My kid is a Santa Clara grad. While there is a religion course requirement at SCU, there are hundreds of courses from which to choose. My kid took ethics, and women in religion….loved them both.
We toured Pepperdine. In person (in 2005). Very conservative campus. Religion required…Old Testament, New Testament and some thing like Fundamentals of Christian Religion. My kid absolutely said NO to that. The campus is really gorgeous with just about every building with windows overlooking the Pacific Ocean. BUT…there is also not much happening in Malibu itself.
Santa Clara has a gorgeous campus. Yes, it is in the city, but honestly, it seems very suburban. My kid lived off campus last two years in an abutting neighborhood of houses…that felt very suburban. But at the same time…easy access to some of the more urban things. I agree with @eyemgh it’s one of the most beautiful, well maintained and updated campuses we visited.