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 was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Southwest region, there were 423 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,014 and $24,037 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 58 colleges that offer a degree in religious studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular religious studies programs in the United States.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest 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 “Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southwestern Assemblies of God University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region. Located in Waxahachie, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 63 degrees to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Southwestern Assemblies of God University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wayland Baptist University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region. This small school is located in Plainview, Texas, and it awarded 40 ’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.
Out of the 58 schools in the Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Baylor University landed the #3 spot on the list. Baylor is a large school located in Waco, Texas that handed out 36 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
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 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%.
Out of the 58 schools in the Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #4 spot on the list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s religion degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.
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 2.3% 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%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at The University of Texas at Austin
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Skysong. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region list. Arizona State University - Skysong is located in Scottsdale, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Arizona State University - Skysong Religious Studies Report
Rice University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #6. Rice University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #7, Southern Methodist University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region list. SMU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #8, Oklahoma Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region list. Shawnee, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad 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 Oklahoma Baptist University
University of Mary Hardin - Baylor ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region list. University of Mary Hardin - Baylor is a small school located in Belton, Texas that handed out 12 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #10, East Texas Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region list. East Texas Baptist University is a small school located in Marshall, Texas that handed out 16 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
Full Arizona State University - Tempe Religious Studies Report
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #10. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s religion degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and it awarded 11 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religious Studies at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
Oklahoma City University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region list. This small school is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and it awarded 11 ’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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religious Studies at Oklahoma City University
Houston Baptist University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region ranking. HBU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 7 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #15, Texas Christian University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region list. Fort Worth, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 7 students 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of North Texas landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 6 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Houston landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 5 ’s religion degrees 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 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Howard Payne University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Howard Payne University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Brownwood, Texas. It awarded 5 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Messenger College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Messenger College is located in Euless, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s religion degrees to qualified 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.
Texas College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas College is located in Tyler, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 5 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Religious Studies at University of New Mexico - Main Campus
Criswell College ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region list. Criswell College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Dallas, Texas. It awarded 4 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #23, Schreiner University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region list. Kerrville, Texas 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.
Read full report on Religious Studies at Schreiner University
University of the Southwest did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Religion Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #23. USW is located in Hobbs, New Mexico and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s religion degrees to qualified students.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
