Eastern University vs Messiah University

Eastern University and Messiah University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Eastern, rooted in Mennonite tradition, fosters a close-knit community with a focus on service and global engagement. Messiah, guided by its Christian faith, emphasizes academic excellence and leadership development. While Eastern boasts a higher acceptance rate, Messiah attracts a larger student body. Both universities offer a diverse range of majors, with Eastern excelling in nursing and education, and Messiah excelling in business and engineering. Eastern's graduates enjoy a slightly higher graduation rate, while Messiah's alumni benefit from a robust network of successful graduates. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal values.

	Eastern University	Messiah University
Overview
Location	Saint Davids, Pennsylvania	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	74.0%	85.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Baptist	Interdenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.7%	77.4%
Application fees	$35	$50
SAT range	N/A	1100 - 1340
ACT range	N/A	23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		57.0%
Students submitting ACT score		11.0%
Total number of applicants	1,866	2,458
Total number of admissions given out	1,282	1,902
Admitted students who chose to enroll	339	551
Yield rate	26.4%	29.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$47,974	$54,340
Average net price	$24,199	$23,895
Tuition	$34,990	$37,430
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,448 Meal plan: $5,672	Room/dormitory: $5,970 Meal plan: $5,250
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $25,238	100.0% Average amount $26,620
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,419	65.0% Average amount $5,510
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $13,606	24.0% Average amount $11,228

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,726 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%	2,495 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	2,703 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%	781 Men 28.6% Women 71.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	39.8%	34.6%
International students	3.4%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	914	2,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey Maryland New York Florida	Pennsylvania Maryland New Jersey New York Delaware

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Health Professions Theology	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	60.4%	77.0%
Dropout rate	16.8%	4.8%
Transferred out	22.5%	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,766 Year 2: $66,355 Year 3: $69,461 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,108 Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $67,110 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,022 Year 3: $58,633 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,538 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $54,510 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,370 Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $51,871 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,086 Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $50,335 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,783 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $50,302 Education, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,691 Year 2: $47,930 Year 3: $46,997 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,739 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $44,135 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,258 Year 2: $32,711 Year 3: $38,718	Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,515 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $64,027 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,062 Year 2: $53,608 Year 3: $62,810 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,117 Year 2: $62,546 Year 3: $62,631 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,416 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $56,809 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,254 Year 2: $49,214 Year 3: $53,924 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $32,970 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: $47,853 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,875 Year 2: $37,054 Year 3: $47,113 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,733 Year 2: $40,621 Year 3: $45,156 Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,616 Year 2: $39,523 Year 3: $44,488 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,316 Year 2: $35,594 Year 3: $41,855

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