2023 Best Value Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region
14
Ranked Colleges
2,005
Degrees Awarded
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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 the Southeast region, there were 2,005 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,841 and $25,705 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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 in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
Duke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Duke University is $7,160 for southeast region religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full Duke Religious Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region religion students whose families make $48-$75k list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $7,694 for southeast region religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 96%.
Full Vanderbilt University Religious Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 15 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
UF also took the #7 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $8,394 for Southeast Region Religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UF.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UF Religious Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $11,619 for southeast region religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Religious Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emory University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 21 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Emory also took the #2 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Emory is $16,646 for Southeast Region Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full Emory Religious Studies Report
Florida State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Florida State is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 25 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Florida State also took the #8 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $11,506 for Southeast Region Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 Florida State University
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s religion degrees to 66 students in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $16,019 for southeast region religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full University of Virginia Religious Studies Report
Florida International University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. FIU is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 13 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
FIU also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Florida International University is $7,292 for southeast region religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Florida International University
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public institution located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UNC Charlotte did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $16,938 for Southeast Region Religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UNC Charlotte.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of North Carolina at Charlotte Religious Studies Report
Georgia State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Georgia State University is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
Georgia State also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia State University is $18,466 for Southeast Region Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
Full Georgia State University Religious Studies Report
Carson - Newman University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Carson - Newman is a small school located in Jefferson City, Tennessee that handed out 12 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region religion students whose families make $48-$75k list, Carson - Newman has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $18,610 for southeast region religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Carson - Newman.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Carson - Newman Religious Studies Report
Liberty University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 801 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $27,305 for southeast region religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
Full Liberty University Religious Studies Report
Gardner - Webb University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
Gardner - Webb also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Gardner - Webb is $18,333 for Southeast Region Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Gardner - Webb
With a ranking of #14, Saint Leo University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Saint Leo, Florida, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 21 degrees to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region religion students whose families make $48-$75k list, St. Leo University has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $18,084 for Southeast Region Religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Saint Leo University.
Full Saint Leo University 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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