Messiah University

Basic Information

Type Private
Geographical Reach Regional
Religious Affiliation Brethren in Christ
Population 650,000

Weather

Comfortable Days 110 (71%)
Sunshine Hours 2,293 (15%)
Days Without Precipitation 235 (28%)

Demographics

Total Undergraduates 2,251
Men / Women 42% / 58%
From State 65%
From Region 22%
Athletes 475 (21.5%)

Racial/Ethnic

White 75%
Hispanic 10%
Asian 4%
Black 4%
Mixed 4%
International 2%
Native American 0%

Schools & Majors

⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences 149 35% 72% 3% 3% 11% 6% $47,344 1 -0.79 10 94%
Parks and Recreation — — — — — — — — $48,858 4 -1.51 13 — — — — —
Economics 3 — 100% 33% 0% 0% 33% 33% $74,867 17 -0.87 73 — — — — —
Sport Management 7 — 57% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $36,387 0 -2.63 3 100% — — — —
Biblical Studies 1 — 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% $46,352 26 -0.55 9 — — — — —
Chinese — — — — — — — — $48,207 16 -0.88 12 — — — — —
English 10 — 30% 80% 10% 0% 0% 0% $46,467 20 -0.73 9 100% — — — —
History 4 — 75% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $47,088 10 -0.96 10 — — — — —
Interdisciplinary Studies 2 — 50% 50% 0% 0% 0% 0% $47,725 9 -0.92 11 — — — — —
Philosophy 1 — 100% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $49,179 15 -0.92 13 — — — — —
Public/Applied History 2 — 0% 50% 0% 0% 50% 0% $47,690 11 -0.90 11 — — — — —
Religious Education 4 — 75% 75% 0% 0% 25% 0% $41,692 9 -1.13 5 100% — — — —
Spanish 1 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $48,312 16 -0.87 12 — — — — —
Child Development 1 — 0% 0% 0% 0% 100% 0% $46,077 12 -0.85 9 89% — — — —
Communication Studies 8 — 75% 88% 0% 0% 12% 0% $41,731 1 -1.88 5 94% — — — —
Family and Community Services 18 — 6% 78% 0% 6% 6% 6% $46,077 12 -0.85 9 89% — — — —
International Development 1 — 100% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $56,371 9 -0.85 30 — — — — —
Journalism — — — — — — — — $45,713 1 -1.86 8 — — — — —
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution 1 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $55,725 8 -0.89 28 — — — — —
Political Science 5 — 0% 60% 0% 20% 20% 0% $62,187 22 -0.74 46 — — — — —
Public Relations and Advertising 4 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $59,107 14 -1.15 37 — — — — —
Social Work 6 — 17% 33% 0% 0% 50% 0% $53,759 49 +0.06 23 96% — — — —
Sociology 2 — 0% 0% 0% 50% 0% 50% $46,828 7 -0.91 10 — — — — —
Sustainability Studies 4 +1 100% 75% 0% 0% 25% 0% $48,955 6 -1.27 13 — — — — —
Art History — — — — — — — — $44,353 27 -0.58 7 — — — — —
Dance — — — — — — — — $45,070 67 +0.27 8 — — — — —
Digital Media 9 — 44% 44% 11% 11% 11% 22% $49,561 32 -0.41 14 86% — — — —
Film Production 8 — 62% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $44,520 18 -0.66 7 — — — — —
Graphic Design 5 — 0% 80% 0% 0% 0% 0% $50,137 20 -0.77 15 — — — — —
Media Production 5 — 60% 80% 0% 0% 20% 0% $48,749 30 -0.47 13 — — — — —
Music 5 +3 60% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $45,801 45 -0.10 8 — — — — —
Music Business — — — — — — — — $48,835 58 +0.22 13 — — — — —
Music Performance 3 — 33% 67% 33% 0% 0% 0% $45,902 46 -0.09 9 — — — — —
Music Studies 3 — 33% 67% 33% 0% 0% 0% $46,083 46 -0.07 9 — — — — —
Musical Theatre 3 — 0% 67% 0% 0% 0% 0% $44,909 43 -0.20 7 — — — — —
Studio Art 14 — 14% 71% 0% 0% 7% 14% $42,428 31 -0.47 5 95% — — — —
Theatre 6 — 0% 33% 0% 0% 17% 33% $42,373 44 -0.09 5 — — — — —
Criminal Justice 3 +2 33% 67% 0% 0% 33% 0% $51,711 10 -1.13 18 — — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of Business 75 59% 83% 1% 3% 12% 1% $74,518 57 -0.49 72 98% 6.8%
Accounting 15 — 53% 93% 0% 0% 7% 0% $87,665 56 +0.04 86 96% — — — —
Actuarial Science 2 — 50% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $84,561 15 -1.02 83 — — — — —
Business Administration 31 +5 71% 84% 0% 6% 6% 3% $61,586 12 -0.83 44 98% 6.8% — — —
Finance 13 — 69% 69% 0% 0% 31% 0% $91,778 44 -0.25 89 — — — — —
