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2022 Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

4 Ranked Colleges
196 Degrees Awarded
$24,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 a Bachelor’s in Illinois” 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 Illinois, there were 816 theological and ministerial studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,575 and $43,492 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 196 theological and ministerial studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in theological and ministerial studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality theological and ministerial studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the theological and ministerial studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree theology students.

Top 4 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies in Illinois

#1

Moody Bible Institute

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Moody Bible Institute. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theology degrees to 137 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree theology students list, Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School is $16,646 for illinois bachelor’s degree theology students.

Read full report on Theological & Ministerial Studies at Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School

#2

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Olivet Nazarene University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Olivet Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 8 bachelors’s theology degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene also made our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene University is $20,195 for illinois bachelor’s degree theology students.

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%.

Read full report on Theological & Ministerial Studies at Olivet Nazarene University

#3

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theology students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Theological & Ministerial Studies at Loyola University Chicago

#4

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Theology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s theology degrees to qualified students.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theology students.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full UChicago Theological & Ministerial Studies Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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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