College · Private nonprofit · Bedford, TX · Suburb
Messenger College
Bedford, TX
Religious affiliation
Admit rate38%
6-yr median pay$29k
Net price / yr$26k
Undergrad size24
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $26k/yr for a shot at a $29k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 38% means this is selective — grades, essays, and testing matter.
If you get in
24 undergrads. Tiny. Every professor will know your name.
Where you live
Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $30k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $26k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$120k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$106k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$14k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback3.6x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $11.6k
- Room & board
- $13.3k
- Books & supplies
- $1,548
How students pay for it.
Pell grants81%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans96%
Share taking out federal student loans.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention61%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr100%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$29k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$29k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- Suburb
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 24
- Location
- Bedford, TX
- Region
- Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX)
- Carnegie class
- Baccalaureate/Associate's Colleges: Associate's Dominant
- Size & setting
- Four-year · very small · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, more selective, higher transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White58%
- Hispanic13%
- Two or more races13%
- International13%
- Unknown4%
Part-time4%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$28k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 5
What you can study.