International Business — +1 — — — — — — $76,221 44 -0.33 74 — — — — —
Marketing 14 — 29% 79% 7% 0% 14% 0% $71,607 33 -0.46 67 100% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of Education 67 9% 85% 0% 0% 7% 1% $52,514 2 -0.14 20 97%
Biology Teacher Education 1 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $53,941 38 -0.37 24 100% — — — —
Chemistry Teacher Education 1 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $53,941 38 -0.37 24 100% — — — —
Early Childhood Education 21 — 0% 81% 0% 0% 10% 0% $50,810 41 -0.22 17 95% — — — —
Education of Culturally Different Learners 3 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $53,237 41 -0.21 22 — — — — —
Elementary Special Education 10 — 0% 80% 0% 0% 20% 0% $53,672 39 -0.34 23 — — — — —
English Education 3 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $53,941 48 -0.21 24 100% — — — —
Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Education 2 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $53,941 29 -0.67 24 100% — — — —
Mathematics Teacher Education 1 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $53,941 38 -0.37 24 100% — — — —
Middle School Education 8 — 38% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $50,810 27 -0.50 17 95% — — — —
Physical Education 4 — 25% 75% 0% 0% 0% 0% $53,941 31 -0.47 24 100% — — — —
Social Studies Teacher Education 2 — 50% 50% 0% 0% 0% 50% $53,941 47 -0.26 24 100% — — — —
Spanish Language Teacher Education — — — — — — — — $53,941 48 -0.21 24 100% — — — —
Art Education 5 — 0% 80% 0% 0% 20% 0% $53,941 84 +0.76 24 100% — — — —
Music Education 6 — 17% 83% 0% 0% 0% 0% $53,941 83 +0.77 24 100% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of Engineering 49 73% 80% 4% 2% 8% 2% $89,117 89 -1.09 87 97%
Biomedical Engineering 6 — 33% 50% 0% 0% 33% 0% $89,688 22 -0.77 87 — — — — —
Civil Engineering 8 — 75% 75% 0% 0% 25% 0% $86,029 15 -0.90 85 — — — — —
Electrical Engineering 10 — 80% 90% 10% 0% 0% 0% $90,761 1 -1.24 88 — — — — —
General Engineering 3 — 33% 67% 33% 0% 0% 0% $86,272 11 -0.93 85 97% — — — —
Mechanical Engineering 19 — 89% 84% 0% 5% 0% 5% $89,495 7 -1.22 87 — — — — —
Robotics Engineering 3 — 67% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $91,185 12 -1.01 88 — — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of Nursing and Health Sciences 92 25% 82% 4% 3% 8% 1% $68,850 39 -0.88 62 97% 4.7%
Dietetics — — — — — — — — $55,281 15 -0.83 27 — — — — —
Health Sciences 49 — 43% 82% 6% 2% 8% 0% $61,842 31 -0.45 45 98% — — — —
Nursing 40 — 5% 80% 2% 5% 8% 2% $77,606 3 -1.46 76 96% 4.7% — — —
Pre-Occupational Therapy 3 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $66,577 48 -0.13 57 — — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of Science, Mathematics and Technology 98 39% 71% 3% 2% 11% 4% $58,672 7 -1.07 36 93%
Computer Science 9 — 67% 78% 0% 0% 0% 11% $69,641 1 -1.62 63 100% — — — —
Cybersecurity 10 — 80% 70% 0% 0% 10% 10% $78,267 19 -0.82 77 — — — — —
Chemistry 3 — 33% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $64,456 18 -0.69 52 — — — — —
Mathematics 6 — 17% 50% 0% 0% 0% 0% $68,997 28 -0.62 62 — — — — —
Physics 1 — 100% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $71,489 15 -0.87 67 — — — — —
Biochemistry 4 — 25% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $59,494 8 -1.07 39 — — — — —
Biology 18 — 17% 61% 6% 0% 11% 11% $64,761 41 -0.20 52 91% — — — —
Biopsychology 3 +1 33% 67% 0% 33% 0% 0% $57,793 15 -0.80 34 — — — — —
Molecular Biology 6 — 33% 67% 0% 17% 17% 0% $59,596 8 -1.06 39 — — — — —
Environmental Science 10 — 50% 60% 10% 0% 20% 0% $50,946 14 -0.97 17 — — — — —
Psychology 28 +1 32% 79% 4% 0% 18% 0% $43,484 2 -1.76 6 91% — — — —

Financial

Tuition & Fees $45,123
ROI Percentile 44th

Retention & Graduation

Full-Time Retention 89%
4-Year Graduation Rate 70%
6-Year Graduation Rate 75%
Transfer-Out Rate 19%

Earnings by Major Category

Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).

