McDaniel College vs Messiah University

McDaniel College and Messiah University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. McDaniel College, nestled in Westminster, Maryland, boasts a 70% acceptance rate, while Messiah University, located in Grantham, Pennsylvania, maintains a slightly lower acceptance rate of 65%. McDaniel College's student body is more diverse, with 38% of students identifying as racial or ethnic minorities compared to Messiah University's 18%. Both institutions offer a range of popular majors, including Business, Education, and Nursing, but McDaniel College also features strong programs in the Arts and Humanities. While Messiah University boasts a higher graduation rate of 78% compared to McDaniel College's 68%, both institutions provide ample opportunities for students to succeed. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	McDaniel College	Messiah University
Overview
Location	Westminster, Maryland	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	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 and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	72.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.7%	77.4%
Application fees		$50
SAT range	N/A	1100 - 1340
ACT range	N/A	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		57.0%
Students submitting ACT score		11.0%
Total number of applicants	4,391	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	3,806	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	501	551
Yield rate	13.2%	29.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$56,806	$54,340
Average net price	$22,161	$23,895
Tuition	$46,336	$37,430
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,682 Meal plan: $7,048	Room/dormitory: $5,970 Meal plan: $5,250
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $39,386	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	67.0% Average amount $5,223	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $15,283	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,757 Men 43.1% Women 56.9%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	1,296 Men 21.0% Women 79.0%	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	34.6%
International students	N/A	2.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,450	2,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Social Sciences Business Visual & Performing Arts Public Administration and Social Service	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	65.0%	77.0%
Dropout rate	33.6%	4.8%
Transferred out	1.2%	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,058 Year 2: $61,630 Year 3: $65,950 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,898 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $64,702 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $35,587 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $60,595 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,841 Year 2: $51,607 Year 3: $60,220 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $52,943 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,696 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $50,230 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,295 Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $44,415 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $42,834 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,850 Year 2: $36,560 Year 3: $41,000 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,623 Year 2: $22,824 Year 3: $38,937	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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