2023 Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region
8
Ranked Colleges
194
Degrees Awarded
$26,700
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 1,430 people earned their degree in pastoral studies/counseling, making the major the 364th most popular in the United States.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 468 pastoral studies/counseling graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 8 colleges that offer a degree in pastoral studies/counseling. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great pastoral studies/counseling programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the pastoral studies/counseling program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s”.
Top 8 Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s pastoral studies/counseling degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.
Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola University Chicago, 261 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 165 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,263. During this same period, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Loyola University Chicago]](/colleges/loyola-university-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana Wesleyan University landed the #2 spot on the list. IWU is a small school located in Marion, Indiana that handed out 16 masters’s pastoral studies/counseling degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at IWU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Indiana Wesleyan University supports 3,108 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 2 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,305. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.
Full Indiana Wesleyan University Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Grace College and Theological Seminary landed the #3 spot on the list. Grace College and Theological Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Winona Lake, Indiana. It awarded 14 masters’s pastoral studies/counseling degrees in 2020-2021.
Grace College also took the #4 spot in our “Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Grace College and Theological Seminary supports 1,901 students, and 27 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 20 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,455. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Grace College and Theological Seminary does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 More…
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Olivet Nazarene University landed the #4 spot on the list. Olivet Nazarene University is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 masters’s pastoral studies/counseling degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Of the 3,764 students enrolled at Olivet Nazarene University, 57 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 35 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,334. On top of their other funding sources, 11 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Olivet Nazarene University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Olivet Nazarene Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Andrews University landed the #5 spot on the list. Andrews is a private not-for-profit institution located in Berrien Springs, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 75 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Andrews, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 3,162 students enrolled at Andrews University, 40 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 24 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,888. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Andrews University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Andrews University]](/colleges/andrews-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #6, Ashland University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s list. Ashland, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s pastoral studies/counseling degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
Ashland not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 4,447 students enrolled at Ashland, 105 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 88 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,554. In addition to receiving other benefits, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Ashland offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 More…
With a ranking of #7, Cornerstone University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s list. Cornerstone is a private not-for-profit institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree vets studying pastoral studies/counseling list, Cornerstone has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 1,917 students enrolled at Cornerstone University, 61 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 35 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,056. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cornerstone University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 86%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Cornerstone University]](/colleges/cornerstone-university/student-life/veterans/)
Moody Bible Institute came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Studies/Counseling for a Master’s ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s pastoral studies/counseling degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 2,870 students enrolled at Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $125. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 More…
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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