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2024 Best Value Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies in Illinois

11 Ranked Colleges
837 Degrees Awarded
$24,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 15,832 people earned their degree in theological & ministerial studies, making the major the 63rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, theological & ministerial studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $40,590 and had an average of $26,272 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 837 theological & ministerial studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $43,075 and $16,682 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in theological & ministerial studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent theological & ministerial studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the theological & ministerial studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools

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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 in Illinois”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies in Illinois

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lincoln Christian University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois. Lincoln Christian University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lincoln, Illinois. It awarded 60 ’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.

Lincoln Christian College and Seminary also made our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Lincoln Christian College and Seminary is $19,638 for Illinois Theology students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Theological & Ministerial Studies at Lincoln Christian College and Seminary

2
Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School crest
Moody Bible Institute
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Moody Bible Institute. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois list. Moody Bible Institute is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 200 ’s theology degrees to qualified students.

Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School also made our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Moody Bible Institute is $19,679 for Illinois Theology students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Moody Bible Institute Theological & Ministerial Studies Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend McCormick Theological Seminary. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois list. McCormick Theological Seminary is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 27 ’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at McCormick Theological Seminary, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Theological & Ministerial Studies at McCormick Theological Seminary

4
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wheaton College Illinois. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 ’s theology degrees to qualified students.

Wheaton College Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $25,692 for illinois theology students per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Theological & Ministerial Studies at Wheaton College Illinois

5
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Olivet Nazarene University. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois list. Olivet Nazarene University is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 24 ’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,470 for Illinois Theology students per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

6

Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 43 diplomas to qualified ’s theology students in 2020-2021.

LSTC also made our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Theological & Ministerial Studies at LSTC

7

With a ranking of #7, Trinity International University - Illinois did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois list. Trinity International University - Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Deerfield, Illinois. It awarded 99 ’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.

TIU Illinois also took the #8 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for TIU Illinois is $21,200 for Illinois Theology students.

Read full report on Theological & Ministerial Studies at TIU Illinois

8

Northern Baptist Theological Seminary ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois list. Located in Lisle, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified ’s theology students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois theology students list, Northern Seminary has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Theological & Ministerial Studies at Northern Seminary

9
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois list. Loyola Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s theology degrees to qualified students.

Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Chicago is $36,434 for illinois theology students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Full Loyola Chicago Theological & Ministerial Studies Report

10

Meadville Lombard Theological School came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois ranking. Meadville Lombard Theological School is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s theology degrees to qualified students.

Meadville Lombard Theological School also took the #11 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Meadville Lombard Theological School Theological & Ministerial Studies Report

11
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Theology Schools in Illinois list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 99 ’s theology degrees in 2020-2021.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $28,517 for illinois theology students per year to attend UChicago.

The undergraduate 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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 99%.

Full UChicago Theological & Ministerial Studies Report

Notes and References

References

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