Gettysburg College vs Messiah University

Gettysburg College and Messiah University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Gettysburg, with an acceptance rate of 38%, boasts a diverse student body, with 58% female and 42% male students. Messiah, on the other hand, has a higher acceptance rate of 72% and a more balanced gender ratio, with 51% female and 49% male students. While Gettysburg excels in the liberal arts and sciences, Messiah emphasizes faith-based learning and service. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more about these institutions' unique offerings, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.

	Gettysburg College	Messiah University
Overview
Location	Gettysburg, Pennsylvania	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	56.3%	77.4%
Application fees	$60	$50
SAT range	1280 - 1430	1100 - 1340
ACT range	28 - 32	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	6,206	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	3,496	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	623	551
Yield rate	17.8%	29.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$64,360	$54,340
Average net price	$35,794	$23,895
Tuition	$59,960	$37,430
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,710 Meal plan: $6,660	Room/dormitory: $5,970 Meal plan: $5,250
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $38,858	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	51.0% Average amount $4,917	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $6,505	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,401 Men 48.9% Women 51.1%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	N/A	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	77.6%	34.6%
International students	4.9%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,444	2,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Connecticut	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Visual & Performing Arts Foreign Languages and Literatures Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.0%	77.0%
Dropout rate	3.2%	4.8%
Transferred out	14.9%	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,365 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $78,068 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,244 Year 2: $47,595 Year 3: $62,397 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,595 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $51,174 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,919 Year 2: $36,560 Year 3: $49,972 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,525 Year 2: $34,348 Year 3: $46,072 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,249 Year 2: $31,305 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,340 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: N/A Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,547 Year 2: $31,305 Year 3: N/A Philosophy (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,403 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	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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