2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Religious Studies is the 115th most popular major in the country with 9,704 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,012 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 116 colleges that offered 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the religious studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 Bachelor’s” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies
Out of the 116 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary landed the #1 spot on the list. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is located in Wake Forest, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.
SEBTS also took the #21 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Religious Studies Report
Out of the 116 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, American Public University System landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Charles Town, West Virginia, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend American Public University System is $10,222 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Religious Studies at American Public University System
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s. Arizona State University - Skysong is a large public school situated in Scottsdale, Arizona. It awarded 18 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,971 for bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend Arizona State University - Skysong.
Full Arizona State University - Skysong Religious Studies Report
Out of the 116 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #4 spot on the list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,622 for bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend CSULB.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 674 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $28,903 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.
With a ranking of #6, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,646 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students per year to attend Grand Valley State University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Florida State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. Florida State is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 18 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Florida State University is $9,789 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Hunter College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Hunter College is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,490 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students per year to attend Hunter College.
The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 #9, Iowa State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,496 for bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend Iowa State University.
The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #10, Florida International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s list. FIU is located in Miami, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Florida International University is $7,296 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Florida International University
Mount Vernon Nazarene University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Mount Vernon, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend MVNU is $20,282 for bachelor’s degree religion students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #12. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 18 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,414 for bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UNC Charlotte is a large school located in Charlotte, North Carolina that handed out 22 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UNC Charlotte is $16,529 for bachelor’s degree religion students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of Houston ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s list. UH is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 9 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,838 for bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend UH.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #15, University of Central Arkansas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Conway, Arkansas, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UCA is $15,376 for bachelor’s degree religion students.
Full University of Central Arkansas Religious Studies Report
University of North Texas landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of North Texas is $15,086 for bachelor’s degree religion students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Virginia Tech landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 16 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree religion students list, Virginia Tech has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $21,198 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.
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 low 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%.
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s list. USF Tampa is located in Tampa, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $8,355 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Religious Studies at University of South Florida - Main Campus
Mississippi College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #19. MC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Clinton, Mississippi. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend MC is $17,186 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Mississippi College
With a ranking of #20, University of Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s list. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 9 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #21, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UNC Greensboro is $12,748 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.
With a ranking of #22, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UWM is $17,876 for bachelor’s degree religion students.
Read full report on Religious Studies at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
University of Central Florida came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Orlando, Florida, this large public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $10,274 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students per year to attend University of Central Florida.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, 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 92%.
With a ranking of #24, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s list. UGA is a public institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UGA is $13,649 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
San Francisco State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,113 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students per year to attend San Francisco State University.
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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
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.
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- Credit for the banner image above goes to Sowlos.
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