by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 9,470 people earned their degree in religious studies, making the major the 90th most popular in the United States. 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.
For this year’s “Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region.
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 801 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $29,382 for Southeast Region Religion students per year to attend Liberty University.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Charlotte. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region list. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s religion degrees to 30 students in 2020-2021.
UNC Charlotte also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Charlotte is $17,634 for Southeast Region Religion students.
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%.
Read more about Religious Studies at University of North Carolina at Charlotte
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region list. Florida State University is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
Florida State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $9,946 for Southeast Region 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Florida State University
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region religion students list, UF has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $5,135 for Southeast Region Religion students per year to attend UF.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida International University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in Miami, Florida, this large public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
FIU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend FIU is $5,298 for Southeast Region Religion students.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s religion degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region religion students list, UNC Chapel Hill has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $12,469 for southeast region 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religious Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Carson - Newman University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #7. 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 list, Carson - Newman has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Carson - Newman is $17,982 for southeast region religion students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Gardner - Webb University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #8. Gardner - Webb is located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
Gardner - Webb also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Gardner - Webb is $20,776 for Southeast Region Religion students.
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%.
Georgia State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Georgia State is a large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 13 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgia State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $17,242 for southeast region religion students per year to attend Georgia State.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Georgia State University
Saint Leo University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #10. Saint Leo University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Leo, Florida. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
St. Leo University also took the #14 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St. Leo University is $18,445 for Southeast Region Religion students.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Saint Leo University
University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 66 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $22,006 for southeast region religion students per year to attend University of Virginia.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Emory University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Emory University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Emory not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Emory University is $22,597 for southeast region religion students.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Vanderbilt University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 16 degrees to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt also took the #3 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt is $19,970 for southeast region religion students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, 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 96%.
Duke University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Duke University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 22 ’s religion degrees 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. It costs about $32,459 for Southeast Region Religion students per year to attend Duke.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
