by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Theology is the 127th most popular major in the country with 6,253 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 695 theology graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate” ranking, we looked at 65 colleges that offer a degree in theology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular theology programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate” list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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 following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 153 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate. SBTS is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Louisville, Kentucky. It awarded 105 doctorate’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate. MBTS is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Kansas City, Missouri. It awarded 50 doctorate’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Drew University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate. Located in Madison, New Jersey, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 32 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s theology students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 65 schools in the Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Regent University landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 24 doctorate’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.
Pentecostal Theological Seminary landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate ranking. This small school is located in Cleveland, Tennessee, and it awarded 22 doctorate’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Theology at Pentecostal Theological Seminary
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate list. New Orleans, Louisiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s theology degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #8, Graduate Theological Union did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate list. Graduate Theological Union is a small school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 20 doctorate’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Notre Dame landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate ranking. Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 doctorate’s theology degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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. 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.
Santa Clara University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate list. SCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Clara, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
University of Chicago came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate ranking. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 16 doctorate’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #12, Virginia Union University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate list. VUU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 15 doctorate’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #13, Fuller Theological Seminary did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate list. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s theology degrees to 12 students 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Boston University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate ranking. Boston U is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 11 doctorate’s theology 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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Southern Methodist University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Dallas, Texas, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified doctorate’s theology students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, Concordia Seminary did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate list. Concordia Seminary is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 doctorate’s theology degrees to qualified students.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Trinity International University - Illinois landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate ranking. Deerfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s theology degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Fordham University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate list. Fordham University is located in Bronx, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 doctorate’s theology degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Erskine College ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate list. Due West, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s theology degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
Lancaster Theological Seminary ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate list. Lancaster Theological Seminary is a small school located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that handed out 8 doctorate’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
St. Thomas University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #20. St. Thomas University is located in Miami Gardens, Florida and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 doctorate’s theology degrees to qualified students.
Western Theological Seminary landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate ranking. Western Theological Seminary is located in Holland, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s theology degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Read full report on Theology at Western Theological Seminary
Hartford Seminary did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #22. Hartford Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hartford, Connecticut. It awarded 7 doctorate’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
Boston College ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate list. Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s theology degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
Princeton Theological Seminary landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified doctorate’s theology students 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.
With a ranking of #24, American Baptist Seminary of the West did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s theology degrees to 6 students 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.
Hood Theological Seminary came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate ranking. Hood Theological Seminary is a small school located in Salisbury, North Carolina that handed out 6 doctorate’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
Duke University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Theology Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #24. Duke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 97%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
