Messiah University vs Thomas Aquinas College

Messiah University and Thomas Aquinas College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Messiah University, a private Christian university in Grantham, Pennsylvania, boasts an acceptance rate of 75%, while Thomas Aquinas College, a private Catholic liberal arts college in Santa Paula, California, has a more selective acceptance rate of 45%. Messiah University's diverse student body comprises over 3,000 undergraduate students, while Thomas Aquinas College maintains a smaller, close-knit community of around 200 undergraduates. Both institutions offer a range of undergraduate programs, with Messiah University excelling in fields like nursing, business, and education, and Thomas Aquinas College specializing in the liberal arts and humanities. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into the key differences between these two esteemed institutions, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates.

	Messiah University	Thomas Aquinas College
Overview
Location	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Santa Paula, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Rural: Distant
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
Students retention rate	85.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Interdenominational	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.4%	83.1%
Application fees	$50
SAT range	1100 - 1340	1180 - 1370
ACT range	23 - 31	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	57.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	2,458	261
Total number of admissions given out	1,902	217
Admitted students who chose to enroll	551	131
Yield rate	29.0%	60.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$54,340	$48,062
Average net price	$23,895	$22,631
Tuition	$37,430	$26,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,970 Meal plan: $5,250	$9,400
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $26,620	71.0% Average amount $13,973
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $5,510	69.0% Average amount $3,590
Students taking out private loans	24.0% Average amount $11,228	5.0% Average amount $7,167

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	497 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	34.6%	N/A
International students	2.8%	5.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,403	659
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering	Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	77.0%	85.9%
Dropout rate	4.8%	3.8%
Transferred out	18.3%	9.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,750 Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $34,459

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Messiah University vs Thomas Aquinas College

Messiah University

Thomas Aquinas College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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