2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Theological & Ministerial Studies is the 55th most popular major in the country with 15,051 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, theological and ministerial studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,911 and had an average of $41,597 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 816 theological and ministerial studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,575 and $43,492 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 196 theological and ministerial studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in theological and ministerial studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great theological and ministerial studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the theological and ministerial studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree theology students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 4 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

#1

Moody Bible Institute

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$16,698 Average Net Price

$30,228 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Moody Bible Institute. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. Moody Bible Institute is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 137 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School also took the #2 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Moody Bible Institute is $16,698 for illinois bachelor’s degree theology students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Moody Bible Institute Theological & Ministerial Studies Report

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$17,929 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s theology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $17,929 for illinois bachelor’s degree theology students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UChicago Theological & Ministerial Studies Report

#3

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$21,306 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Olivet Nazarene University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s theology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene University is $21,306 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theology students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Theological & Ministerial Studies at Olivet Nazarene

#4

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$36,700 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $36,700 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theology students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Loyola Chicago.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Loyola University Chicago Theological & Ministerial Studies Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies (Income $75-$110k)

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).
• 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

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• 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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Jonund.

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