2023 Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools
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
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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2023 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Jewish Theological Seminary of America. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools list. Jewish Theological Seminary of America is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large 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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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Catholic University of America is a great place for philosophy and religious studies students. CUA is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington.
After completing their degree, philosophy and religious studies graduates from CUA carry an average student debtload of $23,250.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Boston College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools list. Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly 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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With a ranking of #6, Emory University did quite well on this year’s best schools for philosophy and religious studies students. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Atlanta.
Philosophy & Religious Studies majors at Emory take out an average of $23,955 in student loans while working on their egree.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for philosophy and religious studies students. It came in at #7 on the list. UNC Chapel Hill is a very 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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With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s best schools for philosophy and religious studies students. 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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DePauw University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools list. DePauw is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Greencastle.
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Vanderbilt University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools list. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.
Full Philosophy & Religious Studies at Vanderbilt University Report
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Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for philosophy and religious studies students. It came in at #11 on the list. ASU - Skysong is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Scottsdale.
After completing their degree, philosophy and religious studies graduates from ASU - Skysong carry an average student debtload of $24,403.
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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 |
More Philosophy & Religious Studies Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Philosophy & Religious Studies
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 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.