2027 Best Lay Ministry Schools in Virginia

Lay Ministry programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.

For its 2027 ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for lay ministry students pursuing a degree.

What’s on this page:

• Best Lay Ministry Schools in Virginia

Best Schools for Lay Ministry in Virginia

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall lay ministry education in Virginia.

Top Schools in Lay Ministry

1

Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

22 Lay Ministry Degrees Awarded

$34,083 Median Starting Salary

Leading the list is Liberty University, our #1 school for lay ministry. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university. Roughly 67% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 22 lay ministry students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the lay ministry program make about $34,083 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $23,750. See the full lay ministry program report for Liberty University

2

Regent University
Virginia Beach, VA

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

35 Lay Ministry Degrees Awarded

$33,407 Median Starting Salary

A rank of #2 makes Regent University one of the top schools for lay ministry. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Virginia Beach. About 58% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 35 lay ministry students who graduated with this degree at Regent University in the most recent data year. Lay Ministry graduates of Regent University earn a median of $33,407 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $35,500 to complete this degree. Read more about the lay ministry program at Regent University

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 2 schools evaluated.

• 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.