Indiana holds one of the most denominationally varied collections of theological schools in the country. Grace, Taylor, Indiana Wesleyan, Huntington, Bethel, and Anderson cover undergraduate Bible study; Concordia Fort Wayne, Saint Meinrad, Christian Theological Seminary, AMBS, Bethany, and Earlham School of Religion cover graduate work for Lutherans, Catholics, Disciples, Mennonites, Brethren, and Quakers. This guide profiles 16 Indiana institutions with accreditation, tuition, formats, and state aid.
Bible colleges and Christian universities in Indiana
These are the undergraduate options: accredited colleges where you can major in Bible, theology, ministry, or intercultural studies. Every school listed here except Indiana Bible College holds institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, which is what makes federal aid and credit transfer possible. If that distinction is new to you, start with our accreditation guide.
Grace College & Theological Seminary
Location
Winona Lake (near Warsaw)
Accreditation
HLC; seminary programs ATS
Denomination
Charis Fellowship (Grace Brethren)
Programs
Bachelor's degrees in Biblical Studies, Ministry, Youth Ministry, Intercultural Studies, and Counseling, plus M.A., M.Div., and D.Min. degrees through Grace Theological Seminary on the same campus.
Online
Yes — online undergraduate degree completion and online/hybrid seminary tracks
Tuition
Undergraduate tuition in the high $20,000s before aid; seminary priced per credit with denominational discounts.
Why students choose it: Indiana's most complete Bible-college-to-seminary pipeline. Grace pairs a traditional residential college with a seminary that has trained Grace Brethren and independent evangelical pastors since 1937, and its three-year bachelor's option lets undergraduates finish early and roll straight into graduate work.
Ideal for: Students who want a Bible or ministry bachelor's with a clear seminary path on the same campus.
Bachelor's degrees in Biblical Literature, Christian Ministries, Youth Ministries, Intercultural Studies, and Philosophy & Religion, with a required biblical literature core for all students.
Online
Limited — primarily residential, with some online courses
Tuition
Published undergraduate tuition around $40,000 before aid; heavy institutional discounting.
Why students choose it: Consistently one of the top-ranked Christian liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, with a required Bible core, a strong missions and intercultural studies tradition, and one of the highest alumni engagement rates of any college in the country.
Ideal for: Traditional-age students wanting a rigorous evangelical liberal arts education with Bible at the center.
Bachelor's degrees in Christian Ministries, Biblical Literature, and Ministry Leadership; graduate M.A., M.Div., and D.Min. degrees through Wesley Seminary; and a very large adult and online degree portfolio.
Online
Yes — one of the largest online Christian ministry programs in the United States
Tuition
Residential undergraduate in the low $30,000s; online and adult programs priced per credit at substantially lower rates.
Why students choose it: The scale option in Indiana. IWU-National & Global serves tens of thousands of adult and online students, and Wesley Seminary's ATS accreditation means an online M.Div. from Marion carries the same recognition as a residential one.
Ideal for: Working adults, bivocational ministers, and anyone who needs an accredited ministry degree online.
Bachelor's degrees in Bible & Religion, Ministry & Missions, Youth Ministry, and Worship Leadership, plus graduate counseling and ministry coursework.
Online
Yes — online degree completion and graduate options
Tuition
Published undergraduate tuition in the high $20,000s to low $30,000s before aid.
Why students choose it: A small, affordable, denominationally rooted campus with an unusually strong digital media and film program alongside its ministry degrees — a common choice for students headed into church communications.
Ideal for: Students who want a small-college feel in northeast Indiana and ministry training paired with a practical second major.
Bachelor's degrees in Biblical Studies, Ministry, and Youth Ministry, plus adult degree completion and graduate ministry and counseling programs.
Online
Yes — online adult degree completion and graduate tracks
Tuition
Published undergraduate tuition around $30,000 before aid.
Why students choose it: The main Christian college in the South Bend–Elkhart corridor, and the natural undergraduate option for students who may continue at one of the several seminaries clustered nearby in Elkhart and Winona Lake.
Ideal for: Northern Indiana and Michiana students, and adults completing a ministry bachelor's while working.
Undergraduate Bible, ministry, and Christian ministries majors, with M.Div., M.A., and D.Min. degrees through the Anderson University School of Theology.
Online
Yes — online and hybrid graduate ministry options
Tuition
Undergraduate tuition in the low $30,000s before aid; graduate tuition per credit with denominational discounts.
