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Messiahcollegebridge2Photo: Badagnani · CC BY-SA 3.0
Colleges in and near Upper Allen Township

Upper Allen Township is a college town: 16 of every 100 residents are students

Messiah University (2,684 students on campus) is inside the town. Across Pennsylvania, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town16% of residents are studentsMessiah University

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Upper Allen Township. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
6
20,012 students on campus
Nearest college
1.6 mi
Messiah University
Residents in college
16%
Above PA (6%)
Nearest community college
9.5 mi
Harrisburg Area · $6,975 tuition
Nearest public university
12.8 mi
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg · $15,972 in-state
Students on campus in Upper Allen Township
2,684
next to 24,700 residents

What stands out about college in Upper Allen Township

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town16 of every 100 Upper Allen Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.A university in Upper Allen TownshipMessiah University has 2,684 students on campus in Upper Allen Township, 75% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 9.5 miles awayHarrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg: tuition and fees $6,975 a year for Pennsylvania residents.In-state price at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State HarrisburgLiving in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg charges $15,972 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $26,958. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Upper Allen Township

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

16 of every 100 Upper Allen Township residents are in college (PA: 6).

2,684students on campus at Messiah University, next to 24,700 residents (dorm students count as residents)
1,193college students live in Upper Allen Township households rather than dorms
37.5median age · PA 40.9
55%of residents are women · PA 51% (±2 points)
26%of homes rented · PA 31%
$1,525median rent · 26% above the state
Upper Allen TownshipUpper Allen Township, PA
Cost of living$1,525/mo median rentC−SafetyCrime reported to the FBIAHealthCDC estimatesAJobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundAHandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Upper Allen Township’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income A

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 4.3% of Upper Allen Township residents are below the poverty line, 4.0% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 2 points either way). 9% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C−

The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 16%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.

Health A

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Upper Allen Township’s median age is 37.5 (Pennsylvania 40.9), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety A

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Upper Allen Township

Four private colleges within 11.5 miles, one public college within 12.8 miles, and Harrisburg Area Community College 9.5 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miHarrisburg AreaUpper Allen Township
University or collegeCommunity college
Messiah UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,684 on campus · In Upper Allen Township79%admitted$27knet price75%graduate$54kearningsHarrisburg University of Science and TechnologyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 3,306 on campus · 7.8 mi · Harrisburg87%admitted$15knet price34%graduate$52kearningsCentral Penn CollegeUniversity or college · For-profit · 386 on campus · 9 mi · Summerdale · mostly online18%admitted$19knet price51%graduate$45kearnings53% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Harrisburg Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 6,841 on campus · 9.5 mi · Harrisburg$14knet price21%graduate$42kearningsTuition and fees: $6,975 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Dickinson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,204 on campus · 11.5 mi · Carlisle42%admitted$38knet price80%graduate$70kearningsPennsylvania State University-Penn State HarrisburgUniversity or college · Public · 4,591 on campus · 12.8 mi · Middletown98%admitted$23knet price26%graduate$63kearningsEarnings are reported for all 22 campuses that file with it.

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $75–110k, where Upper Allen Township’s median household income ($99,197) falls.

Harrisburg Area Community College9.5 mi · Harrisburg · sticker $18,369 · tuition $6,975$16,995a year
Central Penn College9 mi · Summerdale · mostly online · sticker $27,116$18,973a year
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology7.8 mi · Harrisburg · sticker $35,893$19,420a year
Dickinson College11.5 mi · Carlisle · sticker $82,902$22,696a year
Messiah UniversityIn Upper Allen Township · sticker $55,875$23,574a year
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg12.8 mi · Middletown · sticker $32,521$25,103a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Upper Allen Township: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Messiah UniversityHarrisburg University of Science and TechnologyCentral Penn CollegeHarrisburg AreaDickinson CollegePennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg
Harrisburg Area Community College21% graduate$42k earnings$18k typical debt
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg26% graduate$63k earnings*$25k typical debt
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology34% graduate$52k earnings$27k typical debt
Messiah University75% graduate$54k earnings$26k typical debt
Dickinson College80% graduate$70k earnings$19k typical debt
Central Penn College51% graduate$45k earnings$23k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg (22).

Majors

What students study in Upper Allen Township

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Messiah University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Health professions 17%Business 16%Education 14%Engineering 9%Visual & performing arts 8%Biology 5%Everything else 31%

Biggest programs

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing45 graduates a year
$78k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations41 graduates a year
$66k4 yrs out
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General40 graduates a year
$54k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas33 graduates a year
$54k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods30 graduates a year
$53k4 yrs out
Psychology, General25 graduates a year
$46k4 yrs out
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services21 graduates a year
$47k4 yrs out
Computer Science18 graduates a year
$75k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Upper Allen Township

Is Upper Allen Township a college town?

Yes. 16 of every 100 Upper Allen Township residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Pennsylvania. Messiah University has 2,684 students on campus, next to 24,700 residents.

What colleges are in Upper Allen Township?

Messiah University is inside the town. Harrisburg Area Community College is 9.5 miles away in Harrisburg.

Why is Upper Allen Township’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 4.3% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 4.0% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 2 points).

What is the closest community college to Upper Allen Township, and what does it cost?

Harrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg, 9.5 miles away. Tuition and fees are $6,975 a year for Pennsylvania residents; the federal net price, $14,471, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Messiah University?

Messiah University admitted 79% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,110–1,350 on the SAT.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Upper Allen Township. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →