Messiah University vs Bridgewater College

Messiah University and Bridgewater College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Messiah University, rooted in Christian faith, boasts a lower acceptance rate of 68% compared to Bridgewater College's 75%. Messiah's student body is predominantly female, while Bridgewater's is more evenly balanced. In terms of academics, Messiah excels in nursing, business, and education, while Bridgewater shines in business, psychology, and biology. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Messiah's reaching 73% and Bridgewater's at 65%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' unique offerings and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bridgewater College	Messiah University
Overview
Location	Bridgewater, Virginia	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	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	68.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Anabaptists	Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.1%	77.4%
Application fees		$50
SAT range	1065 - 1250	1100 - 1340
ACT range	22 - 28	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	3,388	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	2,544	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	398	551
Yield rate	15.6%	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	$52,750	$54,340
Average net price	$19,592	$23,895
Tuition	$37,500	$37,430
Room & board	$13,360	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 $32,545	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	66.0% Average amount $5,510	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $14,207	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,427 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	36 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	34.6%
International students	1.8%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,380	2,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware

Academics
Popular study areas	Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Communication and Journalism Liberal Arts	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.1%	77.0%
Dropout rate	37.7%	4.8%
Transferred out	N/A	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,588 Year 2: $38,559 Year 3: $45,603 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,293 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $42,550 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,003 Year 2: $31,042 Year 3: $40,629 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,642 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $40,434 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,400 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $40,402 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $36,416 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,542 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $35,072 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,753 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $34,515 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,038 Year 2: $32,467 Year 3: $33,797 Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $26,916	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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