Why students choose it: The academic center of the Church of God (Anderson) movement, combining a liberal arts university with an ATS-accredited seminary and one of the state's better-known worship and music ministry programs.
Ideal for: Church of God students, worship leaders, and central Indiana students wanting a seminary in the same city.
Marian University & Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary
Location
Indianapolis
Accreditation
HLC
Denomination
Roman Catholic (Franciscan)
Programs
Bachelor's degrees in Theology and Pastoral Leadership, a philosophy track for pre-theology seminarians, and graduate pastoral ministry coursework.
Online
Limited — some online graduate and continuing education courses
Tuition
Published undergraduate tuition in the high $30,000s to low $40,000s before aid; seminarian costs are typically diocesan-sponsored.
Why students choose it: Indiana's Catholic college seminary. Bishop Simon Bruté forms college-age men in philosophy and Latin before they move to major seminary, and Marian's theology and pastoral leadership degrees serve lay ministers across the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
Ideal for: Catholic college seminarians and lay students preparing for parish or school ministry.
Undergraduate theology and pastoral ministry majors and minors, plus graduate pastoral studies coursework.
Online
Yes — selected online courses and programs
Tuition
Published undergraduate tuition in the low $30,000s before aid.
Why students choose it: The Catholic theology option in northeast Indiana, and a common choice for parish and Catholic school staff in the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend who need credentials without leaving the region.
Ideal for: Catholic lay ministers, catechists, and Catholic school teachers in northern Indiana.
Bachelor's degrees in Bible & Religion and Peace, Justice & Conflict Studies, with a required cross-cultural study term.
Online
Limited — primarily residential with some online coursework
Tuition
Published undergraduate tuition in the high $30,000s before aid, with substantial Mennonite church discounts.
Why students choose it: The Anabaptist voice in Indiana higher education, with a peace studies tradition that is unusual among Bible-centered colleges and a direct pipeline into Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary a few miles away in Elkhart.
Ideal for: Mennonite and Anabaptist students, and anyone drawn to peace and justice theology.
Undergraduate religious studies and ministry degrees, plus the Chapman Seminary graduate ministry programs.
Online
Yes — online undergraduate and graduate ministry options
Tuition
Among the lowest published private tuition rates in the state, in the mid-$20,000s before aid.
Why students choose it: Southwest Indiana's ministry school and the denominational home of the General Baptists, with Chapman Seminary providing an affordable graduate route for pastors in the Evansville region.
Ideal for: General Baptist students, Evansville-area ministers, and price-sensitive students in southern Indiana.
Associate and bachelor-level Bible, music ministry, and pastoral ministry programs.
Online
Limited
Tuition
Well below the accredited private colleges.
Why students choose it: A long-running Apostolic Pentecostal training school known nationally for its music and worship ministry program. Because it is not regionally accredited, confirm how credits will transfer and whether federal aid applies before you enroll — see our accreditation guide.
Ideal for: UPCI and Apostolic students focused on church-based ministry and worship training.
Indiana's graduate schools are where the state's real depth shows. Six ATS-accredited seminaries sit within a two-hour drive of Indianapolis, covering traditions that rarely appear together in one state. If you are weighing an M.Div. against a shorter master's, read how long a theology degree takes first.
Concordia Theological Seminary
Location
Fort Wayne
Accreditation
HLC and ATS
Denomination
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
Programs
Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, Deaconess certification, S.T.M., and Ph.D. in Missiology.
Online
Limited — residential formation with some distance coursework
Tuition
LCMS students receive very large tuition grants; many pastoral students pay little or no tuition.
Why students choose it: One of the two seminaries of the LCMS and a major center of confessional Lutheran theology in North America, with a residential formation model, a strong Greek and Hebrew core, and a well-known food and clothing co-op that keeps student costs remarkably low.
Ideal for: LCMS pastoral and deaconess candidates and confessional Lutheran graduate students.
Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Theology, Master of Theological Studies, and the Graduate Theology Programs for lay and permanent-deacon students.
Online
Yes — the lay Graduate Theology Programs are largely online and low-residency
Tuition
Seminarian costs are underwritten by sponsoring dioceses and religious orders; lay programs are priced per credit.
Why students choose it: One of the largest and oldest Catholic seminaries in the United States, run by the Benedictine monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey since 1857. It forms priests for dioceses nationwide and its online lay theology degrees reach students far beyond Indiana.
