2023 Best Value Colleges for Religion/Religious Studies (With Aid)
50
Ranked Colleges
3,626
Degrees Awarded
$16,000
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 3,626 people earned their degree in religion/religious studies, making the major the 189th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 50 colleges that offered a degree in religion/religious studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality religion/religious studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the religion/religious studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for religion students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Religion/Religious Studies (With Aid)
Out of the 50 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 26 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” list. It costs about $12,469 for religion students with aid per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 95%.
Read more about Religion/Religious Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 7 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle also made our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $12,017 for Religion students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Religion/Religious Studies at UW Seattle
Out of the 50 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #3 spot on the list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UF also made our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $5,135 for Religion students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Religion/Religious Studies at University of Florida
Out of the 50 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #4 spot on the list. Duke is a fairly large school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 11 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Duke also took the #1 spot in our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $32,459 for religion students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Religion/Religious Studies at Duke
Out of the 50 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,234 for religion students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 95%.
Read full report on Religion/Religious Studies at UW - Madison
Florida State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Florida State University is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Florida State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” list. It costs about $9,946 for religion students with aid per year to attend Florida State.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Florida State University Religion/Religious Studies Report
Emory University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Emory University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 18 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Emory also took the #2 spot in our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $22,597 for religion students with aid per year to attend Emory.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. 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.
Full Emory University Religion/Religious Studies Report
With a ranking of #8, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Virginia is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 66 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our religion students with aid list, University of Virginia has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $22,006 for religion students with aid per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 97%.
Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Religion/Religious Studies Report
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 25 degrees to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $18,350 for religion students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 Religion/Religious Studies at UT Austin
Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 9 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” list. It costs about $13,107 for Religion students with aid per year to attend ASU - Tempe.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Arizona State University - Tempe Religion/Religious Studies Report
With a ranking of #11, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,523 for religion students with aid per year to attend CSUN.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full CSUN Religion/Religious Studies Report
University of Pennsylvania ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn also made our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $25,046 for religion students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Religion/Religious Studies at University of Pennsylvania
University of California - Davis came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 10 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our religion students with aid list, UC Davis has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $15,768 for religion students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Religion/Religious Studies at University of California - Davis
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSB also took the #16 spot in our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,252 for religion students with aid per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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%.
Read full report on Religion/Religious Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Columbia is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 24 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia also made our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $22,823 for religion students with aid per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Columbia Religion/Religious Studies Report
Florida International University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Florida International University is located in Miami, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $5,298 for religion students with aid per year to attend FIU.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full Florida International University Religion/Religious Studies Report
California State University - Fullerton landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 10 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,003 for religion students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, 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 89%.
Read full report on Religion/Religious Studies at Cal State Fullerton
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s religion degrees to 30 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $17,634 for religion students with aid per year to attend University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
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%.
Read more about Religion/Religious Studies at UNC Charlotte
University of California - Riverside ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 12 degrees to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $11,822 for religion students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religion/Religious Studies at UCR
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $14,321 for Religion students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religion/Religious Studies at UIUC
Vanderbilt University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt also took the #4 spot in our “Best Religion/Religious Studies Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $19,970 for Religion students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 Religion/Religious Studies at Vanderbilt University
With a ranking of #22, University of Arizona did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $13,358 for religion students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Arizona Religion/Religious Studies Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $16,845 for Religion students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Read more about Religion/Religious Studies at Ohio State
Rutgers University - New Brunswick came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Rutgers New Brunswick is a public institution located in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Rutgers New Brunswick is $23,035 for religion students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Rutgers New Brunswick Religion/Religious Studies Report
Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Arizona State University - Skysong is a large public school situated in Scottsdale, Arizona. It awarded 25 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religion/Religious Studies at ASU - Skysong
