2026 Best Value Lay Ministry Schools in the Southeast Region
[Lay Ministry](/majors/theology-and-religious-vocations/pastoral-counseling-specialized-ministries/lay-ministry/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 16 schools to find the best return on investment for lay ministry students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Lay Ministry Schools in the Southeast Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the lay ministry degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Lay Ministry Schools
Our analysis ranked Regent University the best value for a degree in lay ministry in the Southeast Region. Set in the city of Virginia Beach, Regent University is a large private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $21,650 in tuition and fees. Lay Ministry graduates carry a median of $35,500 in student loans. Lay Ministry graduates of Regent University earn a median of $33,407 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 38%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Southeastern Free Will Baptist Bible College earned it the #2 place for lay ministry. Southeastern Free Will Baptist Bible College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Wendell. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,739.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Liberty University earned it the #3 place for lay ministry. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $16,173. Lay Ministry graduates carry a median of $23,750 in student loans. Early-career lay ministry graduates make about $34,083. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Liberty University admits about 99% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 16 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
