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 Islamic Studies Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Islamic Studies is the 1116th most popular major in the country with 50 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in Islamic studies. That schools that top this list have a program in Islamic studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 Islamic Studies Major” 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American Islamic College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major. American Islamic College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2 ’s Islamic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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 Islamic Studies Major. Claremont School of Theology is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 7 ’s Islamic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Islamic Studies at Claremont School of Theology
Out of the 17 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia International University landed the #3 spot on the list. CIU is located in Columbia, South Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s Islamic studies degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Islamic Studies at Columbia International University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Connecticut College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major list. Connecticut College is located in New London, Connecticut and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s Islamic studies degrees to qualified 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. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Boston College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major. Boston College is a fairly large school located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts that handed out 5 ’s Islamic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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 93%.
Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major ranking. Columbia is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 10 ’s Islamic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Islamic Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York
George Washington University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major ranking. George Washington University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 6 ’s Islamic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, 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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 3 ’s Islamic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 Islamic Studies at University of California - Los Angeles
Emory University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major ranking. Emory University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 1 ’s Islamic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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. 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 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
DePaul University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 1 ’s Islamic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
With a ranking of #11, Georgetown University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major list. Georgetown is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #12, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s Islamic studies degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Harvard University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major ranking. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major ranking. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified ’s Islamic studies students in 2020-2021.
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 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major ranking. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 0 ’s Islamic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Read full report on Islamic Studies at The University of Texas at Austin
Swarthmore College ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major list. Swarthmore College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. It awarded 0 ’s Islamic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Islamic Studies Major list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
