Messiah University vs. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus (Penn State)

Compare two schools with tuition, admission, test scores, and more academic characteristics.

  • Messiah University is a private school while Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus (Penn State) is a public school.
  • Both schools are located in Pennsylvania.
  • Messiah University has more expensive tuition of $40,640 than Penn State ($40,188).
  • Penn State has tighter acceptance rate of 50.31% than Messiah University (77.01%).
  • Penn State has higher SAT scores of 1,300 than Messiah University (1,220).
  • Penn State is larger with 50,028 students than Messiah University (3,231 students).
Messiah University

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Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

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Rankings#73 in National Universities
#9 in Pennsylvania
Private, 4-yearsSchool TypePublic, 4-years
Mechanicsburg, PALocationUniversity Park, PA
Known asPenn State
1 Year Certificate
Bachelor's
Post-Bachelor Certificate
Master's
Post-Master Certificate
Doctorate (Professional Practice)
Offered Degrees1 Year Certificate
2 Year Certificate
Associate
Bachelor's
Post-Bachelor Certificate
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
Doctorate (Professional Practice)
Master's College and University (larger programs)Carnegie ClassificationResearch University (very high research activity)
Tuition & Fees
$40,640Undergraduate$20,234 Pennsylvania residents
$40,188 out-of-state
$13,590Graduate$25,518 Pennsylvania residents
$43,828 out-of-state
$26,414Financial Aid$11,574
Admission
$50Application Fee$65 undergraduate
$65 graduate
77.01%Acceptance Rate50.31%
33.76%Yield27.85%
1,220 SAT, 27 ACTTest Scores1,300 SAT, 29 ACT
Student Population
3,231Total Students50,028
2,495Undergraduate41,745
736Graduate8,283
559Online Enrollment116
Graduation Rate & Outcomes
78%Graduation Rate83%
16%Transfer-out Rate1%
86%Retention Rate91%
$50,500Average Earning after Graduation$57,200
Special Learning Opportunities and Student Services
Online Degree/Certificate Program Offered for Both Undergraduate and GraduateDistance Learning (Online Classes)Online Course (may not Degree Program) Offered for Both Undergraduate and Graduate
Study Abroad
Teacher Certifiate
Special OpportunitiesROTC
Study Abroad
Weekend/Evening College
Teacher Certifiate
✔ (Dormitory Capacity: 2,403)
$6,150 average annual costs
On-Campus Living✔ (Dormitory Capacity: 14,275)
$7,374 average annual costs
Not offered or not ReportedMeal PlanNot offered or not Reported
Faculties and Staffs
13 to 1Students to Faculty Ratio15 to 1
195 Full-time
147 Part-time
Number of Faculties2,994 Full-time
621 Part-time
588 Full-time
276 Part-time
Number of Staffs14,044 Full-time
1,418 Part-time
$77,983 for Faculties
$51,867 Part-time
Average Salary$100,357 for Faculties
$66,773 Part-time
All data used in our site is from IPEDS (The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), U.S. Department of Education, academic year 2022-2023