Pacific Lutheran University vs Messiah University

Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) and Messiah University are two distinct institutions of higher learning that offer unique educational experiences. PLU, located in Tacoma, Washington, is a private liberal arts university with a strong emphasis on sustainability and social justice. Messiah University, situated in Grantham, Pennsylvania, is a private Christian university known for its strong academic programs and commitment to community service. While both universities share similarities in their dedication to academic excellence and student success, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover the nuances that set these two universities apart and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Messiah University	Pacific Lutheran University
Overview
Location	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Tacoma, Washington
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	85.0%	79.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Interdenominational	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.4%	88.4%
Application fees	$50	$55
SAT range	1100 - 1340	1150 - 1376
ACT range	23 - 31	22 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	57.0%	11.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	6.0%
Total number of applicants	2,458	3,220
Total number of admissions given out	1,902	2,846
Admitted students who chose to enroll	551	510
Yield rate	29.0%	17.9%
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	$63,563
Average net price	$23,895	$23,568
Tuition	$37,430	$46,816
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,970 Meal plan: $5,250	Room/dormitory: $5,330 Meal plan: $6,481
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $26,620	99.0% Average amount $34,413
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $5,510	45.0% Average amount $5,091
Students taking out private loans	24.0% Average amount $11,228	6.0% Average amount $15,835

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	2,373 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%
Graduate students	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%	333 Men 27.6% Women 72.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	34.6%	N/A
International students	2.8%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,403	1,369
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	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	77.0%	69.4%
Dropout rate	4.8%	30.5%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,084 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $86,573 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,051 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $79,254 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,659 Year 2: $68,875 Year 3: $71,075 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,461 Year 2: $54,053 Year 3: $64,188 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,494 Year 2: $45,082 Year 3: $52,405 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,050 Year 2: $46,556 Year 3: $51,610 Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $49,858 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,589 Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $47,617 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,575 Year 2: $35,420 Year 3: $46,377 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: $45,113

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.

Pacific Lutheran University vs Messiah University

Messiah University

Pacific Lutheran University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About