The Company We Keep—LBC | Capital Blessed with Listings in Higher Education Rankings

by LBC Marketing

October 1, 2024

Posted: October 1, 2024

The Company We Keep—LBC | Capital Blessed with Listings in Higher Education Rankings


by LBC Marketing

Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School is regularly included in national and regional rankings that help tell the story of who LBC | Capital is, the types the students the college attracts and how the history of the college since 1933 has led to becoming one of the top places to study in the state, region and country.

Here is a just a sampling of how others have taken note of the excellent education and community LBC | Capital provides.

Intelligent.com | No. 1 Best Online Bible College for 2025!

In 2022, Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online and on-campus program rankings and higher education planning, began naming Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School the No. 1 Best Online Bible College in America. And that trend has continued for several years, as LBC | Capital is again at the No. 1 spot for the 2025 rankings!

According to Intelligent.com, “Lancaster Bible College offers flexible distance learning that appeals to busy adults or hybrid models that include on-campus and online formats. Experts at Intelligent.com assessed programs that help students enhance and develop advanced skills for a variety of in-demand positions.”

Intelligent also previously ranked several LBC | Capital programs in the top 10, including the following:

  • No. 2—Best Online Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy Programs
  • No. 2—Most Affordable Online Business Administration Programs
  • No. 5—Best Sports Management Degree Programs
  • No. 7—Best Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy Degree Programs

Intelligent.com’s research identifies national programs based on flexibility, faculty, course strength, cost and reputation. The ranking organization implements a unique methodology that ranks each program on a scale from 0 to 100 across five categories. The scoring system compares each university according to program strength, student readiness, return on investment, cost and student engagement. Researchers compared 704 programs from 2,900 universities and colleges across the United States.

Additionally, Intelligent.com reported that studies show that obtaining a degree increases income substantially, with degree holders earning 84% more than those with only high school diplomas or those without a completed GED. The percentage difference in earnings continues to grow with higher learning degrees such as masters, doctoral or professional degrees, with the unemployment rate decreasing to just over 1% for those with a doctorate.

Crosswalk.com | Top 20 Bible Colleges and Universities

Crosswalk.comcrosswalk.com logo, an online Christian living magazine, again published its list of the “Top Bible Colleges and Universities” in the U.S. on May 31, 2024. For the updated ranking, Crosswalk  pointed out that many of the schools overlap with the 2023 list of 75 Best Christian Colleges & Universities (on which Lancaster Bible College was listed at No. 5, in no particular order), and the magazine notes that the 2024 list is again in “no particular order, simply a collection of great Bible schools.”

We agree, and while Lancaster Bible College sits at the No. 1 spot in 2024, we’re honored to be among this list of amazing schools—from Pennsylvania to Georgia to California to Alaska, and everywhere in between.

Crosswalk notes that LBC’s central Pennsylvania campus is about “40 miles east of Harrisburg and 70 miles west of Philadelphia. The campus is only a short drive from downtown Lancaster, a flourishing community that offers exceptional dining, artistic and cultural experiences. Lancaster Bible College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Association for Biblical Higher Education Commission on Accreditation.”

Crosswalk.com editors and writers seek to encourage and challenge readers, provide practical application of Scripture and positive shared testimonies and honest struggles on topics ranging from marriage, parenting and family to Bible study, prayer and spiritual growth to current events and a Christian look at popular culture. Crosswalk is a part of the Salem Media Group.

BestColleges.com | No. 1 Best Online Bible College—Two Consecutive Years!

For its 2023-24 rankings, BestColleges.com named Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School the No. 1 Best Online Bible College in the nation for the second consecutive year!

BestColleges.com noted that: “The mission of Lancaster Bible College, which was founded in 1933, is to educate Christians to think and live a biblical life. The college is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Association for Biblical Higher Education. Based in Pennsylvania, LBC has several campus locations. It also provides online Bible courses. Students can receive credit for qualifying life experiences and pursue minors like pastoral ministry or ministry leadership studies.”

