2023 Best Value Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $30-$48k) in California
9
Ranked Colleges
420
Degrees Awarded
$14,200
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
For this year’s “Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in religious studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality religious studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the religious studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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.
Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $30-$48k) in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 10 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis also took the #3 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,598 for california religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Davis.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Religious Studies at UC Davis
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. 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.
In addition to being on our california religion students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSB has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,606 for california religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSB.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Religious Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 12 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $7,103 for California Religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
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%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at California State University - Northridge
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 10 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton also took the #7 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $5,821 for california religion students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, 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 89%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Cal State Fullerton
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s religion degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
UCR also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $8,193 for California Religion students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full University of California - Riverside Religious Studies Report
University of Southern California came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. 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 also took the #1 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $17,345 for california religion students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Religious Studies at USC
San Francisco State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 3 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california religion students whose families make $30-$48k list, SFSU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,862 for california religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Francisco State University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 Religious Studies at San Francisco State University
California Baptist University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal Baptist is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 30 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Baptist also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $22,162 for california religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California Baptist University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California Baptist University Religious Studies Report
With a ranking of #9, Chapman University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california religion students whose families make $30-$48k list, Chapman has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,071 for california religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Chapman.
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 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Chapman Religious Studies Report
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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
- *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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