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Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in California

2023 Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

8 Colleges
$29,938 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$39,427 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Theological & Ministerial Studies School for You

Theological & Ministerial Studies is the #78 most popular major in California with 1,281 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in California 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.

Best California Schools for Affordable Quality in Theological & Ministerial Studies

$10,540 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary to be the best value school for theological and ministerial studies students who want to pursue a degree in California. School of Urban Missions is a fairly 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 in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Theological & Ministerial Studies at SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary Report

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$28,740 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means The Master’s University and Seminary is a great value for theological and ministerial studies students. The Master's University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Santa Clarita.

The Master’s University undergraduate students pay an average of $28,740 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, theology graduates from The Master's University take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#3

Biola University

La Mirada, CA
$44,382 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Biola University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best theological and ministerial studies schools in California. Located in the large suburb of La Mirada, Biola is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Biola are $44,382 per year.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fuller Theological Seminary. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in California list. Located in the city of Pasadena, Fuller is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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The excellent programs at Westminster Theological Seminary in California helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best theological and ministerial studies schools in California. Westminster Seminary California is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Escondido.

Read full report on Theological & Ministerial Studies at Westminster Theological Seminary in California

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Fresno Pacific University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for theological and ministerial studies students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno Pacific is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Fresno Pacific are $33,452 a year.

Fresno Pacific excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in California list.

Full Theological & Ministerial Studies at Fresno Pacific University Report

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$41,510 Average Tuition & Fees

Azusa Pacific University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in California ranking. Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Azusa.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Azusa Pacific are $41,510 a year.

Full Theological & Ministerial Studies at Azusa Pacific University Report

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$35,450 Average Tuition & Fees

Hope International University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value theological and ministerial studies programs. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Hope is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hope are $35,450 per year. Theology majors at Hope take out an average of $27,175 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 198
Oregon 211
Hawaii 11
Alaska 4

One of 7 majors within the area of study, theological and ministerial studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 8 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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