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 30 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Baptist also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Cal Baptist supports 11,317 students, and 532 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 390 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $15,716. In addition to receiving other benefits, 162 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at California Baptist University]](/colleges/california-baptist-university/student-life/veterans/)

9
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

With a ranking of #9, Chapman University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Religion list. Chapman is located in Orange, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.

Chapman also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 9,761 students enrolled at Chapman University were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Chapman University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.

Full Chapman Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options