Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania · Website
$54,064
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$54,064
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Messiah University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania with 2,259 undergraduates and 755 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $26,502 a year (tuition and fees $42,240). It admits 79% of applicants and 75% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $54,064 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $25,621 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$26,502
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$42,240
US median $11,837
Admission rate
79%
US median 78%
Completion rate
75%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$25,621
About $272 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$54,064
Rank 1,171 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $26,502
- Tuition and fees
- $42,240
- Cost of attendance
- $55,875
- Students with a need-based grant
- 20%
- Students with federal loans
- 54%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $19,393
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $20,317
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $20,916
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $23,574
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $31,847
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $32,240 in 2015-16 to $42,240 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 79%
- Average SAT
- 1,236
- SAT reading, middle
- 615
- SAT math, middle
- 605
- ACT, middle
- 27
- Undergraduates
- 2,259
- Graduate students
- 755
- Part-time students
- 2.1%
- Women
- 57%
- Students per teacher
- 12
- Completion rate
- 75%
- Retention rate
- 89%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 98
- Endowment
- $132.1M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,171 of 5,094 US colleges and 114 of 270 in Pennsylvania (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | PA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $26,502 | $19,970 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $42,240 | $19,182 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 79% | 81% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 75% | 66% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 89% | 78% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $25,621 | $17,500 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $50,192 | $42,275 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $54,064 | $49,700 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 83% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 78% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
98 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, OtherOnlineMaster's | Master's | 77 | $49,107 | $48,100 | $55,966 | $81,651 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 45 | $27,000 | $73,788 | $77,824 | $88,910 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 41 | $23,073 | $43,029 | $66,222 | $68,257 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 40 | $23,013 | $28,275 | $54,256 | $61,296 |
| MusicMaster's | Master's | 36 | $21,472 | $66,109 | $77,342 | $48,285 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsProfessional | Professional | 35 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 33 | $27,000 | $50,825 | $54,115 | $51,389 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 32 | $67,716 | $73,524 | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $27,000 | $50,389 | $53,052 | $47,382 |
| MarketingCertificate | Certificate | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $25,500 | $31,131 | $45,982 | $50,706 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 23 | Withheld | $73,150 | Withheld | $103,485 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | $27,000 | $32,943 | $46,813 | $48,568 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | Withheld | $49,205 | $74,941 | $107,009 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 17 | Withheld | $54,508 | $60,976 | $65,824 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | $27,000 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | $23,125 | $59,833 | $81,907 | $76,194 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign LanguageCertificate | Certificate | 15 | $26,500 | $49,362 | Withheld | - |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | $41,649 | $41,367 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | $45,522 | $50,497 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,560 |
| Special Education and TeachingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | $45,748 | $67,900 | $69,303 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Mechanicsburg and Pennsylvania on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Pennsylvania
- Homes: Homes for sale in Pennsylvania
Questions and answers
How much does Messiah University cost?
$26,502 a year is the average net price at Messiah University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $42,240, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $55,875. Families earning under $30,000 pay $19,393 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Messiah University?
79% of applicants are admitted to Messiah University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,236 and the middle ACT score is 27. The median admission rate of colleges in Pennsylvania is 81%.
How much do Messiah University graduates earn?
$54,064 a year is the median pay of former Messiah University students who work, 10 years after they started ($50,192 after 6 years). That ranks 1,171 of 5,094 US colleges and 114 of 270 in Pennsylvania. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's) at $73,788.
How much student debt do Messiah University graduates have?
$25,621 is the median federal student loan debt of Messiah University graduates, about $272 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 54% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Messiah University?
75% of first-time, full-time students at Messiah University finish within 6 years. 89% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Messiah University?
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (77 master's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (45 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (41 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 98 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.