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2026 Best Value Religion/Religious Studies Schools in New York

[Religion/Religious Studies](/majors/philosophy-and-religious-studies/religious-studies/religion-religious-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 40 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for religion/religious studies students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Religion/Religious Studies Schools in New York

2026 Best Value Religion/Religious Studies Schools in New York

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in religion/religious studies, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Religion/Religious Studies Schools

1

Columbia University In The City Of New York
New York, NY

$70,517 In-State Tuition & Fees

$23,258 Avg Student Debt

$102,491 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in religion/religious studies, no school beat Columbia University In The City Of New York this year. Located in the city of New York, Columbia University In The City Of New York is a very large private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $70,517. Students borrow a median of $23,258 to complete the religion/religious studies program here. Soon after graduation, religion/religious studies degree recipients from Columbia University In The City Of New York generally make around $86,770. That is a strong return on a $23,258 median debt. The acceptance rate is 4%.

2

Elim Bible Institute And College
Lima, NY

$9,678 In-State Tuition & Fees

$11,998 Avg Student Debt

Elim Bible Institute And College came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value religion/religious studies schools. Elim Bible Institute And College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Lima. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,678. Religion/religious Studies graduates carry a median of $11,998 in student loans. Soon after graduation, religion/religious studies degree recipients from Elim Bible Institute And College generally make around $18,339. Roughly 100% of applicants are accepted.

View All Religion/Religious Studies Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 40 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• 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 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.