Academic Comparison between Messiah and Penn State Abington

Messiah University and Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington are frequently compared when students or parents prepare college admissions. Messiah is a four-year, private (not-for-profit) school located in Mechanicsburg, PA and Penn State Abington is a four-year, public school located in Abington, PA.

The following list compares two colleges briefly in important perspectives. You can compare them with comprehensive information on full comparison page.

Messiah is a private (not-for-profit) and Penn State Abington is a public school and both are four-year schools.
Messiah has more expensive tuition & fees ($42,240) than Penn State Abington ($25,664).
It is harder to admit to Messiah than Penn State Abington.
Messiah has a higher submitted SAT score (1,230) than Penn State Abington (1,175).
Messiah has higher submitted ACT score (27) than Penn State Abington (26).
Messiah has more students with 3,373 students while Penn State Abington has 2,885 students.
Messiah has a lower number of students per faculty with 12 to 1 while Penn State Abington's ratio is 14 to 1.
Messiah has more full-time faculties with 175 faculties while Penn State Abington has 162 full-time faculties.

Comparison Table with important Academic Factors

Messiah University	vs.	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Location	Abington, Pennsylvania
Four-year, Private (not-for-profit)	School Type	four-year, Public
Doctor's degree	Highest Degree Offered	Bachelor's degree
Master's College and University (larger programs)	Carnegie Classification
$42,240	2025 Tuition & Fees	In-State$15,268 Out-Of-State$25,664
90%	% Receiving Financial Aid	71%
$24,893	Average Amount of Financial Aid	$10,128

78.97 %	Acceptance Rates	96.77 %
29.06 %	Yield (Enrollment Rates)	11.18 %
1,230	SAT Score	1,175
27	ACT Score	26
75 %	Graduation Rate	20 %
19 %	Transfer-out Rate	-
89 %	Retention Rate	77 %
3,373	Student Population	2,885
175	Number of Faculties	162
12 to 1	Students to Faculty Ratio	14 to 1
Distance Learning (Online Classes), ROTC, Study Abroad, Teacher Certification	Special Learning Opportunities	Distance Learning (Online Classes), ROTC, Study Abroad, Weekend/Evening College, Teacher Certification
Academic/career counseling service, Employment services	On Campus Student Services	Academic/career counseling service, Employment services