Messiah University vs Calvin University

Messiah University and Calvin University, both esteemed Christian institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Messiah, located in Grantham, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to Calvin's 72% in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Messiah's student body is more diverse, with 44% female and 56% male students, while Calvin's is more evenly split at 49% female and 51% male. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and education, but Messiah has a slightly higher graduation rate (78%) than Calvin's 76%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Calvin University	Messiah University
Overview
Location	Grand Rapids, Michigan	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	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	86.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant	Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.1%	77.4%
Application fees	$35	$50
SAT range	1120 - 1340	1100 - 1340
ACT range	24 - 30	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	61.0%	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	24.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	3,986	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	2,992	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	736	551
Yield rate	24.6%	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	$52,840	$54,340
Average net price	$27,120	$23,895
Tuition	$37,990	$37,430
Room & board	$10,800	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 $24,410	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $4,987	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $16,620	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,068 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	189 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	34.6%
International students	11.7%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,453	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 Education Engineering Theology	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	77.3%	77.0%
Dropout rate	7.6%	4.8%
Transferred out	14.7%	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,594 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $73,154 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,088 Year 2: $65,188 Year 3: $71,772 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,940 Year 2: $57,564 Year 3: $62,400 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,498 Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $60,645 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,593 Year 2: $45,980 Year 3: $53,866 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,275 Year 2: $60,878 Year 3: $51,938 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,034 Year 2: $32,382 Year 3: $44,640 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,528 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $39,008 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,756 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $37,976 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,469 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $36,953	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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