Messiah University vs. West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCU)

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

  • Messiah University is a private school while West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCU) is a public school.
  • Both schools are located in Pennsylvania.
  • Messiah University has more expensive tuition of $40,640 than WCU ($22,511).
  • WCU has tighter acceptance rate of 68.50% than Messiah University (77.01%).
  • Messiah University has higher SAT scores of 1,220 than WCU (1,160).
  • WCU is larger with 17,275 students than Messiah University (3,231 students).
Messiah University

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West Chester University of Pennsylvania

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Rankings#50 in Pennsylvania
Private, 4-yearsSchool TypePublic, 4-years
Mechanicsburg, PALocationWest Chester, PA
Known asWCU
1 Year Certificate
Bachelor's
Post-Bachelor Certificate
Master's
Post-Master Certificate
Doctorate (Professional Practice)
Offered Degrees1 Year Certificate
Bachelor's
Post-Bachelor Certificate
Master's
Post-Master Certificate
Doctorate (Research)
Doctorate (Professional Practice)
Master's College and University (larger programs)Carnegie ClassificationResearch University (high research activity)
Tuition & Fees
$40,640Undergraduate$10,687 Pennsylvania residents
$22,511 out-of-state
$13,590Graduate$12,564 Pennsylvania residents
$17,424 out-of-state
$26,414Financial Aid$5,802
Admission
$50Application Fee$45 undergraduate
$50 graduate
77.01%Acceptance Rate68.50%
33.76%Yield30.31%
1,220 SAT, 27 ACTTest Scores1,160 SAT, 26 ACT
Student Population
3,231Total Students17,275
2,495Undergraduate14,392
736Graduate2,883
559Online Enrollment1,770
Graduation Rate & Outcomes
78%Graduation Rate71%
16%Transfer-out Rate18%
86%Retention Rate82%
$50,500Average Earning after Graduation$51,200
Special Learning Opportunities and Student Services
Online Degree/Certificate Program Offered for Both Undergraduate and GraduateDistance Learning (Online Classes)Online Degree/Certificate Program Offered for Both Undergraduate and Graduate
Study Abroad
Teacher Certifiate
Special OpportunitiesROTC
Study Abroad
Teacher Certifiate
✔ (Dormitory Capacity: 2,403)
$6,150 average annual costs
On-Campus Living✔ (Dormitory Capacity: 5,409)
$5,794 average annual costs
Not offered or not ReportedMeal PlanNot offered or not Reported
Faculties and Staffs
13 to 1Students to Faculty Ratio20 to 1
195 Full-time
147 Part-time
Number of Faculties675 Full-time
300 Part-time
588 Full-time
276 Part-time
Number of Staffs1,534 Full-time
335 Part-time
$77,983 for Faculties
$51,867 Part-time
Average Salary$91,379 for Faculties
$62,919 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