BestColleges.com also listed LBC | Capital in the top 10 of several other categories for 2023:

BestColleges.com also named LBC | Capital the No. 1 Online Bible College in 2022.

Niche.com | No. 2 Best Christian Colleges in PA & Top 50 Best Colleges for Religious Studies

Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School has been named the No. 2 Best Christian College in Pennsylvania by Niche.com for its 2023 college rankings.

Niche.com is a “market leader in connecting colleges and schools with students and families. With in-depth profiles on every school and college in America, over 140 million reviews and ratings, and powerful search and data tools, Niche helps millions of students and families find and enroll in the right school for them. For schools, school districts, and communities, Niche’s platform, data and services help thousands of schools recruit and enroll more best-fit students.”

For the most recent list, the organization ranked just the top three Christian colleges by number for 2023 and offered a general list of the other great Christian colleges across the Keystone State. Rounding out the top three were Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa.; LBC | Capital, based in Lancaster, Pa., with locations also in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and online; and Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Student and alumni five-star reviews helped tell the story of why LBC | Capital garnered a top spot this year in the Niche.com rankings:

  • “LBC is one of the greatest schools I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending. The moment I first stepped onto campus, I felt as if I were finally home. The teachers do a great job of guiding and working with students. The dorms are spacious and … in these first two semesters of attending, I have learned much.”
  • “I love the school so much! I have had a great experience with everyone from admissions! I am so excited to say that I will be attending Lancaster Bible College in the Fall of 2023!”
  • “I was just accepted to Lancaster Bible and so far the experience has been great. They are so helpful and supportive and want to see each student succeed. I am so grateful for this experience.”
  • “Lancaster Bible is a very welcoming college. Everyone here is very down to earth, You can tell they really know the Lord! I could not have felt any more at home when visiting this school! I highly recommend Lancaster Bible!”

According to Niche.com, the “2023 Best Christian Colleges ranking is based on key statistics and student reviews using data from the U.S. Department of Education. The top-ranked Christian colleges are leading academic institutions that offer students an education and college experience rooted in Christian traditions and faith. This year’s rankings have reduced the weight of ACT/SAT scores to reflect a general de-emphasis on test scores in the college admissions process. Read more on how this ranking was calculated.”

LBC | Capital was also named to the top 50 schools on the 2023 Best Colleges for Religious Studies in America list. Ranked at No. 45 of 392 schools, LBC | Capital joins elite colleges and universities such as Yale, Harvard, Duke, Princeton and Rice universities for the ranking.

Another of LBC | Capital’s Niche reviews including this endorsement: “Lancaster Bible College allowed me to earn my bachelor’s from home as I raised a young family and worked full-time. It gave me the freedom to complete classwork late into the night when my children were sleeping. The professors were excellent and were deeply invested in the lives of their students. I graduated with a wealth of applicable knowledge, an increased sense of direction and purpose, as well as the ability to pursue an upwardly mobile career. I highly recommend Lancaster Bible (College)…!”

Top 40 Seminary Blogs

In the spring of 2023, FeedSpot.com named Lancaster Bible College’s blog to its list of best seminary blogs, ranked by traffic, social media followers and freshness of content. LBC’s blog, updated several times per week, routinely features content that is useful to prospective and current seminary students, as well as seminary graduates who are making impact in ministry. Some of these posts include the following:

College Factual | Best for Bible, Top Majors & Value

College and university rankings from College Factual are out for 2024, and Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School is at the top of the list in several categories. Here are some of the areas where LBC | Capital excels, according to College Factual:

