Abilene Christian vs Messiah University

Abilene Christian University (ACU) and Messiah University are two private Christian universities with distinct characteristics. ACU, located in Abilene, Texas, offers a vibrant campus life with a strong emphasis on faith-based education. Messiah University, situated in Grantham, Pennsylvania, is known for its rigorous academic programs and commitment to community service. While both universities share a Christian foundation, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Abilene Christian University	Messiah University
Overview
Location	Abilene, Texas	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ	Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.1%	77.4%
Application fees	$65	$50
SAT range	1050 - 1270	1100 - 1340
ACT range	22 - 28	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	8,208	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	5,755	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	833	551
Yield rate	14.5%	29.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$55,500	$54,340
Average net price	$29,734	$23,895
Tuition	$39,250	$37,430
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,878 Meal plan: $5,750	Room/dormitory: $5,970 Meal plan: $5,250
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $23,662	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,275	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $18,262	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,138 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	1,774 Men 28.1% Women 71.9%	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	14.8%	34.6%
International students	3.3%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,153	2,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas Oklahoma California Arizona Tennessee	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	60.2%	77.0%
Dropout rate	38.8%	4.8%
Transferred out	N/A	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,955 Year 2: $64,068 Year 3: $76,106 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,092 Year 2: $58,522 Year 3: $66,013 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,144 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $65,252 Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,661 Year 3: $59,374 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,079 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $53,274 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,118 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $52,550 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,619 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $50,422 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,737 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $46,207 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,484 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $45,767 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,141 Year 2: $44,747 Year 3: $43,080	Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,515 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $64,027 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,062 Year 2: $53,608 Year 3: $62,810 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,117 Year 2: $62,546 Year 3: $62,631 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,416 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $56,809 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,254 Year 2: $49,214 Year 3: $53,924 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $32,970 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: $47,853 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,875 Year 2: $37,054 Year 3: $47,113 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,733 Year 2: $40,621 Year 3: $45,156 Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,616 Year 2: $39,523 Year 3: $44,488 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,316 Year 2: $35,594 Year 3: $41,855

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