Ideal for: Catholic seminarians, permanent deacon candidates, and lay ministers seeking an ATS-accredited theology degree online.
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) — ecumenical
Programs
Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Counseling (CACREP), M.A. in Mental Health Counseling, and Doctor of Ministry.
Online
Yes — hybrid and online M.Div. pathways
Tuition
Priced per credit with substantial institutional scholarships; many M.Div. students receive large tuition awards.
Why students choose it: Indiana's mainline ecumenical seminary, and unusual in pairing an ATS-accredited M.Div. with a nationally accredited counseling program — a common combination for students headed into pastoral counseling or chaplaincy.
Ideal for: Mainline ordination candidates, chaplains, and students combining ministry with licensed counseling.
Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Theology & Global Anabaptism, and graduate certificates.
Online
Yes — hybrid and distance-friendly cohorts
Tuition
Priced per credit with generous denominational and leadership scholarships.
Why students choose it: The graduate school of the Anabaptist tradition in the United States, with peace theology, restorative justice, and global Anabaptism at the center of the curriculum.
Ideal for: Mennonite ordination candidates and students in peace, justice, and global mission work.
Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, and graduate certificates in theopoetics, peace studies, and ministry.
Online
Yes — extensive online and hybrid delivery
Tuition
Priced per credit with heavy denominational subsidy for Church of the Brethren students.
Why students choose it: The Church of the Brethren's only seminary, sharing a campus corner in Richmond with Earlham School of Religion, and an early adopter of fully online graduate theological education.
Ideal for: Brethren ordination candidates and distance students wanting a small, peace-church seminary.
Master of Divinity and Master of Ministry, with concentrations in pastoral ministry, writing as ministry, and spiritual formation.
Online
Yes — hybrid and online pathways
Tuition
Priced per credit with substantial need- and merit-based aid.
Why students choose it: The only Quaker seminary in the country, and one of the few ATS schools with a formal writing-as-ministry track. Its ecumenical student body reaches well beyond the Friends tradition.
Published undergraduate tuition before institutional aid. Almost no student pays these figures — Indiana's private colleges routinely discount 40–60% — so treat this as a relative ranking rather than a bill. Get a net-price estimate from each school, or model your own with our cost estimator.
School
City
Published tuition
Accreditation
Oakland City University
Oakland City
Mid-$20,000s
HLC
Huntington University
Huntington
High $20,000s
HLC
Grace College
Winona Lake
High $20,000s
HLC / ATS
Bethel University
Mishawaka
About $30,000
HLC
Anderson University
Anderson
Low $30,000s
HLC / ATS
Indiana Wesleyan University
Marion
Low $30,000s (online lower)
HLC / ATS
University of Saint Francis
Fort Wayne
Low $30,000s
HLC
Goshen College
Goshen
High $30,000s
HLC
Marian University
Indianapolis
High $30,000s–low $40,000s
HLC
Taylor University
Upland
About $40,000
HLC
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne
Graduate — heavily subsidized
HLC / ATS
Saint Meinrad
St. Meinrad
Diocesan-sponsored / per credit
ATS
Christian Theological Seminary
Indianapolis
Graduate, per credit
ATS
Region by region
Indianapolis and central Indiana
Christian Theological Seminary, Marian University with Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary, Indiana Bible College, and the Indiana Wesleyan Indianapolis location all sit inside the metro, with Anderson University and Taylor University within an hour's drive. This is the strongest region in the state for adults who need to keep a job and a church commitment while studying.
Fort Wayne and the northeast
Concordia Theological Seminary and the University of Saint Francis anchor Fort Wayne, with Huntington University twenty minutes southwest and Taylor University an hour south. Fort Wayne's cost of living is among the lowest of any US city with a major seminary, which meaningfully lowers the total price of a residential degree.
Michiana and the north
Bethel University in Mishawaka, Goshen College, and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart form a tight Anabaptist and evangelical cluster, with Grace College in Winona Lake an hour east. Northwest Indiana students in the Gary and Hammond area are also within commuting range of Chicago-area schools — see our Illinois guide.
Richmond and the east
Bethany Theological Seminary and Earlham School of Religion share a campus area in Richmond, giving the peace-church traditions two ATS-accredited graduate schools in one small city and easy access to Ohio for students commuting from Dayton.
