Messiah University — College Profile

About

Messiah University is a private Christian institution in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, widely recognized for seamlessly integrating rigorous academics with an enduring commitment to faith, service, and reconciliation. The university boasts particularly strong academic offerings in nursing and pre-health fields, ABET-accredited engineering, business, and education. Campus culture is close-knit, hospitable, and spiritually grounded, featuring a dominant NCAA Division III athletics program—especially in soccer—and distinctive initiatives like the Collaboratory for Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research, which empowers undergraduates to apply their classroom skills to real-world global humanitarian projects.

Wikipedia:Messiah University is a private interdenominational evangelical Christian university with it main campus in Grantham, Pennsylvania and Upper Allen Township, Pennsylvania, near Mechanicsburg.

Location

Mechanicsburg, PA, 17055 · Suburb campus

✈

Nearest airport from college

BWI · Baltimore

70 mi away

Open in Google Maps

Cost & aid

Cost of attendance

YoursEveryone

Tuition & fees$42,240

Housing & food (on campus)$13,098

Books & supplies$1,290

Cost of attendance$63,336

Average net price$26,502

Same price for all students

Tuition & fees$42,240

Housing & food (on campus)$13,098

Books & supplies$1,290

Cost of attendance$63,336

Average net price$26,502

Source: U.S. College Scorecard · published total: www.messiah.edu

How it’s made up · 2026-27

Messiah University’s own figures for 2026-2027, newer than the 2024-25 federal figures above, so the amounts differ.

Tuition$43,815

Fees$1,090

Housing$6,995

Food$6,876

Books & supplies$1,370

Personal expenses$2,010

Transportation$1,180

Total published by the school$63,336

Source: www.messiah.edu · checked Sep 13, 2026

Net price by family income · 2023-24

$0–30k

$19,393

$30–48k

$20,317

$48–75k

$20,916

$75–110k

$23,574

$110k+

$31,847

Your family's actual price → Messiah University net price calculator

Source: U.S. College Scorecard

Merit aid · 2025-26

Awarded without financial need. Students with financial need can get merit awards too; they're counted as need-based aid.

Average award$20,859

Share of first-years who get one24%

Source: Messiah University's Common Data Set — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures (PDF).

Outcomes

Completion

Within 6 yrs

77%

Entered 2017–18

Within 4 yrs

70%

Back for yr 2

89%

Transferred

18%

8 yrs after starting · first-time, full-time students

77% graduated · 18% transferred · 5% left or unknown · none still enrolled

Earnings · measured 2020 & 2021

6 yrs after entry$50,192

10 yrs after entry$54,064

Debt

Median at graduation$25,621

Monthly payment$272

Middle 50% owe$11k–$27k

90th percentile$31,000

Green marks a figure above the typical Master's (larger programs): 54% graduate within 6 yrs.

Admissions

Getting in · applied for fall 2024

Admit rate

79%

Test policy

Test optional

Per College Scorecard

SAT average

1236

R 570–680 · M 540–670

ACT midpoint

Comp 26–31 · E 24–33 · M 24–30

SAT middle 50%: 1110–1350

40080012001600

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Essay prompts

How much essays count at Messiah University: Important (one of four levels: very important · important · considered · not considered)

Source: Messiah University's Common Data Set for 2025-26 — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures (PDF).

If Messiah University asks for supplemental essays, the prompts are in the Common App.

The personal essay is separate: see the Common App essay prompts.

Student Body

Gender

Men 43%Women 57%

Who enrolls

Faculty ratio

12 : 1

Pell grant

20%

First-gen

18%

Family income

$85,483

Independent

Age at entry

19.0

Part-time

Race & ethnicity

White

75%

Hispanic

Black

Asian

Two or more

Non-resident

Unknown

Varsity sports

NCAA Division III without football · EADA 2024-25

Baseball
Men's
Basketball
Men's · Women's
Field Hockey
Women's
Lacrosse
Men's · Women's
Soccer
Men's · Women's
Softball
Women's
Swimming
Men's · Women's
Tennis
Men's · Women's
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
Men's · Women's
Volleyball
Men's · Women's
Wrestling
Men's

Programs & Earnings

Bachelor's degrees by annual completions · 4yr national median earnings

Median earnings, all programs · measured 2020 & 2021

After 6 yrs

$50,192

After 10 yrs

$54,064

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing45

Business Administration, Management and Operations41

Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General40

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas33

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods30

Psychology, General25

Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services21

Computer Science18

Biology, General17

Accounting and Related Services17

Finance and Financial Management Services17

Mechanical Engineering15

Fine and Studio Arts14

Radio, Television, and Digital Communication12

Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication12

Special Education and Teaching12

Type your major above to highlight and detail relevant programs.

Institutional

Resources

Endowment

$132M

Full-time faculty

47%

Faculty salary

$9,179/mo

Teaching spend

$10,324

per student

Federal loans

54%

Classification

Carnegie type

Master's (larger programs)

Undergraduate profile

Four-year, selective admissions