2023 Best Value Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $48-$75k) in California
9
Ranked Colleges
420
Degrees Awarded
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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 “Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Religious Studies Schools
The religion school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k”.
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. 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 in California For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $48-$75k) 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 $48-$75k. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
UC Davis also took the #3 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $14,193 for California Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 $48-$75k list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
UCSB also took the #2 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,583 for california religion students whose families make $48-$75k 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%.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Religious Studies Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Riverside landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 12 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,126 for California Religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.
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 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 Religious Studies at UCR
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california religion students whose families make $48-$75k list, CSUN has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $10,780 for california religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 more about Religious Studies at CSUN
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 10 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california religion students whose families make $48-$75k list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $9,017 for california religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.
Read more about Religious Studies at Cal State Fullerton
With a ranking of #6, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 8 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
USC also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend USC is $22,826 for california religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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%.
Read more about Religious Studies at University of Southern California
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
SFSU also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $16,065 for california religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religious Studies at SFSU
California Baptist University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California Baptist University is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 30 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Baptist did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $25,553 for california religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal Baptist.
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 Cal Baptist Religious Studies Report
Chapman University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Chapman University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Orange, California. It awarded 2 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Chapman also took the #4 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chapman is $38,525 for California Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religious Studies at Chapman
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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
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