Messiah University vs Lancaster Bible College

Messiah University and Lancaster Bible College, both located in Pennsylvania, offer distinct educational experiences for students seeking a faith-based higher education. Messiah University, with an acceptance rate of 75%, boasts a diverse student body of over 3,000 undergraduates, while Lancaster Bible College, with a higher acceptance rate of 86%, maintains a smaller student population of around 1,500 undergraduates. Messiah University offers a wider range of academic programs, including popular majors like Business Administration, Nursing, and Psychology, while Lancaster Bible College focuses primarily on Bible and Ministry-related fields. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Messiah University's rate at 70% and Lancaster Bible College's at 65%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and similarities between these two esteemed institutions and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Lancaster Bible College	Messiah University
Overview
Location	Lancaster, Pennsylvania	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	80.0%	85.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation		Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.0%	77.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $40	$50
SAT range	1010 - 1210	1100 - 1340
ACT range	20 - 26	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	79.0%	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	8.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	275	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	264	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	152	551
Yield rate	57.6%	29.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$37,720	$54,340
Average net price	$22,700	$23,895
Tuition	$26,690	$37,430
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,364 Meal plan: $4,840	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 $15,192	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	70.0% Average amount $5,172	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	18.0% Average amount $10,932	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,545 Men 46.9% Women 53.1%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	422 Men 54.3% Women 45.7%	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	31.1%	34.6%
International students	0.0%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	450	2,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania Maryland Virginia New Jersey New York	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware

Academics
Popular study areas	Theology Business Education Public Administration and Social Service Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	61.6%	77.0%
Dropout rate	23.2%	4.8%
Transferred out	12.4%	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Bible/Biblical Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,084 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $30,578 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $29,238 Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,628 Year 2: $24,615 Year 3: $22,010 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,032 Year 2: $27,295 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,327 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A Bible/Biblical Studies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $13,104 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,477 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,969 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,291 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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