by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Far Western US region, there were 544 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,282 and $18,584 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking analyzed 94 colleges that offered a degree in religious studies. That schools that top this list have a program in religious studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region” 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. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region religion students.
Out of the 94 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California Graduate School of Theology landed the #1 spot on the list. Garden-Grove, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
Full California Graduate School of Theology Religious Studies Report
Out of the 94 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Pacific Rim Christian University landed the #2 spot on the list. Pacific Rim Christian University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Honolulu, Hawaii. It awarded 10 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Pacific Rim Christian University Religious Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Claremont School of Theology. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 21 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Out of the 94 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy for Jewish Religion - California landed the #4 spot on the list. Academy for Jewish Religion - California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Academy for Jewish Religion - California Religious Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Faith International University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region list. Faith International University is a small school located in Tacoma, Washington that handed out 22 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Institute of Buddhist Studies landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Institute of Buddhist Studies is located in Berkeley, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
University of the West did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Rosemead, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Religious Studies at University of the West
American Jewish University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 3 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Vanguard University of Southern California landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Costa Mesa, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 26 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Vanguard University of Southern California Religious Studies Report
Westmont College ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region list. This small school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 9 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Claremont Graduate University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region list. Claremont Graduate University is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 14 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Reed College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Portland, Oregon, and it awarded 6 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.
With a ranking of #13, Whitworth University - Adult Degree Programs did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region list. Whitworth University - Adult Degree Programs is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spokane, Washington. It awarded 1 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Full Whitworth University - Adult Degree Programs Religious Studies Report
Whitworth University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Whitworth is a small school located in Spokane, Washington that handed out 9 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Simpson University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Simpson U is located in Redding, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #16, The Master’s University and Seminary did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region list. This small school is located in Santa Clarita, California, and it awarded 5 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religious Studies at The Master’s University
Pacific Lutheran University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. PLU is a small school located in Tacoma, Washington that handed out 8 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Pomona College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Pomona College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Puget Sound landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. This small school is located in Tacoma, Washington, and it awarded 7 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California Baptist University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. California Baptist University is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 30 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region list. Located in San Diego, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Santa Clara University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized school located in Santa Clara, California that handed out 20 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Warner Pacific University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #23. Warner Pacific University is a small school located in Portland, Oregon that handed out 1 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
La Sierra University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. La Sierra is a small school located in Riverside, California that handed out 3 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%.
Chaminade University of Honolulu landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Chaminade University of Honolulu is a private not-for-profit institution located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Chaminade University of Honolulu Religious Studies Report
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
