2026 Best Value Religious Education Schools in Illinois
[Religious Education](/majors/theology-and-religious-vocations/religious-education/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 8 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for religious education students.
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2026 Best Value Religious Education Schools in Illinois
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in religious education, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Religious Education Schools
North Park University earned the #1 spot for value among religious education schools in Illinois. Set in the city of Chicago, North Park University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $36,710. Students borrow a median of $27,360 to complete the religious education program here. Religious Education graduates of North Park University earn a median of $51,611 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. North Park University admits about 68% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in religious education will find it at Trinity International University Illinois, which ranked #2. Trinity International University Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Deerfield. Students from in state pay about $12,320 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for religious education graduates is $32,934. Soon after graduation, religious education degree recipients from Trinity International University Illinois generally make around $31,903. That is a strong return on a $32,934 median debt. Trinity International University Illinois admits about 100% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Moody Bible Institute earned it the #3 place for religious education. Set in the city of Chicago, Moody Bible Institute is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,786. Students borrow a median of $14,000 to complete the religious education program here. Religious Education graduates of Moody Bible Institute earn a median of $30,671 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $14,000 median debt. Roughly 83% of applicants are accepted.
Wheaton College Illinois is a great value for students pursuing a degree in religious education, landing the #4 spot this year. Wheaton College Illinois is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wheaton. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $45,546. Typical student debt for religious education graduates is $25,000. Religious Education graduates of Wheaton College Illinois earn a median of $37,880 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 87%.
More Religious Education Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 8 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
