Messiah College vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre

Should I go to Messiah College or Penn State Wilkes Barre? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Messiah College or Penn State Wilkes-Barre 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.

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Messiah College vs. Penn State Wilkes Barre comparison
Messiah College Penn State Wilkes Barre College 3 College 4
Messiah College Penn State Wilkes Barre
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Overview

Messiah College Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Location Grantham, PA Lehman, PA
Setting Large Suburban Rural Fringe
Enrollment 3,231 368
Type Private 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #358
Religious Affiliation Interdenominational - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website messiah.edu psu.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Messiah College Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Tuition (In State) $38,550 $13,824
Tuition (Out of State) $38,550 $23,086
Room & Board $11,560 $12,984
Avg Net Price $24,120 $16,728
Avg Grant Aid $27,519 $10,598
% Receiving Grant Aid 100% 94%

Admission

Messiah College Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 2,438 653
Admitted 1,936 622
Acceptance Rate 79.4% 95.3%
Enrolled % 30.3% 20.4%
Avg High School GPA 3.8 -
Typical High School Grades A- -
Admissions Standards Difficult Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 25/30
SAT Range 1090/1340 1070/1260
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 Wilkes-Barre
Student to Faculty Ratio 13:1 10:1
Popular Majors
  • Education (19%)
  • Business (13%)
  • Health Professions (10%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • Biology (6%)
  • Business (34%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (28%)
  • Engineering Technology (19%)
  • English and Literature (12%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (5%)

Outcomes

Messiah College Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Graduation Rate 74% 47%
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 Wilkes-Barre
% Men 37% 64%
% Women 63% 36%
Racial Diversity Very Low Very Low
HBCU No No
% White 83% 88%
% Black 3% 3%
% Hispanic 4% 5%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 2%
% International 4% 0%
% Unknown Race 1% 1%

Students

Messiah College Penn State Wilkes-Barre
% In-State 63% 83%
% Out-of-State 35% 17%

Campus

Messiah College Penn State Wilkes-Barre
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 Wilkes-Barre based on total student enrollment (3,231 students vs. 368 students)

Messiah College vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Messiah College or Penn State Wilkes-Barre?

  • Messiah College is 178.9% more expensive to attend than Penn State Wilkes-Barre for in-state tuition ($38,550.00 vs. $13,824.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 67% higher at Messiah College than Penn State Wilkes Barre ($38,550.00 vs. $23,086.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Penn State Wilkes Barre than Messiah College ($16,728 vs. $24,120)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Messiah College are 12.3% lower than costs at Penn State Wilkes Barre ($11,560 vs. $12,984)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Messiah College than Penn State Wilkes Barre (100% vs. 94%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Messiah College students is 159.7% larger than aid received Penn State Wilkes Barre ($27,519 vs. $10,598)

Messiah College vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at Messiah College (1129) is 147 points higher than at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (982)
  • Incoming Messiah College students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Penn State Wilkes-Barre (22)
  • Penn State Wilkes-Barre has a higher acceptance rate (95.3%) than Messiah College (79.4%)

Messiah College vs. Penn State Wilkes-Barre Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Messiah College or Penn State Wilkes-Barre? 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 Wilkes-Barre and Messiah College.

  • The graduation rate at Messiah College is higher than Penn State Wilkes Barre (74% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Penn State Wilkes Barre 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 Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($25,989 vs. $26,818)
  • Messiah College graduates are paying $9 less per month on federal student loans than Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduates. ($268 vs. $277)
  • More Messiah College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Penn State Wilkes-Barre 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/