2022 Best Value Theology Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Theology Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 15,051 people earned their degree in theological and ministerial studies, making the major the 55th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, theological and ministerial studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,911 and had an average of $41,597 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 2,268 theological and ministerial studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,132 and $45,038 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 60 theological and ministerial studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,508 and $17,812 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Theology Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in theological and ministerial studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great theological and ministerial studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the theological and ministerial studies 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.

More Ways to Rank Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools

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 “Best Value Theology Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Theology Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region

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

Top 3 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global

Marion, Indiana

#3 in overall quality

$22,207 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Theology Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region list. IWU is located in Marion, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 associates’s theology degrees to qualified students.

IWU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $22,207 for great lakes region associate degree theology students per year to attend IWU.

Full IWU Theological & Ministerial Studies Report

#2

Ohio Christian University

Circleville, Ohio

#2 in overall quality

$24,500 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio Christian University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Theology Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Circleville, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 48 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

OCU also took the #2 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $24,500 for Great Lakes Region Associate Degree Theology students per year to attend Ohio Christian University.

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 Theological & Ministerial Studies at OCU

#3

Franciscan University of Steubenville

Steubenville, Ohio

#1 in overall quality

$24,918 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Franciscan University of Steubenville. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Theology Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region. Franciscan U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Steubenville, Ohio. It awarded 9 associates’s theology degrees in 2019-2020.

Franciscan U also took the #1 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Franciscan University of Steubenville is $24,918 for great lakes region associate degree theology students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Theological & Ministerial Studies at Franciscan University of Steubenville

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies

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 Jonund.

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