Valpo U vs Messiah University

Valparaiso University and Messiah University, both esteemed private institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Valparaiso, rooted in Lutheran tradition, boasts a higher acceptance rate (73%) compared to Messiah's selective admissions (65%). Messiah's student body is predominantly undergraduate, while Valparaiso offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. While Messiah excels in nursing and education, Valparaiso shines in engineering and business. Both universities foster a vibrant campus life, with Valparaiso's NCAA Division I athletics and Messiah's strong performing arts scene adding to their unique identities. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more about these institutions' graduation rates, student demographics, and other key factors, helping you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Messiah University	Valparaiso University
Overview
Location	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Valparaiso, Indiana
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	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	85.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Interdenominational	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.4%	93.2%
Application fees	$50	$30
SAT range	1100 - 1340	N/A
ACT range	23 - 31	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%
Total number of applicants	2,458	6,095
Total number of admissions given out	1,902	5,679
Admitted students who chose to enroll	551	601
Yield rate	29.0%	10.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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	$54,340	$56,516
Average net price	$23,895	$21,997
Tuition	$37,430	$43,400
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,970 Meal plan: $5,250	Room/dormitory: $7,956 Meal plan: $4,916
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $26,620	100.0% Average amount $33,693
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $5,510	63.0% Average amount $5,416
Students taking out private loans	24.0% Average amount $11,228	11.0% Average amount $15,132

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	2,507 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%	417 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	34.6%	52.5%
International students	2.8%	6.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,403	2,033
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	Indiana Illinois Michigan Wisconsin Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering	Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Education
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	77.0%	74.5%
Dropout rate	4.8%	25.4%
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 (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $94,025 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $120,200 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,690 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $73,522 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,015 Year 2: $65,089 Year 3: $70,796 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,962 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $70,724 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,617 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $68,143 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,126 Year 2: $62,934 Year 3: $62,049 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $42,790 Year 2: $45,902 Year 3: $55,968 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,691 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $54,471 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,272 Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $53,238 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $50,613

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