Southern Indiana
Saint Meinrad's hilltop archabbey serves Catholic seminarians nationally, and Oakland City University covers the Evansville region for General Baptists and other evangelical students. Louisville, with its large Southern Baptist and Presbyterian seminaries, is a short drive across the river from southeastern Indiana.
Indiana runs one of the more generous state aid systems in the Midwest for students at private nonprofit colleges. The Frank O'Bannon Grant — combining the Higher Education Award and the Freedom of Choice Award — is need-based and usable at Grace, Taylor, Huntington, Indiana Wesleyan, Bethel, Anderson, Marian, Goshen, Saint Francis, and Oakland City. 21st Century Scholars covers tuition-equivalent awards for students who enrolled in middle school and met the income and academic requirements. Both start with the FAFSA, and Indiana's state deadline in mid-April is earlier than many students expect.
Denominational aid is significant here as well: LCMS congregations and districts fund Concordia Fort Wayne students heavily, Catholic dioceses sponsor Saint Meinrad seminarians outright, Mennonite churches discount Goshen and AMBS tuition, and Wesleyan churches match scholarships for Indiana Wesleyan students. Ask your church before assuming a school is out of reach.
For undergraduate Bible, ministry, and theology degrees the strongest accredited options are Grace College and Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Taylor University in Upland, Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Huntington University, Bethel University in Mishawaka, and Anderson University. All are institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, so credits transfer and students qualify for federal aid.
Does Indiana have a seminary?
Indiana has an unusually deep bench of graduate theological schools for its size. Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne (LCMS), Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad (Roman Catholic Benedictine), Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis (Disciples of Christ), Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Bethany Theological Seminary and Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Anderson University School of Theology, and Grace Theological Seminary are all ATS-accredited or ATS-affiliated graduate schools.
Is Indiana Wesleyan University accredited?
Yes. Indiana Wesleyan University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It is one of the largest private universities in the Midwest and one of the biggest providers of online Christian ministry and leadership degrees in the country through IWU-National & Global, with the Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan offering ATS-accredited graduate ministry degrees.
Can I use Indiana state financial aid at a Bible college?
Yes. The Indiana Frank O'Bannon Grant (which includes the Higher Education Award and the Freedom of Choice Award) and the 21st Century Scholars program can be used at eligible in-state private nonprofit colleges, including Grace, Taylor, Huntington, Indiana Wesleyan, Bethel, Anderson, Marian, and the University of Saint Francis. Apply through the FAFSA by Indiana's state deadline in mid-April.
What happened to Crossroads Bible College in Indianapolis?
Crossroads Bible College merged into Indiana Wesleyan University in 2019 and its urban ministry programs now run through the IWU Indianapolis location. Former students should request transcripts through Indiana Wesleyan.
Are there online Bible degrees from Indiana schools?
Yes, and Indiana is one of the strongest online states in the Midwest. Indiana Wesleyan runs a very large online ministry and leadership portfolio, Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary offer online undergraduate and M.A. tracks, Bethel University and Huntington University run online degree-completion programs, and Wesley Seminary and Christian Theological Seminary both deliver hybrid and online graduate options.
How much does Bible school cost in Indiana?
Published undergraduate tuition at Indiana's accredited Christian colleges runs roughly $26,000–$42,000 a year before aid, with Anderson, Huntington, and Bethel at the lower end and Taylor and Marian at the higher end. Nearly every student pays well below sticker after institutional grants and the O'Bannon Grant. Graduate seminary tuition is priced per credit, generally $450–$800, and several denominational seminaries subsidize their own students heavily.
What denominations are represented among Indiana Bible schools?
Indiana is one of the most denominationally diverse states for theological education: Grace College (Grace Brethren), Taylor (interdenominational evangelical), Indiana Wesleyan and Wesley Seminary (Wesleyan), Huntington (United Brethren), Anderson (Church of God, Anderson), Bethel Mishawaka (Missionary Church), Concordia Fort Wayne (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod), Saint Meinrad and Marian (Roman Catholic), Christian Theological Seminary (Disciples of Christ), AMBS (Mennonite), Bethany (Church of the Brethren), and Earlham School of Religion (Quaker).
Indiana schools in our directory
Compare details, formats, and tuition ranges for the Indiana schools we track.
Tuition figures reflect official school publications and published rates as of mid-2026 and are subject to change. Always confirm current costs, program availability, and accreditation status on each school's official website before applying.
