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With a strong religious tradition, some of the world’s leading faith-based institutions of higher learning are located in the United States.
Although not a complete list of the approximately 600 Christian colleges across the U.S., here are some noteworthy Christian colleges and universities.
Wheaton College
Founded by abolitionists in 1860, Wheaton College, in the Chicago suburbs, has long been one of America’s most highly regarded Christian colleges.
Wheaton takes the integration of faith and learning seriously, with its alumni roster containing a “who’s who” list in the American evangelical world. The school has over 40 majors, with the most popular including business/managerial economics, psychology and biology.
Wheaton College, in the Chicago suburbs, has a storied legacy in the American evangelical world. (Getty Images)
Westmont College
Located in the Santa Barbara, California, suburbs, Westmont College is a private liberal arts school with 1,300 undergraduates; it’s nestled in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains.
It offers 26 majors and features off-campus programs, which a majority of students elect to participate in, it says. Some of the most popular include the Europe semester, the England semester, Westmont in Mexico, and Westmont in Istanbul.
The queen of Jordan attends a rally for peace at Westmont College. (Getty Images)
Taylor University
Founded in 1846, Taylor University is one of the oldest Christian schools in America.
Located in Upland, Indiana, the school has an undergraduate population of 1,800. Students can choose from 100 undergraduate programs and 61 majors, including education, business, new media and exercise science.
Taylor also offers select graduate programs, including a master of business administration, and a master of environmental science. The school features two of its own study abroad programs in Ecuador and Ireland.
Calvin University
Calvin University was founded in 1876 by the Christian Reformed Church in North America, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as a seminary.
It currently has 3,200 students and over 300 academic staff. It is known for its core curriculum, required for all students, which includes four parts: foundations, competencies & skills, knowledge & understanding, and cross-disciplinary integrations.
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This program of academic study culminates in a senior year capstone course, which draws on concepts from the previous three years.
Messiah University
Messiah University is located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and was founded in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church. It has a 375-acre campus, with 2,500 undergraduates, and 173 full-time academic staff.
Messiah features more than 150 undergraduate majors, and a wide variety of study abroad programs. During the 2008 presidential campaign, the school made national news for its Compassion Forum, in which candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton took questions about faith and politics.
Rich in tradition, Messiah features “creeking,” in which recently engaged students or birthday celebrators are thrown into the Yellow Breeches Creek by their friends.
College of the Ozarks
College of the Ozarks, in Point Lookout, Missouri, is a nondenominational Christian school founded in 1906.
It has an undergraduate student body of 1,400, with 30 different academic majors. Its most unique feature is the absence of tuition.
Instead, students participate in a work program and the school relies on generous donations. In this “Hard Work U,” students are expected to work 15 hours a week during the academic semester and 40 hours a week during breaks.
It isn’t for everyone, but the emphasis on work and character has proved popular, and the affordability has resulted in competitive admissions rates. In a typical year, only 400 students out of more than 4,000 applicants are admitted.
Bethel University
Bethel University, in Arden Hills, Minnesota, offers 106 majors, 43 minors and 11 pre-professional programs. It has an undergraduate student body of 2,800.
The school has its own university hymn and daily morning prayer chapel service. It’s known for its Covenant for Life Together agreement, which governs student conduct in matters of faith and personal morality.
Gordon College
Gordon College, located in Boston’s northern suburbs in Wenham, Massachusetts, has a student body of 1,500.
In 2020, it announced a 33% tuition reduction, citing the need for affordable Christian education, and the success of its Faith Rising capital campaign. Gordon offers 27 majors, 42 concentrations and 11 interdisciplinary programs, as well as graduate degrees in education and music.
Biola University is located in La Mirada, California. (Getty Images)
Biola University
Biola University is a nondenominational, evangelical university founded in 1908, and located in La Mirada, California.
It features 3,600 undergraduate students, nearly 2,000 graduate students and a faculty of 475. It offers 47 undergraduate majors and 80 concentrations. All students must take 30 hours of Bible courses, regardless of major.
Ouachita Baptist University
Ouachita Baptist University, in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.
It features 1,700 undergraduate students, and 109 full-time faculty. Its name is taken from the nearby Ouachita River, which forms the eastern boundary of the campus.
Grand Canyon University
Grand Canyon University, with over 118,000 students, is America’s largest Christian institution of higher learning, with 25,000 students at its main Phoenix, Arizona flagship campus, and the remainder studying online. It offers over 200 academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including Colleges of Education, Arts and Media, Business, Nursing and Health Care, and Engineering and Technology.
The Grand Canyon Antelopes compete at the NCAA Division I level in the Western Athletic Conference. GCU has placed great emphasis on ensuring affordability across socio-economic lines as part of its Christian mission.
Liberty University
Established in 1971, Liberty University is the largest Christian university in the world. The nonprofit private Christian institution sits on a 7,000-acre campus in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty has more than 300 undergraduate and graduate programs of study for on-campus students across 16 schools.
In recent years, Liberty University has become a leader in online learning. For students interested in a faith-based degree, the school offers numerous online bachelor’s programs in Christian studies.
Liberty’s motto is “Knowledge Aflame,” according to its website. The motto signifies a commitment to providing a world-class education based on Christian values.
Other Christian universities across America
Texas Christian UniversityCalifornia Baptist UniversityCedarville UniversityAndrews UniversityDordt UniversityBaylor UniversityWilliam Carey UniversitySt. Olaf CollegeMississippi CollegePepperdine UniversitySewanee, The University of the SouthAugustana UniversityPoint Loma Nazarene UniversitySouthern Methodist UniversityHendrix CollegeThe Master’s UniversityUnion UniversityHarding UniversityLipscomb UniversityJohn Brown UniversityOhio Northern UniversityHope CollegePoint Loma Nazarene University
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David Unsworth reports on Latin America. You can follow David Unsworth on Twitter @LatinAmerUpdate
