Theological and Ministerial Studies at Universidad Adventista de las Antillas

With 80% of students receiving Pell grants and an open-admission policy, Universidad Adventista de las Antillas serves a primarily low-income population—which makes the $31,000 debt burden especially concerning against first-year earnings of just $23,365. While this program ranks at the 60th percentile among Puerto Rico's two theological programs, that comparison offers little comfort: nationally, these graduates earn in the bottom 5th percentile for this field, making roughly $9,000 less annually than the national median of $32,211.

The 42% earnings growth over four years does help close the gap, bringing graduates to $33,067 by year four. However, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.33 at graduation, these students face more than a full year's salary in loans—a heavy burden for ministry work, which typically doesn't command high salaries even in the best circumstances. The sample size here is quite small (under 30 graduates), so individual circumstances could skew these figures significantly.

For families considering this program, the financial reality is stark: if ministry is the calling, this path will require either substantial family support, additional scholarships beyond the degree data shown here, or a realistic plan for managing debt on a modest salary. The earnings do improve with time, but they start from a particularly low base.