  • Quality Rankings
    • Best Biblical Studies Schools Ranking
    • Best Theology & Religious Vocations Bachelor’s Degree Schools Ranking
  • Best for the Money Rankings
    • Best Graduate Degree Colleges for the Money Ranking
    • Best Value Graduate Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Ranking
    • Best Value Graduate Degree Colleges for Theology & Religious Vocations Ranking
  • Best for Veterans
    • Best Associate Degree Colleges for Veterans Ranking
    • Best Theology & Religious Vocations Colleges for Veterans Ranking
    • Best Biblical Studies Colleges for Veterans Ranking
  • Other Rankings
    • Highest Paid Bachelor’s Degree Theology & Religious Vocations Graduates in the Middle Atlantic Region
Top 15% of Colleges for Diversity

In 2021, College Factual recognized LBC | Capital as being one of the best schools for diversity, according to the Most Diverse Colleges in the United States rankings. College Factual diversity rankings include student race/ethnicity, age, gender and geographic location or origin as factors.

The college was ranked No. 419 of 3,514 on list of the top schools for diversity. This puts LBC | Capital in the top 15% for students seeking a diverse college experience.

Additionally, at the state level, LBC | Capital has been ranked No. 22 in Pennsylvania by College Factual for the diversity rankings. This is out of 197 colleges in the state that offer four-year degrees and again puts LBC | Capital in the top 15% in the state for diversity. See the state rankings here.

College Factual reported that LBC | Capital’s undergraduate student body is made up of 32.6% racial-ethnic minorities, which is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage. College Factual also cited Department of Education data when reporting that LBC | Capital’s student body is also 53.1% women.

For the analysis, College Factual looked at 3,514 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the most diverse. Overall diversity was determined by considering these four factors of the student body: racial/ethnic background, geographic representation, male-to-female ratio and age. College Factual’s Best Colleges for Diversity ranking was created with objective, outcomes-based data. View College Factual’s ranking methodology here. View the college’s Diversity & Belonging page here.

In the 2021 list, College Factual also listed LBC | Capital as a Top 5 school in several other rankings:

  • 2 of 13 for Best Online Biblical Studies Schools
  • 2 of 28 for Highest Paid Biblical Studies Graduates
  • 3 of 20 for Best Colleges for Biblical Studies
  • 3 of 179 for Most Popular Biblical Studies Schools
  • 3 of 20 Best Biblical Studies Colleges for Veterans in the U.S.
  • 5 of 43 for Best Colleges for Theology & Religious Vocations

BestValueSchools.com | Top 10 Online Bible Colleges

best value schools awards badgeStudents looking for an online Bible college in the United States, either to begin or continue their education, have plenty to choose from. For 2023-24, BestValueSchools.com has compiled a list of the Top 25 Online Bible Colleges in the U.S. in the hopes it is helpful to students decide where to study and engage their career path. For the Online Bible College ranking, LBC | Capital came in at No. 10.

BestValueSchools.com noted that at “Lancaster Bible College, you can earn your degree online and, just as importantly, on budget! Earn degrees in Accounting, Sports Management, Biblical Studies, Business Administration and Human Services, to name just a few! LBC also offers graduate degrees online. Consistently ranked as one of the best online bible colleges in the country.”

LBC | Capital understands students have busy lives, managing classes in addition to jobs, family, church, serving opportunities and more. LBC | Capital’s accelerated online degree programs allow students to focus on one eight-week course at a time. Some students may even receive credits for prior life experience.

The numerous benefits to studying online at LBC | Capital include having classes taught from a biblical worldview and earning a degree from an accredited institution. Students can create a customized class schedule to fit their lives while working at their own pace. Plus, there’s no need to relocate, and online students access the same resources as on-campus students, such as the library, academic services and more. LBC | Capital’s online courses and all communication, as well as quizzes, tests and homework, are delivered and submitted through a mobile-friendly learning management system; therefore, students can access classes and coursework anywhere, anytime.

Course Advisor | Top Spots for Theology & Religion

Course Advisor, which aims to share relevant, actionable college and career insights with prospective students, listed Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School in several top spots in the 2023 rankings, including the No. 3 Most Popular Biblical Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools, No. 7 Most Popular Theology & Religious Vocations Bachelor’s Degree Schools, No. 10 Most Popular Theology & Religious Vocations Bachelor’s Degree Schools and No. 14  Most Popular Missionary Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools. Check out LBC | Capital’s other Course Advisor rankings here.

