2022 Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

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 Getting Aid” 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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in theological and ministerial studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality theological and ministerial studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the theological and ministerial studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools

The theology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.

Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 4 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

Moody Bible Institute

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$16,646 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 Getting Aid. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 137 bachelors’s theology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree theology students with aid list, Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,646 for illinois bachelor’s degree theology students with aid per year to attend Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School.

Read full report on Theological & Ministerial Studies at Moody Bible Institute

#2

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$20,195 Average Net Price

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid 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 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree theology students with aid list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,195 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theology students with aid per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

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 University

#3

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$27,315 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theology students with aid per year to attend University of Chicago.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read more about Theological & Ministerial Studies at University of Chicago

#4

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$35,407 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 3 bachelors’s theology degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for illinois bachelor’s degree theology students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Loyola University Chicago Theological & Ministerial Studies Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies (With Aid)

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.

Featured Philosophy and Religious Studies Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >