2026 Best Value Religious Studies Associate’s Degree Schools
Looking for the best-value Religious Studies associate’s degree programs in the United States? Our ranking highlights 780 schools by value — the balance of cost and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. Each school below is scored on factors such as tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the strongest return on investment.
To arm you with the information you need, Course Advisor reviewed schools to compile this 2026 value ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Best-Value Religious Studies Associate’s Degree Schools in the United States
Here are the top-ranked schools for value:
Liberty University tops our 2026 ranking of the best-value Religious Studies associate's degree schools in the United States. Located in Lynchburg, VA, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $16,173. The median Religious Studies program debt is $32,873. Graduates go on to earn a median of $44,813 ten years after entry. Set against $32,873 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 99% of applicants are accepted. Read the full report on Liberty University
Out of the 780 schools in the United States in this year's value ranking, Academy For Jewish Religion landed the #2 spot. Read the full report on Academy For Jewish Religion
Hastings College came in at #3 on this year's best-value Religious Studies ranking in the United States. Read the full report on Hastings College
Pitzer College came in at #4 on this year's best-value Religious Studies ranking in the United States. See the full Pitzer College profile
A rank of #5 makes Haverford College one of the best values in the United States. Read more about Haverford College
Marywood University landed the #6 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Marywood University
Moravian College And Moravian Theological Seminary landed the #7 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Moravian College And Moravian Theological Seminary profile
Touro College landed the #8 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Touro College
University Of Georgia placed #9 among the best-value Religious Studies schools in the United States. Get the full University Of Georgia report
Wofford College
Wofford College placed #10 among the best-value Religious Studies schools in the United States. Read more about Wofford College
Yeshiva Bais Aharon offered strong value this year, earning the #11 position. Get the full Yeshiva Bais Aharon report
Bethel University Tennessee placed #12 among the best-value Religious Studies schools in the United States. More on Bethel University Tennessee
Hannibal Lagrange College came in at #13 in this year's value ranking. See the full Hannibal Lagrange College profile
Purdue University Main Campus offered strong value this year, earning the #14 position. See the full Purdue University Main Campus profile
University Of Wisconsin Oshkosh came in at #15 in this year's value ranking. More on University Of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Wellesley College offered strong value this year, earning the #16 position. More on Wellesley College
Yale University
Yale University ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best-value Religious Studies schools. Read the full report on Yale University
Pepperdine University came in at #18 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Pepperdine University report
Alma College
Alma College landed the #19 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Alma College
Denver Seminary
Denver Seminary landed the #20 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Denver Seminary
Franciscan University Of Steubenville landed the #21 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Franciscan University Of Steubenville
Los Angeles Valley College came in at #22 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Los Angeles Valley College
Mercer University offered strong value this year, earning the #23 position. Read more about Mercer University
San Jose State University ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best-value Religious Studies schools. See the full San Jose State University profile
Vanderbilt University placed #25 among the best-value Religious Studies schools in the United States. Read more about Vanderbilt University
Rest of the Top 50 Best-Value Religious Studies Associate’s Degree Schools in the United States
Not far behind, these schools also offered excellent value:
Cuny Bernard M Baruch College came in at #26 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Cuny Bernard M Baruch College
Gettysburg College landed the #27 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Gettysburg College profile
Marist College
Marist College placed #28 among the best-value Religious Studies schools in the United States. See the full Marist College profile
Mckendree University placed #29 among the best-value Religious Studies schools in the United States. More on Mckendree University
Meredith College
Meredith College ranked #30 on our 2026 list of the best-value Religious Studies schools. Read the full report on Meredith College
Spring Hill College placed #31 among the best-value Religious Studies schools in the United States. Get the full Spring Hill College report
Anderson University Indiana landed the #32 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Anderson University Indiana report
Barton College
Barton College offered strong value this year, earning the #33 position. Read more about Barton College
Wayland Baptist University came in at #34 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Wayland Baptist University
Yeshiva Gedolah Kesser Torah landed the #35 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Yeshiva Gedolah Kesser Torah
Denison University came in at #36 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Denison University
Thomas More College came in at #37 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Thomas More College report
Amarillo College
Amarillo College came in at #38 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Amarillo College
Baldwin Wallace College placed #39 among the best-value Religious Studies schools in the United States. Get the full Baldwin Wallace College report
Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid came in at #40 in this year's value ranking. More on Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid
Bluefield College offered strong value this year, earning the #41 position. Get the full Bluefield College report
Brown University
Brown University offered strong value this year, earning the #42 position. More on Brown University
Colby College
Colby College ranked #43 on our 2026 list of the best-value Religious Studies schools. More on Colby College
George Mason University came in at #44 in this year's value ranking. See the full George Mason University profile
Stanford University landed the #45 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Stanford University
Stillman College
Stillman College landed the #46 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Stillman College
Warner Pacific College offered strong value this year, earning the #47 position. Get the full Warner Pacific College report
West Chester University Of Pennsylvania came in at #48 in this year's value ranking. See the full West Chester University Of Pennsylvania profile
Cerritos College
Cerritos College placed #49 among the best-value Religious Studies schools in the United States. Read more about Cerritos College
Cuny Queens College ranked #50 on our 2026 list of the best-value Religious Studies schools. Read the full report on Cuny Queens College
Related Religious Studies Value Rankings
See value rankings for other degree levels:
- Best Value Religious Studies Schools (All Levels)
- Best Value Religious Studies Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Religious Studies Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Religious Studies Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Religious Studies Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
This list is compiled by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment — drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 780 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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