by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,034 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 631 colleges that offer a degree in religious studies. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in religious studies.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
The religion school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s”.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree religion students.
Out of the 631 schools in the Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #1 spot on the list. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 719 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 631 schools in the Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Gratz College landed the #2 spot on the list. Melrose Park, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 56 students in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Women’S-Institute-Of-Torah-Seminary. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of St Thomas Minnesota. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 40 degrees to qualified bachelors’s religion students 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Religious Studies at University of St Thomas Minnesota
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s list. University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Religious Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Jewish Theological Seminary of America. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 36 students 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.
Read more about Religious Studies at Jewish Theological Seminary of America
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religious Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #8. Cal Baptist is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.
With a ranking of #9, American Public University System did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s list. American Military University is a large school located in Charles Town, West Virginia that handed out 27 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Religious Studies at American Military University
With a ranking of #9, Baylor University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s list. Baylor is a large school located in Waco, Texas that handed out 27 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 91%.
Vanguard University of Southern California landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Vanguard University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Costa Mesa, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a large public school situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. It awarded 26 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.
Hebrew Theological College ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s list. HTC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Skokie, Illinois. It awarded 37 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Hebrew Theological College
Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Arizona State University - Skysong is a large public school situated in Scottsdale, Arizona. It awarded 25 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Georgia landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Georgia is located in Athens, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Religious Studies at University of Georgia
St Olaf College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Northfield, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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 undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #17, Faith International University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s list. Faith is a small school located in Tacoma, Washington that handed out 22 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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 impressive undergraduate 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 ranking of #18, Saint Leo University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Leo, Florida, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Saint Leo University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified 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%.
Fordham University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. 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 21 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Wayland Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #18. This small school is located in Plainview, Texas, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Catholic University of America ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s list. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Catholic University of America Religious Studies Report
Yeshiva University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in New York, New York, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 20 degrees to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 19 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Religious Studies at University of California - Los Angeles
Anderson University South Carolina landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Anderson University South Carolina is located in Anderson, South Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Anderson University South Carolina
Not only did these schools make the top 59 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
| 60 | Gordon College | Wenham, MA |
| 60 | Pepperdine University | Malibu, CA |
| 60 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 60 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
| 60 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 60 | Union University | Jackson, TN |
| 60 | Point Loma Nazarene University | San Diego, CA |
| 68 | William & Mary | Williamsburg, VA |
| 68 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 68 | Birmingham Southern College | Birmingham, AL |
| 68 | Oklahoma City University | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 68 | Binghamton University | Vestal, NY |
| 68 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
| 68 | University of Vermont | Burlington, VT |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 95 | University of California - Riverside | Riverside, CA |
| 95 | Cornell College | Mount Vernon, IA |
| 95 | Gonzaga University | Spokane, WA |
| 95 | Oregon State University | Corvallis, OR |
| 95 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 95 | California State University - Bakersfield | Bakersfield, CA |
| 95 | Macalester College | Saint Paul, MN |
| 95 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA |
| 95 | Arizona State University - Tempe | Tempe, AZ |
| 95 | Guilford College | Greensboro, NC |
| 95 | University of Mount Olive | Mount Olive, NC |
| 95 | Pacific Lutheran University | Tacoma, WA |
| 95 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 95 | Swarthmore College | Swarthmore, PA |
| 95 | Haverford College | Haverford, PA |
| 95 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
| 95 | University of California - Davis | Davis, CA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
