2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Theology for an Associate

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 the Great Lakes Region for Theology for an Associate” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 15,832 people earned their degree in theological and ministerial studies, making the major the 63rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, theological and ministerial studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $40,590 and had an average of $26,272 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 2,366 theological and ministerial studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,653 and $21,394 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 72 theological and ministerial studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,077 and $19,490 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Theology for an Associate” ranking analyzed 2 colleges that offered a degree in theological and ministerial studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent theological and ministerial studies programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the theological and ministerial studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Theology for an Associate”.

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. 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 the Great Lakes Region for Theology for an Associate

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region associate degree vets studying theology.

Top 2 Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Associate Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

1

Franciscan University of Steubenville
Steubenville, Ohio

90 GI Bill® Students**

#2 in overall quality

$13,993 Average GI Bill® Award

Out of the 2 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Theology for an Associate that were part of this year’s ranking, Franciscan University of Steubenville landed the #1 spot on the list. Franciscan U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Steubenville, Ohio. It awarded 25 associates’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.

Franciscan U also took the #2 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Of the 3,304 students enrolled at Franciscan U, 90 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 56 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,993. On top of their other funding sources, 17 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Franciscan U does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Franciscan U]](/colleges/franciscan-university-of-steubenville/student-life/veterans/)

2

Ohio Christian University
Circleville, Ohio

121 GI Bill® Students**

#1 in overall quality

$5,824 Average GI Bill® Award

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio Christian University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Theology for an Associate. Circleville, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associates’s theology degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.

OCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 2,186 students enrolled at OCU, 121 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 85 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,824. On top of their other funding sources, 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 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full OCU Veteran Student Life Report

• Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Associate Degree Colleges for Veterans

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

Footnotes

• *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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Jonund.