Academics

⇅ % Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn
Health Sciences 17.4% 92 25% 82% 4% 3% 8% 1% $68,850 16 -0.88 62 97% 4.7%
Business & Economics 16.0% 85 60% 82% 1% 2% 12% 2% $71,390 31 -0.68 67 98% 6.8%
Social Sciences 14.7% 78 28% 73% 1% 4% 17% 3% $47,415 3 -1.24 11 91% —
Arts 13.6% 72 28% 72% 4% 1% 7% 8% $46,915 27 -0.22 10 94% —
Education 10.6% 56 9% 86% 0% 0% 7% 2% $52,234 40 -0.32 20 97% —
Engineering 9.2% 49 73% 80% 4% 2% 8% 2% $89,117 3 -1.09 87 97% —
Life & Natural Sciences 5.8% 31 23% 68% 3% 6% 10% 6% $62,407 26 -0.53 46 91% —
Humanities 4.7% 25 48% 76% 4% 0% 8% 0% $46,179 6 -0.86 9 100% —
Computer Science 3.6% 19 74% 74% 0% 0% 5% 11% $74,181 4 -1.20 72 100% —
Agriculture & Food Science 1.9% 10 50% 60% 10% 0% 20% 0% $50,946 13 -0.97 17 — —
Physical Sciences & Math 1.9% 10 30% 70% 0% 0% 0% 0% $67,884 19 -0.66 60 — —
Professional 0.6% 3 33% 67% 0% 0% 33% 0% $51,711 4 -1.13 18 — —

Research

⇅ Research $ Rank Federal Industry $ PhDs Rank PhD students Postdocs
Agriculture & Food Science — — — — — — — —
Business & Economics — — — — — — — —
Computer Science — — — — — — — —
Education — — — — — — — —
Engineering — — — — — — — —
Health Sciences — — — — — — — —
Humanities & Social Sciences — — — — — — — —
Life & Natural Sciences — — — — — — — —
Physical Sciences & Math — — — — — — — —
Total — — — — — — — —

Expenditure and funding source: NSF HERD, FY2024. Degrees: IPEDS completions, 2023–24. Students and postdocs: NSF Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates, fall 2024, which covers science, engineering and selected health fields only. An em dash means the source does not report the figure, which is not the same as zero.

Sports NCAA D3

⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Track & Field (combined) 119 $90K $85K $4K
Baseball 47 $172K $189K -$16K
Lacrosse 42 $211K $170K $40K
Wrestling 36 $129K $108K $20K
Soccer 27 $179K $170K $8K
Volleyball 17 $53K $48K $5K
Basketball 16 $172K $178K -$5K
Tennis 14 $49K $21K $28K
Swimming 12 $41K $29K $12K
Total 260 $1.1M $1.0M $99K
⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Track & Field (combined) 133 $90K $88K $1K
Soccer 30 $154K $147K $7K
Field Hockey 25 $104K $90K $14K
Lacrosse 24 $146K $135K $11K
Softball 20 $135K $133K $2K
Swimming 20 $41K $34K $6K
Volleyball 19 $85K $87K -$2K
Basketball 15 $198K $151K $47K
Tennis 9 $21K $20K $1K
Total 215 $978K $888K $90K
⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Track & Field (combined) 252 $180K $174K $6K
Lacrosse 66 $358K $305K $52K
Soccer 57 $333K $317K $16K
Baseball 47 $172K $189K -$16K
Volleyball 36 $138K $135K $3K
Wrestling 36 $129K $108K $20K
Swimming 32 $83K $64K $19K
Basketball 31 $370K $329K $41K
Field Hockey 25 $104K $90K $14K
Tennis 23 $71K $41K $29K
Softball 20 $135K $133K $2K
Total 475 $2.9M $2.4M $445K

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Equity in Athletics Data Analysis. Each team's revenue and expenses are what the college attributes to it. The Total view's totals row is the department's grand total, which also includes money not attributed to any team; the Male and Female totals rows only add up their teams.

Admissions

Uses Common App Yes
Acceptance Rate 81%
Yield (non-ED) 31%
Regular Decision Jan 1

Acceptance Rates

In-State Out-of-State International
Regular Decision 83% 87% 19%
Unhooked Early Decision 0% 0% —

Hooked: legacy, recruited athletes, and faculty-related

Standardized Tests

Test Policy optional
Submitted Test Scores 56%
SAT Range 1150 – 1350
SAT Math Range 560 – 670
SAT RW Range 580 – 700