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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies in the Far Western US Region

21 Ranked Colleges
444 Degrees Awarded
$18,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” 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.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 568 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,300 and $37,271 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 444 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking analyzed 21 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Religious Studies Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree religion students.

Top 21 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies in the Far Western US Region

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #4 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,622 for far western us region bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend CSULB.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Religious Studies at CSULB

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #2 spot on the list. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $8,414 for far western us region 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%.

Read more about Religious Studies at California State University - Northridge

#3

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#12 in overall quality

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #3 spot on the list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $15,113 for far western us region bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Full SFSU Religious Studies Report

#4

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#14 in overall quality

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #4 spot on the list. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $14,788 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students per year to attend SDSU.

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 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full San Diego State University Religious Studies Report

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 6 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #19 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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 California State University - Fullerton

#6

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Western Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. WWU is a public institution located in Bellingham, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree religion students list, WWU has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WWU is $16,529 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Western Washington University

With a ranking of #7, Vanguard University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Vanguard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Costa Mesa, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanguard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanguard University of Southern California is $20,051 for far western us region bachelor’s degree religion students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Vanguard University of Southern California Religious Studies Report

#8

California Baptist University

Riverside, California

California Baptist University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #8. This fairly large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Baptist also made our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Baptist is $24,707 for far western us region bachelor’s degree religion students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

Read more about Religious Studies at Cal Baptist

#7 in overall quality

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 4 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree religion students list, UW Seattle has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $13,297 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students per year to attend UW Seattle.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Religious Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#10

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon
#21 in overall quality

Portland State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Portland State University is a large school located in Portland, Oregon that handed out 2 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Portland State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $13,040 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students per year to attend Portland State University.

Full Portland State University Religious Studies Report

#11

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon
#20 in overall quality

University of Oregon did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #11. UO is a public institution located in Eugene, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UO did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Oregon is $16,461 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

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%.

Full University of Oregon Religious Studies Report

#12

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $14,279 for far western us region bachelor’s degree religion students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Religious Studies Report

#13

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

With a ranking of #13, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $15,884 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSB Religious Studies Report

#14

Gonzaga University

Spokane, Washington
#8 in overall quality

Gonzaga University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Gonzaga University is a medium-sized school located in Spokane, Washington that handed out 7 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Gonzaga not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $33,793 for far western us region bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend Gonzaga University.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Gonzaga

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #15. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $14,783 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Religious Studies at UC Irvine

#5 in overall quality

University of California - Davis came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for far western us region bachelor’s degree religion students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#17

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#11 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #17. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 6 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for far western us region bachelor’s degree religion students.

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 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 full report on Religious Studies at UCR

#18

Westmont College

Santa Barbara, California

Westmont College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Westmont College is a small school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 13 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Westmont did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $31,145 for far western us region bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend Westmont.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Westmont

#19

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#17 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #17 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Religious Studies Report

#20

University of Puget Sound

Tacoma, Washington

University of Puget Sound came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tacoma, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Puget Sound also took the #15 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Puget Sound is $35,149 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Religious Studies at University of Puget Sound

#21

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

University of Southern California ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $29,528 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full University of Southern California 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

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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