2023 Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Theological & Ministerial Studies School for You
In 2020-2021, 15,832 people earned a degree or certificate in theological and ministerial studies, making the major the #62 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 144 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for theology students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools
Our analysis found Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to be the best value school for theological and ministerial studies students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. MBTS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Kansas City.
MBTS undergraduate students pay an average of $9,020 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kentucky Christian University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools list. Kentucky Christian University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Grayson.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Kentucky Christian University are $22,130 a year.
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Out of the 144 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Nazarene Bible College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Colorado Springs, Nazarene Bible College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Nazarene Bible College are $10,320 per year. While working on their degree, theology majors at Nazarene Bible College accumulate an average of around $40,489 in student debt.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Ohio Christian University is a great value for theological and ministerial studies students. Located in the distant town of Circleville, OCU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
OCU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,395 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Saint Paul School of Theology. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools list. Saint Paul School of Theology is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Leawood.
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Luther Rice College & Seminary landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value theological and ministerial studies programs. Located in the large suburb of Lithonia, Luther Rice is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Luther Rice are $9,088 per year.
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Grand Canyon University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Grand Canyon University are $17,189 per year.
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Wartburg Theological Seminary did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for theological and ministerial studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. Wartburg Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Dubuque.
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With a ranking of #9, Lincoln Christian University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for theological and ministerial studies students. Located in the distant town of Lincoln, Lincoln Christian College and Seminary is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lincoln Christian College and Seminary are $14,520 a year. After completing their degree, theology graduates from Lincoln Christian College and Seminary carry an average student debtload of $23,613.
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With a ranking of #10, Moody Bible Institute did quite well on this year’s best value schools for theological and ministerial studies students. Located in the large city of Chicago, Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School are $14,335 per year. While working on their degree, theology majors at Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School accumulate an average of around $9,750 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #11, Faith International University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for theological and ministerial studies students. Faith is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Tacoma.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Faith are $11,250 a year.
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Ashland University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools list. Ashland is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Ashland.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ashland are $23,090 a year.
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SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools list. School of Urban Missions is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of El Dorado Hills.
School of Urban Missions undergraduate students pay an average of $10,540 in tuition and fees each year.
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Grace College and Theological Seminary landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value theological and ministerial studies programs. Located in the town of Winona Lake, Grace College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Grace College are $25,044 a year.
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Truett McConnell University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value theological and ministerial studies programs. TMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Cleveland.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at TMU are $22,852 a year.
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Northwest University - College of Adult and Professional Studies ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools list. Northwest University CAPS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Kirkland.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwest University CAPS are $11,970 per year. The average amount in student loans that theology majors at Northwest University CAPS take out is $23,310.
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With a ranking of #17, Freed-Hardeman University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for theological and ministerial studies students. FHU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Henderson.
FHU undergraduate students pay an average of $23,300 in tuition and fees each year.
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The Master’s University and Seminary ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools list. The Master's University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Santa Clarita.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at The Master’s University are $28,740 per year. Theology majors at The Master's University take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Crown College landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value theological and ministerial studies programs. Crown is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Saint Bonifacius.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Crown are $28,110 per year.
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Nazarene Theological Seminary ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools list. Located in the large city of Kansas City, Nazarene Theological Seminary is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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Clarks Summit University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of South Abington Township, CSU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
CSU undergraduate students pay an average of $27,200 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Theological & Ministerial Studies at Clarks Summit University Report
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Luther Seminary | Saint Paul, MN |
| 23 | Harding University | Searcy, AR |
| 24 | Piedmont International University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 25 | Lenoir - Rhyne University | Hickory, NC |
| 26 | Northwest Nazarene University | Nampa, ID |
| 27 | Houston Graduate School of Theology | Houston, TX |
| 28 | Bethel University Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN |
Theological & Ministerial Studies by Region
View the Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Theological & Ministerial Studies Rankings
Majors Related to Theology
One of 7 majors within the area of study, theological and ministerial studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Theology
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Biblical Studies | 4,119 |
| Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries | 3,116 |
| Religious Education | 1,417 |
| Missionary Studies | 1,220 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations (Other) | 1,166 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jonund.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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