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University or college · Private nonprofit

Messiah University

Upper Allen Township, PA660 online only

Messiah University is a private nonprofit university in Upper Allen Township, PA, with about 2,684 students on campus.

Visit www.messiah.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
2,684
plus 660 studying only online
Admission rate
79%
higher than at 54% of 4-year colleges
Net price a year
$26,502
higher than at 75% of 4-year colleges
Graduation rate
75%
higher than at 85% of 4-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$54,064
higher than at 77% of U.S. colleges
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Messiah University?

79%

of applicants admitted

About 16 of every 20 applicants get in.

Test scores of admitted students

SAT reading
570–680
SAT math
540–670
ACT
26–31

The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1236.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $55,875 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees $42,240Room & board $13,098Books & supplies $1,290

After grants, the average family on aid pays $26,502.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$20,916

About $83,664 over 4 years · 63% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
75%
within 6 years · Pell students 66%
Come back for year two
89%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$54,064
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$25,621
about $272 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

6.5%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$272 a month against about $4,183 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

83%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 97% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$49k
Middle income$30–75k
$51k
Higher incomeover $75k
$58k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

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

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing45 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$78k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations41 graduates a year · typical debt $23,073
$66k4 yrs out
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General40 graduates a year · typical debt $23,013
$54k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas33 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$54k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods30 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$53k4 yrs out
Psychology, General25 graduates a year · typical debt $25,500
$46k4 yrs out
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services21 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$47k4 yrs out
Computer Science18 graduates a year
$75k4 yrs out
Who goes there

The students

2,259 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 75%Hispanic 9%Black 4%Asian 4%Two or more 4%International 2%

Women and men

Women 57%Men 43%
12 : 1
students per teacher
20%
get Pell grants (lower income)
54%
take federal loans
2%
undergrads 25 or older
2%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Upper Allen Township

16% of Upper Allen Township’s 24,700 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Upper Allen Township pages.

Upper Allen Township →
Upper Allen TownshipUpper Allen Township, PA
$1,525/momedian rent · 26% above the state$280Kmedian home value · 10% above the stateASafety Grade22° / 86°January low / July high · 30" of snowAHealth GradeAll colleges in and near Upper Allen TownshipCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from Messiah University; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

Harrisburg University of Science and TechnologyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Harrisburg
9.2 mi3,306 students
Central Penn CollegeUniversity or college · For-profit · East Pennsboro Township · mostly online
10.6 mi386 students
Harrisburg Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Harrisburg
11.1 mi6,841 students
Dickinson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Carlisle
11.5 mi2,204 students
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State HarrisburgUniversity or college · Public · Middletown
13.5 mi4,591 students
York College of PennsylvaniaUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · York
20 mi3,294 students
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State YorkUniversity or college · Public · York
20.6 mi697 students
Elizabethtown CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Elizabethtown
20.9 mi1,923 students

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.