Messiah University vs Ave Maria

Messiah University and Ave Maria University, two private Christian universities located in the eastern United States, offer distinct educational experiences for students seeking a faith-based learning environment. Messiah University, situated in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to Ave Maria University's (68%) in Ave Maria, Florida. While both universities offer a range of undergraduate programs, Messiah University excels in fields like business, education, and nursing, while Ave Maria University is known for its strengths in liberal arts, pre-professional programs, and Catholic studies. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences in student body demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Ave Maria University	Messiah University
Overview
Location	Ave Maria, Florida	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Rural: Distant	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	76.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.0%	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	3,705	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	2,373	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	377	551
Yield rate	15.9%	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	$41,977	$54,340
Average net price	$18,643	$23,895
Tuition	$23,521	$37,430
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,562 Meal plan: $5,528	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)	100.0% Average amount $21,230	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	55.0% Average amount $5,696	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $11,852	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,259 Men 45.1% Women 54.9%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	43 Men 69.8% Women 30.2%	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	34.6%
International students	1.3%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,244	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	Health Professions Business Theology Social Sciences Education	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	60.9%	77.0%
Dropout rate	39.1%	4.8%
Transferred out	N/A	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,648 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $36,766 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,250 Year 3: $34,401 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,800 Year 2: $30,988 Year 3: $30,767 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,762 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Theological and Ministerial Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,775 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,041 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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