Gustavus Adolphus College vs Messiah University

Gustavus Adolphus College and Messiah University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Gustavus, a private liberal arts college in Minnesota, boasts a 95% acceptance rate and a diverse student body, with international students comprising 10% of the population. Messiah, a private Christian university in Pennsylvania, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 85% and a student body that is predominantly White (78%). Both institutions excel in academics, with Gustavus ranking higher in national liberal arts college rankings and Messiah excelling in regional university rankings. While Gustavus offers a wider range of majors, including popular choices like biology, psychology, and economics, Messiah focuses on majors in the fields of business, education, and health professions. With graduation rates of 82% and 79% respectively, both colleges ensure that their students are well-prepared for successful careers. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and make an informed decision

	Gustavus Adolphus College	Messiah University
Overview
Location	Saint Peter, Minnesota	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	72.6%	77.4%
Application fees		$50
SAT range	N/A	1100 - 1340
ACT range	26 - 31	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	3,799	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	2,757	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	551	551
Yield rate	20.0%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$63,270	$54,340
Average net price	$27,657	$23,895
Tuition	$49,950	$37,430
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,750 Meal plan: $3,950	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)	99.0% Average amount $33,174	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $6,197	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $14,100	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,251 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	N/A	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	19.2%	34.6%
International students	3.6%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,125	2,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota Wisconsin South Dakota Texas Illinois	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Business Health Professions	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.4%	77.0%
Dropout rate	9.3%	4.8%
Transferred out	12.3%	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $64,196 Year 3: $72,945 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,715 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $68,688 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,092 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $66,456 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,254 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $60,313 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,068 Year 2: $48,302 Year 3: $52,394 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,694 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $48,449 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,021 Year 2: $42,166 Year 3: $45,271 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,866 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $42,958 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,044 Year 2: $35,179 Year 3: $41,058 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,638 Year 2: $36,745 Year 3: $39,885	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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