Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region

25 Ranked Colleges
2,839 Degrees Awarded
$26,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor's in the Middle Atlantic 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 Middle Atlantic Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 9,704 people earned their degree in religious studies, making the major the 115th most popular in the United States. 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 Middle Atlantic region, there were 5,358 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,867 and $35,290 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,839 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,278 and $24,587 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking looked at 25 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in religious studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great religious studies programs and cost less that 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.

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to 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 Middle Atlantic Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region

#1

Hunter College

New York, New York
#23 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hunter College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Hunter not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $2,490 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend Hunter.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Hunter

#2

Montclair State University

Montclair, New Jersey
#19 in overall quality

Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Montclair State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Montclair, New Jersey is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Montclair State, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $18,034 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend Montclair State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Montclair State University

#3

Cairn University

Langhorne, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cairn University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Cairn University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. It awarded 5 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree religion students list, Cairn has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cairn is $21,859 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

Full Cairn University Religious Studies Report

#4

Binghamton University

Vestal, New York
#18 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Binghamton University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region. Vestal, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Binghamton University, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Binghamton University is $19,353 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree religion students.

The 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 92%.

Read more about Religious Studies at Binghamton University

#14 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Pitt is a large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 4 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt also took the #14 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pitt is $27,938 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Pitt Religious Studies Report

#6

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey
#16 in overall quality

Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #6. New Brunswick, New Jersey is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rutgers New Brunswick, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers New Brunswick is $21,654 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree religion students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Rutgers University - New Brunswick

#7

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York
#25 in overall quality

Brooklyn College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Brooklyn College is located in Brooklyn, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.

Brooklyn College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Brooklyn College is $2,683 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Brooklyn College

#8

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, New York
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Stony Brook University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Stony Brook University is a public institution located in Stony Brook, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SUNY Stony Brook not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend SUNY Stony Brook is $15,160 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree religion students.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at SUNY Stony Brook

#9

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Temple University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Temple is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.

Temple also took the #17 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Temple University is $23,521 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree religion students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Temple Religious Studies Report

#10

Rutgers University - Camden

Camden, New Jersey
#24 in overall quality

Rutgers University - Camden did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #10. Camden, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

Rutgers Camden also made our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers University - Camden is $13,660 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Rutgers Camden

#11

Seton Hall University

South Orange, New Jersey
#13 in overall quality

Seton Hall University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Seton Hall University is a medium-sized school located in South Orange, New Jersey that handed out 9 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Seton Hall also made our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Seton Hall University is $29,845 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Seton Hall

#12

Catholic University of America

Washington, District of Columbia

Catholic University of America came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. CUA is a medium-sized school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 15 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

CUA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Catholic University of America is $34,230 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Catholic University of America Religious Studies Report

#13

University of Scranton

Scranton, Pennsylvania
#20 in overall quality

University of Scranton landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Scranton, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Scranton is $34,374 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, 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 89%.

Full University of Scranton Religious Studies Report

#14

American University

Washington, District of Columbia
#5 in overall quality

American University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

The American University also took the #5 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for American University is $43,451 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.

Full American University Religious Studies Report

#15

Dickinson College

Carlisle, Pennsylvania
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Dickinson College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This small school is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree religion students list, Dickinson has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dickinson College is $29,452 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Dickinson College Religious Studies Report

With a ranking of #16, Jewish Theological Seminary of America did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Jewish Theological Seminary of America is a small school located in New York, New York that handed out 37 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Jewish Theological Seminary of America did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $40,129 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students per year to attend Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Jewish Theological Seminary of America Religious Studies Report

#17

Syracuse University

Syracuse, New York
#12 in overall quality

Syracuse University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #17. Syracuse is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Syracuse, New York. It awarded 9 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Syracuse also took the #12 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Syracuse University is $34,482 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full Syracuse Religious Studies Report

#4 in overall quality

Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #18. Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also took the #4 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $23,306 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Columbia

#19

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania
#10 in overall quality

Villanova University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #19. Villanova is located in Villanova, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.

Villanova also took the #10 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Villanova University is $41,027 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

The school has an impressive 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Villanova

#20

Gettysburg College

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #20, Gettysburg College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This small school is located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Gettysburg also took the #15 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $26,513 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend Gettysburg College.

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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Religious Studies at Gettysburg

#21

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#3 in overall quality

Cornell University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #21. Cornell University is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 3 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Cornell also took the #3 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $40,126 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend Cornell University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, 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. 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.

Full Cornell University Religious Studies Report

#22

Fordham University

Bronx, New York
#7 in overall quality

Fordham University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Bronx, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 35 students in 2019-2020.

Fordham U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $36,761 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree religion students per year to attend Fordham University.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Religious Studies at Fordham University

#23

Colgate University

Hamilton, New York
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, Colgate University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Hamilton, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.

Colgate also made our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $25,834 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students per year to attend Colgate.

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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 Colgate

#24

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#2 in overall quality

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #24. University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.

UPenn also made our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $25,802 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Pennsylvania Religious Studies Report

#25

Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, New York
#11 in overall quality

Vassar College landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Vassar is a small school located in Poughkeepsie, New York that handed out 5 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Vassar did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $26,208 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Religion students per year to attend Vassar.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.

Full Vassar Religious Studies Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Philosophy and Religious Studies Schools

Find Schools Near You