SPU Seattle vs Messiah University

Seattle Pacific University and Messiah University, both esteemed private institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Seattle Pacific University, nestled in the vibrant city of Seattle, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on the integration of faith and learning. Messiah University, located in the charming town of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is known for its rigorous academic programs and commitment to community service. With acceptance rates of 75% and 78%, respectively, both universities offer competitive admissions processes. While Seattle Pacific University's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 10% of the population, Messiah University's student body is predominantly White (84%). Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these universities, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision.

	Messiah University	Seattle Pacific University
Overview
Location	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Seattle, Washington
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	85.0%	82.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Interdenominational	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.4%	91.9%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1100 - 1340	1050 - 1300
ACT range	23 - 31	20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	57.0%	21.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	2,458	4,359
Total number of admissions given out	1,902	4,008
Admitted students who chose to enroll	551	580
Yield rate	29.0%	14.5%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$54,340	$53,766
Average net price	$23,895	$26,153
Tuition	$37,430	$35,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,970 Meal plan: $5,250	Room/dormitory: $7,350 Meal plan: $6,054
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 $37,230
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $5,510	55.0% Average amount $5,468
Students taking out private loans	24.0% Average amount $11,228	5.0% Average amount $14,470

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	2,640 Men 32.8% Women 67.2%
Graduate students	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%	803 Men 26.0% Women 74.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	34.6%	26.8%
International students	2.8%	5.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,403	1,779
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	Washington California Hawaii Oregon Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering	Education Psychology Health Professions Business Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	77.0%	65.9%
Dropout rate	4.8%	21.2%
Transferred out	18.3%	12.7%
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: $107,437 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $97,823 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $67,680 Year 2: $66,077 Year 3: $92,654 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,811 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $84,509 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,224 Year 2: $71,463 Year 3: $76,324 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $75,938 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,417 Year 2: $56,802 Year 3: $66,654 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,558 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $65,753 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,574 Year 2: $49,875 Year 3: $65,360 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,899 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,623 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,789 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $61,011

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