Messiah University vs Bethel University

Messiah University and Bethel University, both esteemed Christian institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Messiah, located in Grantham, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to Bethel's (68%) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Messiah's student body is more diverse, with 44% male and 56% female students, while Bethel's is more evenly split at 49% male and 51% female. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and education, but Messiah has a higher graduation rate (78%) than Bethel (69%). 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.

	Bethel University	Messiah University
Overview
Location	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
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	86.0%	85.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Baptist	Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.7%	77.4%
Application fees		$50
SAT range	1123 - 1343	1100 - 1340
ACT range	20 - 28	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	4.0%	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	2,050	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	1,818	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	504	551
Yield rate	27.7%	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	$55,228	$54,340
Average net price	$28,840	$23,895
Tuition	$39,920	$37,430
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,990 Meal plan: $5,160	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)	99.0% Average amount $24,534	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $5,559	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $15,453	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,653 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	1,078 Men 32.5% Women 67.5%	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	22.4%	34.6%
International students	0.8%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,819	2,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota Wisconsin Iowa South Dakota Illinois	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	74.3%	77.0%
Dropout rate	25.0%	4.8%
Transferred out	N/A	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,189 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $114,186 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,885 Year 2: $80,858 Year 3: $99,647 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $99,325 Year 3: $97,047 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,998 Year 2: $66,964 Year 3: $70,318 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,253 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,100 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $61,022 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,747 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $56,122 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,385 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $55,588 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,180 Year 2: $47,427 Year 3: $53,686 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,174 Year 2: $49,883 Year 3: $51,683	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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