2026 Best Lay Ministry Schools in Virginia

Lay Ministry is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

College Factual analyzed 2 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best lay ministry schools.

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

31 Lay Ministry Degrees Awarded

$34,083 Median Starting Salary

Liberty University tops our 2026 ranking of the best lay ministry schools. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg. The six-year graduation rate is 67%. About 31 lay ministry degrees were awarded at Liberty University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, lay ministry degree recipients from Liberty University generally make around $34,083. Typical student debt for the program is $23,750. Get the full lay ministry details for Liberty University

2

Regent University
Virginia Beach, VA

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

29 Lay Ministry Degrees Awarded

$33,407 Median Starting Salary

A rank of #2 makes Regent University one of the top schools for lay ministry. Regent University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Virginia Beach. The six-year graduation rate is 58%. About 29 lay ministry degrees were awarded at Regent University in the most recent year. Graduates of the lay ministry program make about $33,407 in their early career. Regent University graduates carry a median of $35,500 in student loans. See the full lay ministry program report for Regent University

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, 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.