by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 504 people earned their degree in lay ministry, making the major the 630th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major” ranking looked at 53 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in lay ministry. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in lay ministry.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for lay ministry students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grace Christian University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major. Grace is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wyoming, Michigan. It awarded 65 ’s lay ministry degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Westminster Theological Seminary. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major. Glenside, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s lay ministry degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Lay Ministry at Westminster Theological Seminary
Out of the 53 schools in the Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Regent University landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 46 ’s lay ministry degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 53 schools in the Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Gordon - Conwell Theological Seminary landed the #4 spot on the list. Gordon - Conwell Seminary is a small school located in South Hamilton, Massachusetts that handed out 78 ’s lay ministry degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Lay Ministry at Gordon - Conwell Theological Seminary
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fordham University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. Bronx, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s lay ministry degrees to 30 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Calvin University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major ranking. This small school is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 37 ’s lay ministry degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #7, Liberty University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Southwestern Assemblies of God University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major ranking. Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Waxahachie, Texas. It awarded 12 ’s lay ministry degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Lay Ministry at Southwestern Assemblies of God University
With a ranking of #9, United Theological Seminary did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. This small school is located in Dayton, Ohio, and it awarded 9 ’s lay ministry degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
With a ranking of #9, Covenant Theological Seminary did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. Covenant Seminary is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #9, Grace College and Theological Seminary did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. Grace College is a small school located in Winona Lake, Indiana that handed out 9 ’s lay ministry degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Lay Ministry at Grace College and Theological Seminary
With a ranking of #9, Arizona Christian University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. Arizona Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Phoenix, Arizona. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Lay Ministry at Arizona Christian University
Urshan Graduate School of Theology ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. Urshan Graduate School of Theology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Florissant, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Lay Ministry at Urshan Graduate School of Theology
Oakwood University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major ranking, coming in at #13. Oakwood is a private not-for-profit institution located in Huntsville, Alabama. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
University of St Thomas Minnesota ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. University of St Thomas Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Lay Ministry at University of St Thomas Minnesota
Bethel University - Mishawaka came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major ranking. Bethel University - Mishawaka is located in Mishawaka, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s lay ministry degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
North Central University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major ranking. North Central University is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s lay ministry degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Lay Ministry at North Central University
Judson University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. Judson is a small school located in Elgin, Illinois that handed out 7 ’s lay ministry degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Corban University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. Corban University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Salem, Oregon. It awarded 6 ’s lay ministry degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #19, Sioux Falls Seminary did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified ’s lay ministry students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 1 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Bethel University Minnesota ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. Bethel University Minnesota is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s lay ministry degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Northwestern - St Paul did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major ranking, coming in at #22. Northwestern is a small school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 4 ’s lay ministry degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Manhattan Christian College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major ranking. MCC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Manhattan, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #23, Athenaeum of Ohio did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major list. Mount St. Mary’s Seminary is a small school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 5 ’s lay ministry degrees in 2020-2021.
Saint John’s Seminary came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Lay Ministry Major ranking. Located in Brighton, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified ’s lay ministry students in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies