Messiah University vs WAU-DC

Messiah University and Washington Adventist University, both rooted in strong faith-based traditions, offer distinct educational experiences. Messiah, a Christian university in Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, while Washington Adventist, a Seventh-day Adventist university in Maryland, has a lower acceptance rate and a smaller, more diverse student body. Messiah's popular majors include business, education, and nursing, while Washington Adventist's strengths lie in biology, nursing, and theology. Both universities offer competitive graduation rates, with Messiah slightly edging out Washington Adventist. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' similarities and differences, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Messiah University	Washington Adventist University
Overview
Location	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Takoma Park, Maryland
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	85.0%	65.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Interdenominational	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.4%	61.8%
Application fees	$50	$25
SAT range	1100 - 1340	N/A
ACT range	23 - 31	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%
Total number of applicants	2,458	1,744
Total number of admissions given out	1,902	1,077
Admitted students who chose to enroll	551	56
Yield rate	29.0%	5.2%
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	$32,200
Average net price	$23,895	$13,414
Tuition	$37,430	$23,400
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,970 Meal plan: $5,250	Room/dormitory: $4,470 Meal plan: $5,628
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $26,620	95.0% Average amount $14,746
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $5,510	47.0% Average amount $7,102
Students taking out private loans	24.0% Average amount $11,228	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	690 Men 33.9% Women 66.1%
Graduate students	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%	95 Men 25.3% Women 74.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	34.6%	32.1%
International students	2.8%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,403	400
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	Maryland District of Columbia Virginia Florida New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering	Health Professions Psychology Business Education Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	7:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	77.0%	40.0%
Dropout rate	4.8%	57.1%
Transferred out	18.3%	N/A
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	N/A

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Messiah University vs WAU-DC

Messiah University

Washington Adventist University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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