Messiah College vs. Penn State Abington

Should I go to Messiah College or Penn State Abington? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Messiah College or Penn State Abington is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

Add a college to compare up to four schools
Messiah College vs. Penn State Abington comparison
Messiah College Penn State Abington College 3 College 4
Messiah College Penn State Abington
Remove Remove +Add +Add

Overview

Messiah College Penn State Abington
Location Grantham, PA Abington, PA
Setting Large Suburban Large Suburban
Enrollment 3,231 3,090
Type Private 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #358 #694
Religious Affiliation Interdenominational - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website messiah.edu psu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Messiah College Penn State Abington
Tuition (In State) $38,550 $14,684
Tuition (Out of State) $38,550 $24,586
Room & Board $11,560 $10,694
Avg Net Price $24,120 $20,460
Avg Grant Aid $27,519 $9,589
% Receiving Grant Aid 100% 79%

Admission

Messiah College Penn State Abington
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 2,438 6,463
Admitted 1,936 6,037
Acceptance Rate 79.4% 93.4%
Enrolled % 30.3% 14.7%
Avg High School GPA 3.8 3.42
Typical High School Grades A- B+
Admissions Standards Difficult Difficult
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 25/30 23/31
SAT Range 1090/1340 1070/1310
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline

Academics

Messiah College Penn State Abington
Student to Faculty Ratio 13:1 15:1
Popular Majors
  • Education (19%)
  • Business (13%)
  • Health Professions (10%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • Biology (6%)
  • Business (35%)
  • Psychology (21%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (12%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (10%)
  • English and Literature (6%)

Outcomes

Messiah College Penn State Abington
Graduation Rate 74% 44%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $48,600 $55,300
Making Student Loan Payments 85% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $25,989 $26,818
Median Loan Payment $268 $277

Diversity

Messiah College Penn State Abington
% Men 37% 59%
% Women 63% 41%
Racial Diversity Very Low High
HBCU No No
% White 83% 50%
% Black 3% 13%
% Hispanic 4% 10%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 2%
% International 4% 5%
% Unknown Race 1% 3%

Students

Messiah College Penn State Abington
% In-State 63% 68%
% Out-of-State 35% 21%

Campus

Messiah College Penn State Abington
Campus Housing Yes No
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes No
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility Yes No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Messiah College is larger than than Penn State Abington based on total student enrollment (3,231 students vs. 3,090 students)

Messiah College vs. Penn State Abington Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Messiah College or Penn State Abington?

  • Messiah College is 162.5% more expensive to attend than Penn State Abington for in-state tuition ($38,550.00 vs. $14,684.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 56.8% higher at Messiah College than Penn State Abington ($38,550.00 vs. $24,586.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Abington than Messiah College ($20,460 vs. $24,120)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Penn State Abington are 8.1% lower than costs at Messiah College ($10,694 vs. $11,560)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Messiah College than Penn State Abington (100% vs. 79%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Messiah College students is 187% larger than aid received Penn State Abington ($27,519 vs. $9,589)

Messiah College vs. Penn State Abington Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Messiah College or Penn State Abington? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Penn State Abington or Messiah College .

  • The average SAT score at Messiah College (1129) is 154 points higher than at Penn State Abington (975)
  • Incoming Messiah College students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Penn State Abington (22)
  • Accepted freshman Messiah College students have a 0.38 point higher average high school GPA (3.8) than students at Penn State Abington (3.42)
  • Penn State Abington has a higher acceptance rate (93.4%) than Messiah College (79.4%)

Messiah College vs. Penn State Abington Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Messiah College or Penn State Abington? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Penn State Abington and Messiah College.

  • The graduation rate at Messiah College is higher than Penn State Abington (74% vs. 44%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Abington earn on average $6,700 more per year than Messiah College graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $48,600)
  • Messiah College students graduate with a $829 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Abington graduates. ($25,989 vs. $26,818)
  • Messiah College graduates are paying $9 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Abington graduates. ($268 vs. $277)
  • More Messiah College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Abington students, three years after graduation. (85% vs. 69%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/