2023 Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region
18
Ranked Colleges
806
Degrees Awarded
$26,700
Avg Cost*
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries is the 171st most popular major in the country with 3,116 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 the Southeast region, there were 806 pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,307 and $26,969 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling” ranking looked at 18 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region vets studying pastoral counseling.
Top 18 Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 119 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University 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 13,282 of the 93,349 students enrolled at Liberty University were GI Bill® students, of which 8,897 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,888. To help with additional expenses, 386 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Liberty University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Liberty University Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Regent University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling list. Regent University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It awarded 46 ’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Regent, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,414 of the 10,483 students enrolled at Regent were GI Bill® students, of which 1,139 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,203. In addition to receiving other benefits, 42 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Regent offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Regent University]](/colleges/regent-university/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling that were part of this year’s ranking, Samford University landed the #3 spot on the list. Birmingham, Alabama is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s pastoral counseling degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
Samford 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 162 of the 5,729 students enrolled at Samford University were GI Bill® students, of which 101 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $15,201. To help with additional expenses, 36 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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 More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia International University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling. This small school is located in Columbia, South Carolina, and it awarded 14 ’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying pastoral counseling list, CIU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, CIU supports 2,098 students, and 86 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 50 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,392. In addition to receiving other benefits, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 full report on veteran student life at Columbia International University]](/colleges/columbia-international-university/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling that were part of this year’s ranking, Lipscomb University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 degrees to qualified ’s pastoral counseling students in 2020-2021.
Lipscomb did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 4,884 students enrolled at Lipscomb University, 235 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 184 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $15,878. In addition to receiving other benefits, 72 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 Lipscomb University]](/colleges/lipscomb-university/student-life/veterans/)
Harding University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling list. Searcy, Arkansas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s pastoral counseling degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
Harding also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 4,617 students enrolled at Harding University were GI Bill® students, of which 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,932. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Harding 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 87%. 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…
Lenoir - Rhyne University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling list. This small school is located in Hickory, North Carolina, and it awarded 3 ’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lenoir - Rhyne University, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Lenoir - Rhyne University supports 2,686 students, and 64 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 17 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,408. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Lenoir - Rhyne University Veteran Student Life Report
Johnson University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling ranking. Johnson University is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s pastoral counseling degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying pastoral counseling list, Johnson University has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 28 of the 1,039 students enrolled at Johnson University were GI Bill® students, of which 12 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,317. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 Johnson University]](/colleges/johnson-university/student-life/veterans/)
Lee University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling ranking. Lee University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cleveland, Tennessee. It awarded 84 ’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lee University, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 5,204 students enrolled at Lee University, 121 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 71 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,028. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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 More…
North Greenville University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling ranking. North Greenville University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Tigerville, South Carolina. It awarded 1 ’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.
North Greenville also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 2,280 students enrolled at North Greenville University, 70 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 40 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,696. To help with additional expenses, 1 students received scholarships through 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%.
Full North Greenville Veteran Student Life Report
Johnson University Florida came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling ranking. JUFL is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Kissimmee, Florida. It awarded 3 ’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.
JUFL 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 12 of the 160 students enrolled at JUFL were GI Bill® students, of which 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,201. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Johnson University Florida Veteran Student Life Report
Southeastern University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling list. Southeastern University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Lakeland, Florida. It awarded 22 ’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SEU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 9,546 students enrolled at SEU, 7 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,265. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified ’s pastoral counseling students in 2020-2021.
Louisville Seminary also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 151 students enrolled at Louisville Seminary, 2 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,642. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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. 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 More…
Mid-Atlantic Christian University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling ranking. Mid-Atlantic Christian University is located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s pastoral counseling degrees to qualified students.
Mid-Atlantic Christian University also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Mid-Atlantic Christian University supports 165 students, and 9 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 7 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,241. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Mid-Atlantic Christian University Veteran Student Life Report
Luther Rice College & Seminary came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling ranking. Luther Rice is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lithonia, Georgia. It awarded 28 ’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.
Luther Rice also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Luther Rice College & Seminary supports 693 students, and 53 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 32 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,146. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Luther Rice College & Seminary Veteran Student Life Report
Emory University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling ranking. Emory University is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s pastoral counseling degrees to qualified students.
Emory also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 13,997 students enrolled at Emory, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Emory University]](/colleges/emory-university/student-life/veterans/)
Truett McConnell University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling list. Located in Cleveland, Georgia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified ’s pastoral counseling students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at TMU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Truett McConnell University supports 2,923 students, and 17 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 9 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,937. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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With a ranking of #18, Asbury Theological Seminary did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Pastoral Counseling list. Wilmore, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s pastoral counseling degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying pastoral counseling list, Asbury Seminary has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Asbury Seminary supports 1,755 students, and 10 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 8 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,996. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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. 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 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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