Messiah College vs. Penn State Brandywine

Should I go to Messiah College or Penn State Brandywine? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Messiah College or Penn State Brandywine is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

Add a college to compare up to four schools
Messiah College vs. Penn State Brandywine comparison
Messiah College Penn State Brandywine College 3 College 4
Messiah College Penn State Brandywine
Remove Remove +Add +Add

Overview

Messiah College Penn State Brandywine
Location Grantham, PA Media, PA
Setting Large Suburban Large Suburban
Enrollment 3,231 1,196
Type Private 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #358 #729
Religious Affiliation Interdenominational - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website messiah.edu psu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Messiah College Penn State Brandywine
Tuition (In State) $38,550 $14,624
Tuition (Out of State) $38,550 $24,318
Room & Board $11,560 $13,930
Avg Net Price $24,120 $21,600
Avg Grant Aid $27,519 $9,638
% Receiving Grant Aid 100% 70%

Admission

Messiah College Penn State Brandywine
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 2,438 2,440
Admitted 1,936 2,347
Acceptance Rate 79.4% 96.2%
Enrolled % 30.3% 17%
Avg High School GPA 3.8 -
Typical High School Grades A- -
Admissions Standards Difficult Difficult
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 25/30 23/31
SAT Range 1090/1340 1070/1285
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline

Academics

Messiah College Penn State Brandywine
Student to Faculty Ratio 13:1 13:1
Popular Majors
  • Education (19%)
  • Business (13%)
  • Health Professions (10%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • Biology (6%)
  • Business (28%)
  • Work and Family Studies (28%)
  • Communication (23%)
  • Ethnic Studies (6%)
  • Education (5%)

Outcomes

Messiah College Penn State Brandywine
Graduation Rate 74% 37%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $48,600 $55,300
Making Student Loan Payments 85% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $25,989 $26,818
Median Loan Payment $268 $277

Diversity

Messiah College Penn State Brandywine
% Men 37% 61%
% Women 63% 39%
Racial Diversity Very Low Medium
HBCU No No
% White 83% 63%
% Black 3% 15%
% Hispanic 4% 5%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 2%
% International 4% 1%
% Unknown Race 1% 2%

Students

Messiah College Penn State Brandywine
% In-State 63% 74%
% Out-of-State 35% 24%

Campus

Messiah College Penn State Brandywine
Campus Housing Yes No
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes No
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility Yes No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Messiah College is larger than than Penn State Brandywine based on total student enrollment (3,231 students vs. 1,196 students)

Messiah College vs. Penn State Brandywine Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Messiah College or Penn State Brandywine?

  • Messiah College is 163.6% more expensive to attend than Penn State Brandywine for in-state tuition ($38,550.00 vs. $14,624.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 58.5% higher at Messiah College than Penn State Brandywine ($38,550.00 vs. $24,318.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Brandywine than Messiah College ($21,600 vs. $24,120)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Messiah College are 20.5% lower than costs at Penn State Brandywine ($11,560 vs. $13,930)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Messiah College than Penn State Brandywine (100% vs. 70%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Messiah College students is 185.5% larger than aid received Penn State Brandywine ($27,519 vs. $9,638)

Messiah College vs. Penn State Brandywine Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Messiah College or Penn State Brandywine? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Penn State Brandywine or Messiah College .

  • The average SAT score at Messiah College (1129) is 160 points higher than at Penn State Brandywine (969)
  • Incoming Messiah College students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Penn State Brandywine (22)
  • Penn State Brandywine has a higher acceptance rate (96.2%) than Messiah College (79.4%)

Messiah College vs. Penn State Brandywine Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Messiah College or Penn State Brandywine? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Penn State Brandywine and Messiah College.

  • The graduation rate at Messiah College is higher than Penn State Brandywine (74% vs. 37%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Brandywine earn on average $6,700 more per year than Messiah College graduates after ten years. ($55,300 vs. $48,600)
  • Messiah College students graduate with a $829 lower median federal student loan debt than Penn State Brandywine graduates. ($25,989 vs. $26,818)
  • Messiah College graduates are paying $9 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Brandywine graduates. ($268 vs. $277)
  • More Messiah College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Brandywine students, three years after graduation. (85% vs. 69%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/