Messiah University vs Cornerstone University

Messiah University and Cornerstone University, both rooted in Christian values, offer distinct educational experiences. Messiah, located in Grantham, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to Cornerstone's 68% in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Messiah's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 4% of its population, while Cornerstone's international student population stands at 2%. While Cornerstone's student body is predominantly female (61%), Messiah's gender distribution is more balanced. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including Business, Education, and Nursing, but Messiah excels in Health Professions and Related Programs, with 28% of its students pursuing degrees in this field, compared to Cornerstone's 17%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more distinctions and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Cornerstone 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	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	97.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Interdenominational	Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	77.4%
Application fees		$50
SAT range	970 - 1220	1100 - 1340
ACT range	20 - 25	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	69.0%	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	36.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	1,923	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	1,756	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	376	551
Yield rate	21.4%	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	$41,010	$54,340
Average net price	$20,780	$23,895
Tuition	$27,040	$37,430
Room & board	$10,310	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)	99.0% Average amount $16,518	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	63.0% Average amount $6,916	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $11,888	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,507 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	423 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	34.6%
International students	6.2%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	780	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	Business Theology Psychology Education Health Professions	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.0%	77.0%
Dropout rate	41.0%	4.8%
Transferred out	N/A	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,236 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $68,578 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,545 Year 2: $46,924 Year 3: $49,548 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,833 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,250 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,175 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $30,492 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,124 Year 2: $32,162 Year 3: $30,082 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,632 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $23,464 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,707 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,464 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,145 Year 2: $25,774 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

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Cornerstone University

Aurora University