2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 9,704 people earned their degree in religious studies, making the major the 115th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, religious studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,163 and had an average of $28,712 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 406 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,300 and $41,089 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 61 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in religious studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent religious studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the religious studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Religious Studies Schools

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 “Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree religion students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, California

#2 in overall quality

$17,784 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #1 spot on the list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s religion degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #2 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CSULB are $17,784.

Read full report on Religious Studies at CSULB

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$28,131 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 2 masters’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree religion students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCLA has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Religious Studies at University of California - Los Angeles

#3

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

#5 in overall quality

$28,686 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Religious Studies at University of California - Riverside

#4

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,670 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 2 masters’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree religion students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSB has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670.

Full UCSB Religious Studies Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Sowlos.

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