April 3, 2013 | | 2 Comments With so much attention given to rankings and tuition, we sometimes forget how important it is for students to study in a place where their beliefs can be respected. Many Christian college students, for example, seek out Christian universities where they can study in an environment where their beliefs and education are brought together into one curriculum. There are a lot of Christian universities in the U.S. and some of them are very well known. But some accommodate more students than others. This led us to wonder: what are the largest Christian universities in the nation? We did the research and came up with this list of the 10 Largest Christian Universities in the U.S.. 1. Liberty University Student enrollment: 92,600 Religious affiliation: Baptist This Lynchburg, Virginia, school has expanded its reach significantly via online degree programs. Hence its impressive student body size, which makes it twice as large as the second largest Christian university on this list. Liberty is the largest non-profit university in the nation and the largest university in Virginia. Its strong Christian code of conduct is rounded out with 20 Division I athletic teams and 315 unique programs of study. 2. Grand Canyon University Student enrollment: 40,000+ Religious affiliation: Southern Baptist This for-profit university located in Phoenix, Arizona has grown from a small liberal arts college in 1949 to being the second largest Christian university in the nation. This is partly due to the university’s expansive online degree programs that are available to students nationwide. Despite its growth, Grand Canyon University still sticks by its commitment to helping students “to find their purpose in Christ, with an emphasis on applying Christian values and ethics to the workplace.” 3. Brigham Young University Student enrollment: 33,336 Religious affiliation: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Looking for clean living? You might consider Brigham Young University, which has been voted the number-one “Stone-Cold Sober School” in the country by the Princeton Review for the last 15 years running. Students at Brigham Young University sign a contract that they will abide by a strict moral code while enrolled at the university, including abstaining from extramarital sex, alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. This seems only to have helped their academics. Brigham Young boasts top-ranked programs in accounting, engineering, and more. 4. DePaul University Student enrollment: 24,966 Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic The largest Catholic university in the nation, DePaul is dedicated to helping students take theory and knowledge and applying them toward meaningful service. It offers 300 graduate and undergraduate programs of study. Despite its Catholic affiliation, however, DePaul is not for Catholic students only. The school boasts one of the most religiously diverse student populations in the U.S. 5. St Johns University-New York Student enrollment: 21,067 Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic You might have heard of St John’s prominent basketball program, but there is so much more to this school. St John’s promotes lifelong Christian service, as seen on their website: “We believe that giving back to the community teaches us lessons that can only be learned by serving, lessons that deepen our faith. This is why we see faith and service as inextricably connected; while faith inspires the service we do, it is still nurtured by service.” 6. Georgetown University Student enrollment: 17,130 Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic Amidst this school’s traditions of solid basketball teams and top academics, many often forget that Georgetown University (like many of the schools on this list) is actually a Catholic and Jesuit university, the oldest of its kind in the United States. It’s a major international research university with eight schools, the home of numerous ranked academic programs, and an affiliated hospital. 7. Loyola University-Chicago Student enrollment: 16,040 Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic This Jesuit Catholic university is also defined by its unique Ignatian heritage, which teaches that with knowledge comes the responsibility to act in the service of others. This university was also recently named one of the nation’s best values in higher education by the U.S. News. For a relatively small price, LUC features a full spread of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. 8. Indiana Wesleyan University Student enrollment: 15,872 Religious affiliation: Wesleyan This Marion, Indiana, school identifies itself as an “evangelical Christian comprehensive university,” meaning it offers nationally recognized programs in areas of study from business and art to theology and ministry. At the top of their list of priorities is challenging students to follow Christ by helping them to demonstrate Christian character, academic excellence, preparation for their vocations, and preparation for service. 9. Boston College Student enrollment: 14,600 Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic This Jesuit Catholic university is also ranked 31st in the nation by U.S. News and 26th by Forbes magazine. The school is widely viewed as being competitive with such well-known universities as Yale, Princeton, and Harvard. One-hundred and fifty Jesuits serve as faculty or administrators or participate in advanced degree programs at Boston College and even offer Ignatian retreats and spiritual guidance to faculty, staff, and students alike. 10. Saint Louis University-Main Campus Student enrollment: 13,900 Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic The private Jesuit university is known for “academic excellence, life-changing research, compassionate health care, and a strong commitment to faith and service.” But the benefits of going to this school aren’t strictly spiritual: SLU was named a “Best Buy in College Education” by the publication Barron’s and number one in the nation by U.S. News for its health law program. Sources: Grand Canyon University: http://www.gcu.edu Brigham Young University: http://home.byu.edu/home Liberty University: http://www.liberty.edu DePaul University: http://www.depaul.edu/Pages/default.aspx St. John’s University: http://www.stjohns.edu Loyola University–Chicago: http://www.luc.edu Saint Louis University: http://www.slu.edu Georgetown University: http://www.georgetown.edu/index.html Indiana Wesleyan University: http://www.indwes.edu Boston College: http://www.bc.edu
Go BYU! As a cougar alumni and LDS, fellow Christian, I would say that I am glad there are opportunities available for students to go to schools that have a religious tie. I had a great experience and would recommend going to a faith-based school if the option is available.