Messiah University vs Biola University

Messiah University and Biola University, both esteemed Christian institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Messiah, located in Grantham, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to Biola's (68%) in La Mirada, California. While Biola's student body is more diverse, with 44% of students identifying as non-white, Messiah's student body is predominantly white (84%). Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and psychology, but Biola has a stronger emphasis on the arts, with programs in music, theater, and film. With similar graduation rates (Messiah at 79% and Biola at 78%), both universities prepare their students well for successful careers or further education. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more distinctions and similarities between these two excellent Christian universities and make an informed decision about which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences

	Biola University	Messiah University
Overview
Location	La Mirada, California	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	88.0%	85.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Undenominational	Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	60.8%	77.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65	$50
SAT range	1103 - 1348	1100 - 1340
ACT range	22 - 29	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	4,354	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	2,646	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	655	551
Yield rate	24.8%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$59,500	$54,340
Average net price	$29,123	$23,895
Tuition	$44,382	$37,430
Room & board	$10,202	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 $28,421	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $4,897	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $15,279	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,596 Men 38.0% Women 62.0%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	1,955 Men 54.5% Women 45.5%	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	28.6%	34.6%
International students	9.2%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,750	2,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Oregon Texas Colorado	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware

Academics
Popular study areas	Theology Health Professions Education Philosophy and Religious Studies Psychology	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.9%	77.0%
Dropout rate	6.1%	4.8%
Transferred out	22.7%	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,482 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $86,424 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,587 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $72,963 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,111 Year 2: $44,711 Year 3: $53,447 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,980 Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $52,274 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,574 Year 2: $26,585 Year 3: $44,140 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,811 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $43,156 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,228 Year 2: $35,772 Year 3: $41,681 Religious Education (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,993 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $41,017 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,448 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,971 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,443 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $40,650	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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