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2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling

8 Ranked Colleges
292 Degrees Awarded
$28,000 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 3,116 people earned their degree in pastoral counseling and specialized ministries, making the major the 171st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,592 and had an average of $26,577 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 292 pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,810 and $7,500 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling” ranking, we looked at 8 colleges that offer a degree in pastoral counseling and specialized ministries. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent pastoral counseling and specialized ministries programs, but they also offer a lot of support to 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 counseling and specialized ministries program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling”.

Top 8 Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

1
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling list. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 45 ’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying pastoral counseling list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola University Chicago, 261 were 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. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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 85%.

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2
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling that were part of this year’s ranking, Olivet Nazarene University landed the #2 spot on the list. Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Olivet Nazarene did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 3,764 students enrolled at Olivet Nazarene, 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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,334. On top of their other funding sources, 11 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%.

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3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Trinity International University - Illinois. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling. Trinity International University - Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Deerfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

TIU Illinois also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 1,454 students enrolled at TIU Illinois, 14 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 9 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,061. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Trinity International University - Illinois]](/colleges/trinity-international-university-illinois/student-life/veterans/)

4
Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School crest
Moody Bible Institute
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Moody Bible Institute. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling list. Moody Bible Institute is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 94 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 2,870 students enrolled at Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School, 3 were 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 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%.

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5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling list. Northern Baptist Theological Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lisle, Illinois. It awarded 19 ’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.

Northern Seminary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 5 of the 285 students enrolled at Northern Seminary were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,647. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

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6

Lincoln Christian University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling ranking, coming in at #6. Lincoln Christian College and Seminary is a small school located in Lincoln, Illinois that handed out 7 ’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.

Lincoln Christian College and Seminary also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 13 of the 581 students enrolled at Lincoln Christian University were GI Bill® students, of which 6 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,761. In addition to receiving other benefits, 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%.

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7

McCormick Theological Seminary ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling list. McCormick Theological Seminary is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 ’s pastoral counseling degrees to qualified students.

McCormick Theological Seminary also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 221 students enrolled at McCormick Theological Seminary, 2 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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7

Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Pastoral Counseling ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified ’s pastoral counseling students in 2020-2021.

LSTC also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 145 students enrolled at LSTC, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,390. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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.

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Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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