Messiah University vs Covenant College

Messiah University and Covenant College, both esteemed Christian liberal arts institutions, offer unique educational experiences. Messiah, located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Covenant's 68% in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Messiah's student body is more diverse, with 44% male and 56% female students, while Covenant's is more evenly split at 49% male and 51% female. Both institutions excel in academics, with Messiah's popular majors including Business, Education, and Health Professions, and Covenant's strengths lying in Business, Education, and Social Sciences. While Messiah boasts a slightly higher graduation rate (78%) than Covenant's 75%, both universities prepare their graduates for successful careers or further education. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more distinctions and determine which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Covenant College	Messiah University
Overview
Location	Lookout Mountain, Georgia	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	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	83.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.5%	77.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $50	$50
SAT range	1070 - 1300	1100 - 1340
ACT range	23 - 29	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	34.0%	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	45.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	794	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	703	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	266	551
Yield rate	37.8%	29.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$50,030	$54,340
Average net price	$25,536	$23,895
Tuition	$36,700	$37,430
Room & board	$11,300	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 $25,140	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	51.0% Average amount $5,496	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $12,986	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	872 Men 46.7% Women 53.3%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	42 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	63.4%	34.6%
International students	2.6%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	807	2,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Georgia Tennessee Florida Alabama Texas	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Multidisciplinary Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences English Language and Literature Business	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.9%	77.0%
Dropout rate	5.8%	4.8%
Transferred out	21.3%	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,172 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $34,231 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,687 Year 3: N/A Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,478 Year 2: $24,369 Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,105 Year 2: $30,771 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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