Whether political and/or religious academic bias exists is a question with important ramifications for the educational institutions. Those arguing for the presence of such bias contend that political conservatives and the highly religious in academia are marginalized and face discrimination. The question of academic bias tends to be cast in a dichotomous manner. Some individuals envision an academic atmosphere rife with anti-conservative bias. They perceive academia as the domain of political progressives who actively work to promote liberalism. Others argue that academic bias is nonexistent or rare. They contend that political conservatives and the highly religious are not interested in academic pursuits due to a desire to enter highly profitable occupations or a lack of academic curiosity. These different priorities result in the politically progressive and nonreligious trends among academics. Yet it is possible that academic bias works in a more nuanced way. Bias can exist within academia, but not in an all-encompassing manner. Enough empirical work has been conducted that the outlines of the nuances of academic bias can be delineated. Using previous work, the author proposes a theory of academic bias that can pull together seemingly conflicting findings and suggest new directions for study. (Contains 49 footnotes.)