Muhlenberg College vs Messiah University

Muhlenberg College and Messiah University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Pennsylvania, offer distinct educational experiences. Muhlenberg, a private liberal arts college, boasts a 68% acceptance rate, while Messiah, a private Christian university, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 63%. Muhlenberg's student body is more diverse, with 43% of students identifying as non-white compared to Messiah's 24%. Both institutions excel in academics, with Muhlenberg's popular majors including Business, Psychology, and Biology, and Messiah's popular majors including Nursing, Business, and Education. While Muhlenberg's graduation rate stands at 82%, Messiah's is slightly higher at 84%. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Messiah University	Muhlenberg College
Overview
Location	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Allentown, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
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	85.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Interdenominational	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.4%	67.8%
Application fees	$50	$50
SAT range	1100 - 1340	1200 - 1370
ACT range	23 - 31	27 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	57.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	12.0%
Total number of applicants	2,458	4,118
Total number of admissions given out	1,902	2,790
Admitted students who chose to enroll	551	450
Yield rate	29.0%	16.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$54,340	$71,880
Average net price	$23,895	$30,920
Tuition	$37,430	$55,095
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,970 Meal plan: $5,250	Room/dormitory: $7,035 Meal plan: $5,765
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $26,620	97.0% Average amount $37,483
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $5,510	62.0% Average amount $5,381
Students taking out private loans	24.0% Average amount $11,228	7.0% Average amount $24,182

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	2,074 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%
Graduate students	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%	21 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	34.6%	N/A
International students	2.8%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,403	1,922
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Business Communication and Journalism Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	77.0%	82.0%
Dropout rate	4.8%	17.9%
Transferred out	18.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,892 Year 2: $65,387 Year 3: $76,365 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,174 Year 2: $63,430 Year 3: $70,575 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,828 Year 2: $50,105 Year 3: $56,960 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,684 Year 2: $54,644 Year 3: $56,688 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,496 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $52,763 Dance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,541 Year 2: $35,420 Year 3: $47,919 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,225 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $44,789 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,411 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $44,431 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,407 Year 2: $34,298 Year 3: $39,267 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,426 Year 2: $19,749 Year 3: $24,340

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Muhlenberg College vs Messiah University

Messiah University

Muhlenberg College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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