GreatBusinessSchools.org | 25 Best Sports Management Degrees in America

The Sport Management program at LBC | Capital was also named to the 25 Best Sports Management Degrees in America by GreatBusinessSchools.org in 2020-21.

The flexibility of LBC | Capital’s Sport Management program—in a fully face-to-face setting on the Lancaster campus as well as a fully online option—meets the needs of both traditional undergraduate students and adult learners. The program is accredited by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA). Sport Management students have had internships at Cal Ripken’s Baseball Clinic, Spooky Nook Sports, the largest indoor recreational complex in North America, as well as with the Reading Fightin’ Phils Minor League Baseball team and the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball.

BestCounselingDegrees.net | No. 2 Best Small School for Counseling

According to 2021 rankings from BestCounselingDegrees.net, LBC | Capital is No. 2 in the nation for Best Small Schools for a Counseling Degree.

When searching for the best colleges for counseling, students may want to consider how the size of an institution impacts their learning. A small college generally hosts less than 5,000 enrolled students at a time. Attending a small college provides multiple benefits, including smaller class sizes, more opportunities for one-on-one engagement with instructors and greater access to financial assistance. This is true of LBC | Capital, along with invested faculty members who integrate a biblical worldview into their teaching.

Because counseling majors learn how to work with individuals who struggle to solve personal problems, they develop advanced interpersonal and crisis management skills that help them to provide effective guidance to clients. Courses may include theories and models of counseling, basic counseling skills and techniques, and group processes. LBC | Capital counseling programs include: Clinical Mental Health Counseling (BS/MA), Professional School Counseling (BS/MEd) and Social Work (BSW/MA).

Several ways and locations (Lancaster, PA and Washington, D.C.) to study counseling are offered at LBC | Capital, such as undergraduate degrees, master’s degrees, an online Master of Social Work degree (in pre-accreditation status) and 4+1 programs that equip students to earn both their bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years total.

Learn more about LBC | Capital Counseling & Social Work Department here.

Central Penn Business Journal | Best in Online Continuing Education

In August 2022, LBC | Capital was named one of three winners in the “Online Continuing Education” category in the Central Penn Business Journal (CPBJ) Reader Ranking Awards.

The media outlet received approximately 59,000 votes from the business community in dozens of categories. The annual rankings celebrate and recognize the “best of the best” in the Central Pennsylvania community.

LNP | LancasterOnline | No. 2 College & No. 3 Place to Take College Courses

2024 lancaster online readers choice awards logoIn August 2024, LBC | Capital was honored in the 24th annual LNP | LancasterOnline Readers’ Choice Awards. Accolades include the No. 2 College and No. 3 Place to Take College Courses.

The Readers’ Choice Awards annually highlight favorite Lancaster County businesses as decided by readers.

Wall Street Journal | No. 1 Right Choice & No. 3 Career Prep

And several years ago, LBC | Capital tied for a very impressive first-place position in The Wall Street Journal’s 2019 rankings for the “Right Choice” category—and the tie was with Stanford University.

The finalists for the “Right Choice” category were determined by a survey given to students that asked, “If you could start over, would you still choose this college?” Results were recorded on a scale of zero to 10, with a score 10 of representing the strongest agreement. Both LBC | Capital and Stanford earned an overall score of 9.4 out of 10.

Also included on the prestigious list were two Ivy League universities—Brown and Harvard—with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) also making an appearance.

A year earlier, LBC | Capital  College was No. 2 for the 2018 “Right Choice” rankings and also landed at third place for Career Preparation, a category not included in the 2019 report.

Who is LBC | Capital? Discover our mission, history, locations and accreditation.

GET TO KNOW US!

Who is LBC | Capital? Discover our mission, history, locations and accreditation.

GET TO KNOW US!