Private nonprofit

Moody Bible Institute

Chicago, Illinois·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·moody.edu
6-yr Graduation
62%
+22.0pp vs peer
Total enrollment
2,202
peer median 244
Avg net price
$22,221
+$8.1k vs peer
Use this data
Ask Clema

About

Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as non-charismatic, dispensational, and generally Calvinistic. MBI operates undergraduate programs and Moody Theological Seminary at the Chicago campus. The Seminary also operates a satellite campus in Plymouth, Michigan. MBI also operates Moody Aviation, an undergraduate flight school and aviation mechanic program in Spokane, Washington.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
387
387 candidates competed
Admitted
320
82.7% acceptance rate
Enrolled
211
65.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
62%+22.0pp vs peer
4-year graduation
46%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
62%
Full-time retention
84%

Pell equity

28.7pp gap
Pell recipients
44%35 of 80
Non-Pell (all)
73%104 of 143
Subsidized loan, no Pell
57%21 of 37
No Federal Aid
78%83 of 106

Non-Pell students graduate at a 28.7-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 30 Title IV programs, 8 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 21 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
30
Passing
8
26.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
3.3% of portfolio
Fail rate
3.3%
+2.7pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

30programs
  • Passing8 · 26.7%
  • No Data21 · 70.0%
  • Failing1 · 3.3%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
2
Safe
5
No data
21

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

9
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-20.9%
$47,576 vs $60,112
Religious Education
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+5.6%
$36,770 vs $34,808
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+11.8%
$38,907 vs $34,808
Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+16.5%
$40,561 vs $34,808
Theology and Religious Vocations Other
Master's Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+25.0%
$55,673 vs $44,535
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+27.9%
$44,522 vs $34,808
Bible/Biblical Studies
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+44.6%
$50,342 vs $34,808
Bible/Biblical Studies
Master's Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+50.3%
$66,956 vs $44,535

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

5
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
27%
$10,418 debt · $38,907 earn
Religious Education
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
24%
$8,739 debt · $36,770 earn
Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
19%
$7,500 debt · $40,561 earn
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
17%
$7,500 debt · $44,522 earn
Bible/Biblical Studies
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
14%
$7,250 debt · $50,342 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1989Next review Aug 2035
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Association for Biblical Higher Education, Commission on Accreditation

Accredited since 1951Next review Feb 2035

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 6

  1. Feb 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Association for Biblical Higher Education, Commission on Accreditation
  2. Jan 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  3. Jun 2022Grant Substantive Change: Degree
    Association for Biblical Higher Education, Commission on Accreditation
  4. Jun 2017Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools · Theology (THEOL) - Freestanding schools, as well as programs affiliated with larger institutions, offering graduate professional education for ministry and graduate study of theology
  5. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$21,293
$30–48k$23,057
$48–75k$20,599
$75–110k$25,676
$110k+$22,897

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$22,221
+$8,081vs peer median $14,140
Federal loans
41.7%
In-state tuition
$15,786
Out-of-state
$15,786

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 775 students received $4.0M in Pell grants, alongside $7.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
775
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.0M
$3,961,309 total
Direct Loans
$7.1M
1,213 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.9M
503 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.1M
493 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$2.8M
184 loan awards
Parent PLUS$244K
23 loan awards
Grad PLUS$104K
10 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 331 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (0.9%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.9%
-1.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
331
Defaulted
3
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2018
3.3%
2019
0.9%
2020*
0.0%
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Moody Bible Institute

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs15
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

565 total completions
01Theology
53594.7%
02Health Professions
295.1%
03Education
10.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
2,202
12-mo unduplicated
2,677
Undergraduate
1,858
Graduate
819

Gender split

Men
56%1,493
Women
44%1,184

Race / ethnicity composition

White
46.7%
Unknown
26.1%
Non-resident
8.3%
Hispanic
7.3%
Black
5.0%
Two or more
3.6%
Asian
2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
42
20 M · 22 W
Women athletes
52.4%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$582K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$14K
$11K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 3

Cross Country
11 M · 13 W
$73K
Basketball
9 M ·
$116K
Volleyball
· 9 W
$73K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
5.42
12 offenses · 2,216 students

3-year trend

3.452 yrs ago4.561 yr ago5.42Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
32
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
18
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
4
Motor vehicle theft
3
Robbery
2
Aggravated assault
2
Rape
1

By location

12total
  • On campus6
  • Public property6

Includes 1 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
74

Moody Bible Institute vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Moody Bible Institute selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectMoody Bible Institute
62%2,202$22,221
33%307$17,854
88.9%108
11%71$22,366
0%58$24,247
63
25%76.0%320$11,252
100%50.0%301$11,827
100%568$11,881
123
0%98$11,562
88%78$14,660
90%48.6%316$43,195
84.6%1,239
0%91.7%508$27,883
7%60.0%72$8,290
60%100.0%32$10,172
64%96.4%3,945$23,006
50%100.0%127$43,251
24%65.7%449$13,572
517
80%223$4,577
46%93.6%264$6,415
53%83.3%64$10,398
30%98.4%611$4,844
33%60.6%540$14,140
39%25.7%275$19,359
40%95.0%211$21,957
33
57.1%170
100%77.8%510$15,785
40%88.2%147$12,072
Peer group median40%84.0%244$14,140

Institutions like Moody Bible Institute

Explore the federal data for institutions in Moody Bible Institute's comparison group.

Moody Bible Institute Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Center of Competence for Business Intelligence
Reports to Marketing and Strategic Communications
Email
data [at] moody.edu

The Center of Competence for Business Intelligence (CoCBI) exists to facilitate and centralize efforts to support the institution's decision-making and strategic planning. Our vision is to see an open and collaborative data culture that provides Moody with the ability to make data-informed decisions in a timely and accurate way.

Visit IR office page
Team
4 members
  • Roman Bryan
    Director of Business Intelligence
  • Frieda Chiu
    Market Research Specialist
  • Scott Fiene
    Senior Data Analyst
  • John Frick
    Data Analyst

Common Data Set

Moody Bible Institute's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Source publications

Reports & documents (1)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Moody Bible Institute (10)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Mary McLeod Bethune
    Politics
  • David Brickner
    Religion
  • Gary Chapman
    Writing
  • Bart D. Ehrman
    Academia
  • Jerry B. Jenkins
    Writing
  • Isobel Kuhn
    Missionary Work
  • John and Betty Stam
    Missionary Work
  • Jonathan McReynolds
    Music
  • Tim Walberg
    Politics
  • Meghan O'Gieblyn
    Writing

Frequently asked questions about Moody Bible Institute

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Moody Bible Institute.

What is the graduation rate at Moody Bible Institute?

Moody Bible Institute reports a 6-year graduation rate of 62% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Moody Bible Institute?

Moody Bible Institute reports a total enrollment of 2,202 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Moody Bible Institute?

The average net price at Moody Bible Institute is $22,221 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Moody Bible Institute?

Moody Bible Institute's yield rate is 65.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Moody Bible Institute located?

Moody Bible Institute is located in Chicago, Illinois 60610-3284.

Who runs Institutional Research at Moody Bible Institute?

Moody Bible Institute's IR work is done by the Center of Competence for Business Intelligence, which reports to Marketing and Strategic Communications.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about Moody Bible Institute and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card