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2023 Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools

76 Colleges
$31,946 Avg Salary
$22,275 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Philosophy & Religious Studies School for You

Philosophy & Religious Studies is the #28 most popular major in the country with 19,993 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 76 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Colleges.

Top 15% Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools

#1

Duke University

Durham, NC

Our 2023 rankings named Duke University the best school in the United States for philosophy and religious studies students. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.

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#2

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools list. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

On average, philosophy and religious studies graduates from UPenn take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $697, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Out of the 76 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Jewish Theological Seminary of America landed the # 3 spot on the list. Jewish Theological Seminary of America is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

Philosophy & Religious Studies majors at Jewish Theological Seminary of America take out an average of $19,625 in student loans while working on their egree.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Catholic University of America. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools list. CUA is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.

After completing their degree, philosophy and religious studies graduates from CUA carry an average student debtload of $23,250.

Read full report on Philosophy & Religious Studies at Catholic University of America

#5

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Boston College is a great place for philosophy and religious studies students. Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

While working on their degree, philosophy and religious studies majors at Boston College accumulate an average of around $17,500 in student debt.

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#6

Emory University

Atlanta, GA

Emory University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best philosophy and religious studies programs. Emory is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Atlanta.

Philosophy & Religious Studies majors at Emory take out an average of $23,955 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Philosophy & Religious Studies at Emory University Report

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best philosophy and religious studies programs. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill.

While working on their degree, philosophy and religious studies majors at UNC Chapel Hill accumulate an average of around $19,100 in student debt.

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University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for philosophy and religious studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.

While working on their degree, philosophy and religious studies majors at UW - Madison accumulate an average of around $19,712 in student debt.

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#9

DePauw University

Greencastle, IN

DePauw University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best philosophy and religious studies programs. DePauw is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Greencastle.

Read full report on Philosophy & Religious Studies at DePauw University

#10

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best philosophy and religious studies programs. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.

Read full report on Philosophy & Religious Studies at Vanderbilt University

Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools ranking. ASU - Skysong is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Scottsdale.

After completing their degree, philosophy and religious studies graduates from ASU - Skysong carry an average student debtload of $24,403.

Read full report on Philosophy & Religious Studies at Arizona State University - Skysong

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools award.

Rank College Location
12 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
13 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
14 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
15 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN

Philosophy & Religious Studies by Region

View the Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Philosophy & Religious Studies Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Philosophy 10,054
Religious Studies 9,470
Other Philosophy & Religious Studies 285
General Philosophy & Religious Studies 184

Related Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 556,813
Visual & Performing Arts 149,215
English Language & Literature 54,635
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 33,333
Theology & Religious Vocations 27,459

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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