As more young adults identify as religiously unaffiliated, faith-based colleges are rethinking how to connect with students who grew up with little or no religious identity. The challenge is staying true to their institutions’ convictions, while inviting students to apply who might not share them.

According to the 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study from Pew Research, 62% of U.S. adults identify as Christian, while 29% say they are religiously unaffiliated (atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular”). Among 18- to 29-year-olds in North America, fewer than half identify as Christian, and roughly 44% fall into the unaffiliated category. That generational divergence has put pressure on Christian and other faith-based colleges, many of which view themselves as countercultural or value-centered alternatives to secular institutions.

Yet Christian higher education is not uniformly shrinking. Thirty evangelical colleges and universities reported significant enrollment growth in 2024, per data compiled by the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). Some of these institutions point to leaning into identity as a strategic advantage rather than a liability.

All Faiths Welcome, With Clarity

At the University of Notre Dame, the admissions site states plainly: “We are a Catholic institution, but all faiths practiced within our community are welcomed and supported.” By explicitly framing belonging, Notre Dame offers a model of how strongly religious institutions can affirm mission while opening their doors to everyone.

Similarly, Baylor University publishes a “Christian Identity FAQ” that addresses common concerns from prospective students. It asks: “Are people of all faiths welcome at Baylor?” and the response is “Yes. While a very large percentage of students are Christian, Baylor is made a better place by including its religious diversity.” Baylor also provides spaces for Muslim prayer and reflection, acknowledging plural religious needs.

These institutions use two rhetorical moves. First, they make clear their faith identity; second, they assure respect and support for those of other or no faith. That dual message is often baked into campus tours, admissions materials, and preview days.

Transparency and Expectations

One sticking point in recruitment is expectation—how much faith practice is required once enrolled. Some campuses require chapel or religious formation covenants. Wheaton College, for example, mandates chapel attendance and publishes spiritual life expectations in handbooks available to prospective students.

Faith-based colleges must decide which requirements are nonnegotiable and then be transparent. Unaffiliated students often tell enrollment officers that hidden expectations (e.g., mandatory worship attendance, unspoken codes) are a dealbreaker. In interviews, admissions officials say offering a preview of the culture helps students self-assess whether they will thrive.

Belonging Beyond Belief

Uneasy with institutional religion but seeking community and purpose, many unaffiliated students respond to values, service, belonging, and intellectual engagement. Faith-based campuses often amplify these appeals.

• Service and justice focus: Many religiously affiliated colleges build their pitch around service learning, social justice, and ethical leadership. These are ideals that resonate even with those skeptical of doctrine.
• Intellectual engagement: Institutions that emphasize Christian scholarship, rigorous liberal arts, or worldview integration often attract students drawn to big questions, even if they come from nonreligious backgrounds.
• Safe pluralism: Campuses increasingly offer interfaith chapels, meditation spaces, spiritual counseling (not strictly doctrinal), and student groups for seekers. The idea is not to dilute conviction but to model hospitality.

Some Jesuit campuses, via the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU), actively discuss how to serve the “nones”—those who do not affiliate with any organized religion—in Catholic contexts, creating pastoral approaches that welcome questioning, ambiguity, and plural spiritualities.

Retention, Yield, and Internal Data

Recruiting is only half the battle. Retention of unaffiliated students is often a test of how well the institution balances mission with inclusion. Some colleges track retention and satisfaction by student religious identification, using those metrics in annual reviews.

Although few institutions publish these breakdowns publicly, admissions and institutional research officers often say their models now include “religious affiliation” as a demographic filter, alongside race, income, and first-gen status, to better understand yield dynamics.

Baylor’s enrollment data show steady growth in applications and enrollment over the past several years. While those figures don’t break down by religious identity, they signal continued demand for a faith-oriented option even in a more secularizing environment.

Voices on Choice

Unaffiliated students who choose faith-based colleges often cite community, academic quality, and values alignment more than doctrinal agreement. One student told a campus tour guide that they didn’t grow up religious but appreciated that they can learn, explore, decide—and not be judged.

From the institutional side, an admissions director summarized the recruiting calculus:

“We’re not trying to sell everybody on doctrine. We’re trying to find those who value truth, purpose, belonging—and who see our mission as adding, not excluding.”

Challenges and Tradeoffs

Faith-based institutions still face tensions. Push too far toward pluralism or ambiguity, and donors, denomination partners, or alumni may complain of mission drift. Stay too rigid, and the institution risks shrinking the prospective pool.

Another risk is mis-selling. Some students say they were drawn in by inclusive marketing, only to find strict expectations, social friction, or a lack of support for skeptics once on campus. That churn can hurt reputation and retention.

The shift is clear. With younger generations more likely to be unaffiliated, faith-based colleges cannot win by default. Their success will depend on the art of inclusion without capitulation. That means honest presentation of mission and expectations, robust pathways for belonging, and support for students whose faith is still forming—or never was, and may not be in the future.