Messiah University vs Asbury University

Messiah University and Asbury University, both esteemed Christian institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Messiah, located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to Asbury's (70%) in Wilmore, Kentucky. Messiah's student body is more diverse, with 44% male and 56% female students, while Asbury's is more evenly split at 48% male and 52% female. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and education, but Messiah has a slightly higher graduation rate (78%) than Asbury (75%). Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Asbury University	Messiah University
Overview
Location	Wilmore, Kentucky	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	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	84.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.4%	77.4%
Application fees		$50
SAT range	N/A	1100 - 1340
ACT range	N/A	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		57.0%
Students submitting ACT score		11.0%
Total number of applicants	1,126	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	872	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	263	551
Yield rate	30.2%	29.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$43,483	$54,340
Average net price	$23,604	$23,895
Tuition	$32,084	$37,430
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,882 Meal plan: $3,458	Room/dormitory: $5,970 Meal plan: $5,250
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $20,921	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $5,361	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	14.0% Average amount $13,097	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,472 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	248 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	34.6%
International students	4.5%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,181	2,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Ohio Georgia Florida Indiana	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Theology Public Administration and Social Service	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	64.7%	77.0%
Dropout rate	13.8%	4.8%
Transferred out	20.5%	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,414 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,770 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $34,010 Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $41,187 Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,695 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $36,412 Religious/Sacred Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,774 Year 3: $32,950 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,674 Year 2: $33,382 Year 3: $30,963 Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $22,439 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,814 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,000 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: N/A Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,341 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	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

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