Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPrivate nonprofit

Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Mid East·messiah.edu
6-yr Graduation
75%
+4.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
3,373
peer median 2,687
Avg net price
$26,502
+$466 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data SetDocumentsGrants

About

Messiah University is a private Christian university located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, with a student body of 3,454 undergraduate and graduate students. Founded in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church, the university focuses on integrating high-quality academics with Christian faith, emphasizing servant leadership and diverse faith traditions among its students.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
2,458
2,458 candidates competed
Admitted
1,941
79.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
564
29.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
75%+4.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
70%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
75%
Full-time retention
89%

Pell equity

11.4pp gap
Pell recipients
66%97 of 146
Non-Pell (all)
77%388 of 501
Subsidized loan, no Pell
72%164 of 228
No Federal Aid
82%224 of 273

Non-Pell students graduate at a 11.4-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 91 Title IV programs, 18 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 72 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
91
Passing
18
19.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
1.1% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.1%
+0.5pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

91programs
  • Passing18 · 19.8%
  • No Data72 · 79.1%
  • Failing1 · 1.1%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
0
Watch
2
Safe
16
No data
72

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

19
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences Other
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-4.8%
$55,966 vs $58,761
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences Other
Graduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+12.0%
$65,838 vs $58,761
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+18.1%
$41,649 vs $35,274
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+29.1%
$45,522 vs $35,274
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+30.4%
$45,982 vs $35,274
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
+31.4%
$60,976 vs $46,391
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+32.7%
$46,813 vs $35,274
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+48.9%
$52,511 vs $35,274

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences Other
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-4.8%
−$2,795

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

15
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences Other
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
90%
$50,173 debt · $55,966 earn
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
57%
$26,114 debt · $45,522 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
54%
$24,631 debt · $45,982 earn
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
53%
$25,000 debt · $46,813 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
51%
$27,000 debt · $53,052 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
50%
$27,000 debt · $54,115 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
48%
$27,000 debt · $56,005 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
46%
$24,000 debt · $52,511 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Accredited since 1963Next review Jan 2031

Programmatic accreditations · 10

Action history · 13

  1. Dec 2025Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education
  2. Apr 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  3. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
  4. Jun 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education
  5. Feb 2023Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$19,393
$30–48k$20,317
$48–75k$20,916
$75–110k$23,574
$110k+$31,847

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$26,502
+$466vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $26,036
Federal loans
54.1%
In-state tuition
$42,240
Out-of-state
$42,240

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 671 students received $3.7M in Pell grants, alongside $22.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
671
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$3.7M
$3,749,640 total
Direct Loans
$22.7M
2,900 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
0k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$4.0M
928 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$4.6M
1,201 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$8.4M
470 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.7M
203 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.0M
98 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 754 borrowers who entered repayment, 5 (0.6%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.6%
-1.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
754
Defaulted
5
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
1.6%
2017
2.4%
2018
2.3%
2019
0.6%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Messiah

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs103
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

729 total completions
01Health Professions
28839.5%
02Business
10113.9%
03Education
9613.2%
04Visual/Performing Arts
7910.8%
05Engineering
496.7%
06Psychology
294.0%
07Biological Sciences
283.8%
08Communication
212.9%
09Family/Consumer Sci
192.6%
10Computer Sciences
192.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
3,373
12-mo unduplicated
3,772
Undergraduate
2,799
Graduate
973

Gender split

Men
38%1,421
Women
62%2,351

Race / ethnicity composition

White
75.1%
Hispanic
9.4%
Two or more
4.2%
Black
4.0%
Asian
3.8%
Non-resident
2.3%
Unknown
1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
475
260 M · 215 W
Women athletes
45.3%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$2.4M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$22K
$15K
Head-coach salaries
$46K
$45K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
119 M · 133 W
$174K
Lacrosse
42 M · 24 W
$306K
Soccer
27 M · 30 W
$318K
Baseball
47 M · —
$190K
Volleyball
17 M · 19 W
$136K
Wrestling
36 M · —
$108K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
8.07
27 offenses · 3,344 students

3-year trend

1.832 yrs ago3.401 yr ago8.07Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
44
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
32
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
6

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
15
Fondling
8
Rape
4

By location

27total
  • On campus27

Includes 24 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
4
Dating violence
6
Stalking
10 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs23
Liquor03

Residence-hall fires

  • Witmer Residence1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
12.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
178

Messiah vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Messiah selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectMessiah University
75%—3,373$26,502Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Abilene Christian University
59%66.0%5,219$26,182Doctoral/Professional
Bethel University
71%87.8%3,603$28,556Doctoral/Professional
Bucknell University
86%28.9%3,969$40,766Baccalaureate
Calvin University
74%70.9%3,681$22,992Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Cedarville University
73%65.3%6,318$24,468Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Eastern Mennonite University
67%100.0%1,154$24,588Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Eastern University
60%90.8%8,727$26,662Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Elizabethtown College
76%77.9%2,283$26,598Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Elon University
84%66.3%7,239$41,555Doctoral/Professional
Furman University
79%42.9%2,554$30,308Baccalaureate
Geneva College
61%79.0%1,366$25,890Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Gettysburg College
83%38.9%2,812$31,490Baccalaureate
Gordon College
69%69.2%1,595$24,883Baccalaureate
Grove City College
83%72.3%2,383—Baccalaureate
Hope College
80%79.2%3,395$27,182Baccalaureate
Houghton University
67%88.7%1,200$20,519Baccalaureate
Lebanon Valley College
65%83.8%2,146$26,979Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Liberty University
67%99.0%104,327$29,357Doctoral/Professional
Luther College
71%71.5%1,384$23,097Baccalaureate
Pacific Lutheran University
69%78.0%2,797$19,589Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Roberts Wesleyan University
67%70.6%1,960$23,130Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Seattle Pacific University
62%83.4%2,261$24,488Doctoral/Professional
Susquehanna University
82%81.4%2,255$28,819Baccalaureate
Taylor University
74%73.5%2,548$24,865Baccalaureate
Trinity University
84%25.9%2,687$23,464Baccalaureate
Valparaiso University
70%89.4%2,579$18,578Doctoral/Professional
Wheaton College
85%87.4%2,874$26,975Baccalaureate
York College of Pennsylvania
64%73.7%3,825$18,556Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Peer group median71%75.8%2,687$26,036

Institutions like Messiah

Explore the federal data for institutions in Messiah's comparison group.

IPEDS

Messiah Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Phone
717-766-2511
Address
One University Avenue, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

The Office of Institutional Research conducts research to support planning and decision making, involving planning, coordinating, collecting, organizing, compiling, and disseminating information concerning the characteristics and performance of the institution.

Visit IR office page
Team
1 member
  • Laura Miller
    Associate VP for Institutional Research & Information Technology

Common Data Set

Messiah's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Source publications

Reports & documents (2)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Grants & funding (6)

Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

USA Spending

Frequently asked questions about Messiah University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Messiah.

What is the graduation rate at Messiah University?

Messiah University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 75% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Messiah University?

Messiah University reports a total enrollment of 3,373 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Messiah University?

The average net price at Messiah University is $26,502 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Messiah University?

Messiah University's yield rate is 29.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Messiah University located?

Messiah University is located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055.

Who runs Institutional Research at Messiah University?

Messiah University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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