2026 Best Value Pastoral Studies/Counseling Schools in Missouri
[Pastoral Studies/Counseling](/majors/theology-and-religious-vocations/pastoral-counseling-specialized-ministries/pastoral-studies-counseling/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong pastoral studies/counseling education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools to find the best return on investment for pastoral studies/counseling students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Pastoral Studies/Counseling Schools in Missouri
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in pastoral studies/counseling, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Pastoral Studies/Counseling Schools
Our analysis ranked Ozark Christian College the best value for a degree in pastoral studies/counseling in Missouri. Ozark Christian College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Joplin. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $16,000. Pastoral Studies/counseling graduates carry a median of $23,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, pastoral studies/counseling degree recipients from Ozark Christian College generally make around $26,422. That is a strong return on a $23,500 median debt. Roughly 94% of applicants are accepted.
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value pastoral studies/counseling schools. Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Kansas City. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,530. Typical student debt for pastoral studies/counseling graduates is $15,559. Pastoral Studies/counseling graduates of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary earn a median of $55,308 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $15,559 median debt. The acceptance rate is 96%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 8 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
