Loading ...College with the most religious students? BYU
flockwoodThe Princeton Review just announced its annual survey of colleges with the most and least religious college students.
Topping the list of schools with devoted college students: Brigham Young University. Evangelical colleges and one Catholic school took the other top spots. Here’s the Princeton Review’s announcement:
“According to a 122,000-student survey conducted by The Princeton Review, a MA-based education services company, for its just published book, “The Best 376 Colleges: 2012 Edition,”
America’ #1 college for “Most Religious Students” is Brigham Young University (Provo UT) while the #1 college for “Least Religious Students” is Bennington College (Bennington VT).In the book, published August 2, The Princeton Review reports the top 20 colleges in each of these categories, plus top colleges in 60 other list categories important for college applicants. Others include: the top 20 colleges for “Most Conservative / Most Liberal Students,” “Great Financial Aid,” “Best Career Services” and “Best Professors.” (See release on book below.)
All of the lists are based entirely on what students attending the 376 colleges in the book reported to The Princeton Review about themselves, their fellow students and their campuses on its 80-question student survey for the book. The complete ranking lists in “The Best 376 Colleges” are also posted on www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings.aspx (free / registration required).
Top 5 Colleges for “Most Religious Students”
1- Brigham Young University (Provo UT)
2 -Hillsdale College (Hillsdale MI)
3-Thomas Aquinas College (Santa Paula CA)
4-Wheaton College (Wheaton IL)
5-Grove City College (Grove City PA)Top 5 Colleges for “Least Religious Students”
1-Bennington College (Bennington VT)
2-Reed College (Portland OR)
3-Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson NY)
4-Vassar College (Poughkeepsie NY)
5-Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville NY)– Source: The Princeton Review.
Lists of the top 20 colleges in each of the above categories are in “The Best 376 Colleges” and at http://www.princetonreview.com.”
August 15th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
This is especially interesting because Mormons take public pride in having no “professional” clergy, i.e., their regular services are lay-led. Although, on the other hand, professional clergy are created in graduate programs, not undergraduate.
Perhaps it helps account for the income level of Mormons, as a demographic. Having no professional clergy to siphon off intellectual leaders, those otherwise highly-religious young people direct their talents into other professional paths (which, of course, pay better).
On a whole host of levels, we can definitely say, BYU is a one-of-a-kind kind of place.
August 15th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
BYU is only #3 in the “LGBT-Unfriendly” category, losing that distinction to Wheaton College. (In case you wondered, Bob Jones University isn’t rated by Princeton at all.)
Just imagine what BYU’s religiosity index would be if the scholarship athletes were not included.
August 17th, 2011 at 6:58 pm
Oddly enough, no colleges in the Bible Belt ??
September 26th, 2011 at 9:13 am
No surprises here. (Being Mormon and graduating from BYU.)