2027 Best Value Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling Schools
[Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling](/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/clinical-pastoral-counseling-patient-counseling/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 12 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling schools.
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Finding the Best Value Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling School for You
The right clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling school can pay off for years to come. That is why we built our Best Value Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling Schools ranking. We score each school on the balance of tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the best value.
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Customizing Your List
We offer a number of rankings, including this Best Value Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling Schools list, to help you decide. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
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2027 Best Value Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling Schools in the United States
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling Schools
For return on investment in clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling, no school beat Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary this year. Set in the suburb of Wake Forest, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $11,318 in tuition and fees. Soon after graduation, clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling degree recipients from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary generally make around $54,863. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary admits about 75% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling will find it at Trinity International University Illinois, which ranked #2. Set in the suburb of Deerfield, Trinity International University Illinois is a small private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $12,320 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $26,892 to complete the clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling program here. Early-career clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling graduates make about $41,182. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 100%.
A rank of #3 makes Pennsylvania Western University one of the best values for clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling. Set in the town of California, Pennsylvania Western University is a large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $11,436, compared with $16,054 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling graduates is $28,263. Early-career clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling graduates make about $45,448. Set against $28,263 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Pennsylvania Western University admits about 94% of applicants.
Regent University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling, landing the #4 spot this year. Set in the city of Virginia Beach, Regent University is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $21,650. Clinical Pastoral Counseling/patient Counseling graduates carry a median of $29,451 in student loans. Clinical Pastoral Counseling/patient Counseling graduates of Regent University earn a median of $41,047 early in their careers. Set against $29,451 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 38% of applicants are accepted.
Houston Baptist University came in at #5 on our 2027 list of the best value clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling schools. Set in the city of Houston, Houston Baptist University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $39,430. Typical student debt for clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling graduates is $25,601. Soon after graduation, clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling degree recipients from Houston Baptist University generally make around $34,087. That is a strong return on a $25,601 median debt. Houston Baptist University admits about 84% of applicants.
Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #6 spot for clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling value this year. Virginia Commonwealth University is a very large public school located in the city of Richmond. Students from in state pay about $16,720 in tuition and fees, compared with $39,884 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling graduates is $23,813. Clinical Pastoral Counseling/patient Counseling graduates of Virginia Commonwealth University earn a median of $77,108 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 93% of applicants are accepted.
Faulkner University earned the #7 position for value in clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling this year. Faulkner University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Montgomery. In-state tuition and fees average $23,920. Students borrow a median of $29,942 to complete the clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling program here. Early-career clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling graduates make about $41,573. Set against $29,942 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Faulkner University admits about 73% of applicants.
Lancaster Bible College earned the #8 position for value in clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling this year. Set in the suburb of Lancaster, Lancaster Bible College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $29,990. Typical student debt for clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling graduates is $28,507. Soon after graduation, clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling degree recipients from Lancaster Bible College generally make around $35,130. That is a strong return on a $28,507 median debt. Roughly 56% of applicants are accepted.
Abilene Christian University placed #9 among the best values for clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling. Abilene Christian University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Abilene. In-state tuition and fees average $44,200. Clinical Pastoral Counseling/patient Counseling graduates carry a median of $23,772 in student loans. Soon after graduation, clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling degree recipients from Abilene Christian University generally make around $56,463. That is a strong return on a $23,772 median debt. Abilene Christian University admits about 66% of applicants.
South Florida Bible College And Theological Seminary ranked #10 on our 2027 list of the best value clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling schools. Located in the city of Deerfield Beach, South Florida Bible College And Theological Seminary is a small private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $7,740. Graduates go on to earn a median of $45,354 ten years after entry.
Biola University earned the #11 position for value in clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling this year. Biola University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of La Mirada. Students from in state pay about $48,984 in tuition and fees. Clinical Pastoral Counseling/patient Counseling graduates carry a median of $25,308 in student loans. Soon after graduation, clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling degree recipients from Biola University generally make around $45,003. That is a strong return on a $25,308 median debt. Roughly 74% of applicants are accepted.
Fordham University placed #12 among the best values for clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling. Set in the city of Bronx, Fordham University is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $64,470. Students borrow a median of $25,643 to complete the clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling program here. Early-career clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling graduates make about $48,341. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Fordham University admits about 59% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 · 12 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 12 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.
