Academic Comparison between Messiah and Penn State Harrisburg

Messiah University and Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg 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 Harrisburg is a four-year, public school located in Middletown, 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 Harrisburg is a public school and both are four-year schools.
Messiah has more expensive tuition & fees ($42,240) than Penn State Harrisburg ($26,958).
It is harder to admit to Messiah than Penn State Harrisburg.
Messiah has a higher submitted SAT score (1,230) than Penn State Harrisburg (1,220).
Both Messiah and Penn State Harrisburg have the same submitted ACT scores (27).
Penn State Harrisburg has more students with 4,478 students while Messiah has 3,373 students.
Messiah has a lower number of students per faculty with 12 to 1 while Penn State Harrisburg's ratio is 15 to 1.
Penn State Harrisburg has more full-time faculties with 246 faculties while Messiah has 175 full-time faculties.

Comparison Table with important Academic Factors

Messiah University	vs.	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Location	Middletown, Pennsylvania
Four-year, Private (not-for-profit)	School Type	four-year, Public
Doctor's degree	Highest Degree Offered	Doctor's degree
Master's College and University (larger programs)	Carnegie Classification
$42,240	2025 Tuition & Fees	In-State$15,972 Out-Of-State$26,958
90%	% Receiving Financial Aid	63%
$24,893	Average Amount of Financial Aid	$10,737

78.97 %	Acceptance Rates	97.60 %
29.06 %	Yield (Enrollment Rates)	11.24 %
1,230	SAT Score	1,220
27	ACT Score	27
75 %	Graduation Rate	26 %
19 %	Transfer-out Rate	-
89 %	Retention Rate	82 %
3,373	Student Population	4,478
175	Number of Faculties	246
12 to 1	Students to Faculty Ratio	15 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