Colleges / Messiah University
College · Private nonprofit · Mechanicsburg, PA · Suburb
MU

Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA

Religious affiliation
AddressOne University Avenue, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
Websitewww.messiah.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate79%
6-yr median pay$50k
Net price / yr$27k
Undergrad size2,259
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $27k/yr for a shot at a $50k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 79% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1236 · ACT 27.

If you get in

2,259 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

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 $56k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $27k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$224k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$106k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$117k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.1x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$42.2k
Room & board
$13.1k
Books & supplies
$1,290

How students pay for it.

Pell grants20%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans54%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$26k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention87%
Solid.
Graduation · 6 yr75%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$50k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$54k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out19%
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
2,259
Location
Mechanicsburg, PA
Region
Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · small · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White75%
  • Hispanic9%
  • Two or more races4%
  • Black4%
  • Asian4%
  • International2%
  • Unknown1%
First-gen students18%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time2%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$85k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 62

What you can study.

Colleges / Messiah University
College · Private nonprofit · Mechanicsburg, PA · Suburb
MU

Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA

Religious affiliation
AddressOne University Avenue, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
Websitewww.messiah.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate79%
6-yr median pay$50k
Net price / yr$27k
Undergrad size2,259
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $27k/yr for a shot at a $50k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 79% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1236 · ACT 27.

If you get in

2,259 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

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 $56k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $27k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$224k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$106k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$117k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.1x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$42.2k
Room & board
$13.1k
Books & supplies
$1,290

How students pay for it.

Pell grants20%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans54%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$26k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention87%
Solid.
Graduation · 6 yr75%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$50k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$54k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out19%
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
2,259
Location
Mechanicsburg, PA
Region
Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · small · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White75%
  • Hispanic9%
  • Two or more races4%
  • Black4%
  • Asian4%
  • International2%
  • Unknown1%
First-gen students18%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time2%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$85k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 62

What you can study.