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2022 Best Value Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

6 Ranked Colleges
1,775 Degrees Awarded
$16,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

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 & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 26,872 people earned their degree in theology and religious vocations, making the major the 25th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, theology and religious vocations graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,203 and had an average of $35,660 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 1,775 theology and religious vocations graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,536 and $37,962 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer a degree in theology and religious vocations. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality theology and religious vocations programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the theology and religious vocations program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The theology & religious vocations 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 & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois theology & religious vocations students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 6 Best Value Colleges for Theology & Religious Vocations (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 77 ’s theology and religious vocations degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $2,712 for illinois theology & religious vocations students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UChicago.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full University of Chicago Theology & Religious Vocations Report

#2

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Wheaton College Illinois landed the #2 spot on the list. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 134 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $18,440 for illinois theology & religious vocations students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Theology & Religious Vocations at Wheaton College Illinois

#3

Moody Bible Institute

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Moody Bible Institute landed the #3 spot on the list. Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 704 ’s theology and religious vocations degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School is $17,212 for Illinois Theology & Religious Vocations students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Theology & Religious Vocations at Moody Bible Institute

#4

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Olivet Nazarene University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 48 ’s theology and religious vocations degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,806 for Illinois Theology & Religious Vocations students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Olivet Nazarene.

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%.

Full Olivet Nazarene University Theology & Religious Vocations Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Trinity International University - Illinois. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Deerfield, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 183 degrees to qualified ’s theology and religious vocations students in 2019-2020.

TIU Illinois also took the #9 spot in our “Best Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,405 for illinois theology & religious vocations students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Trinity International University - Illinois.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Theology & Religious Vocations at TIU Illinois

#6

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 67 ’s theology and religious vocations degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Theology & Religious Vocations Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $29,440 for illinois theology & religious vocations students whose families make $0-$30k.

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.

Read full report on Theology & Religious Vocations at Loyola Chicago

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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 Daderot.

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