Academic Comparison between Penn State Lehigh Valley and Messiah

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

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

Penn State Lehigh Valley is a public and Messiah is a private (not-for-profit) school and both are four-year schools.
Messiah has more expensive tuition & fees ($42,240) than Penn State Lehigh Valley ($25,392).
It is harder to admit to Messiah than Penn State Lehigh Valley.
Messiah has a higher submitted SAT score (1,210) than Penn State Lehigh Valley (1,210).
Messiah has more students with 3,373 students while Penn State Lehigh Valley has 867 students.
Messiah has a lower number of students per faculty with 12 to 1 while Penn State Lehigh Valley's ratio is 14 to 1.
Messiah has more full-time faculties with 175 faculties while Penn State Lehigh Valley has 44 full-time faculties.

Comparison Table with important Academic Factors

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh Valley	vs.	Messiah University
Center Valley, Pennsylvania	Location	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Four-year, Public	School Type	four-year, Private (not-for-profit)
Bachelor's degree	Highest Degree Offered	Doctor's degree
	Carnegie Classification	Master's College and University (larger programs)
In-State$15,208 Out-Of-State$25,392	2025 Tuition & Fees	$42,240
72%	% Receiving Financial Aid	90%
$8,725	Average Amount of Financial Aid	$24,893

97.37 %	Acceptance Rates	78.97 %
14.00 %	Yield (Enrollment Rates)	29.06 %
1,210	SAT Score	1,230
-	ACT Score	27
18 %	Graduation Rate	75 %
43 %	Transfer-out Rate	19 %
83 %	Retention Rate	89 %
867	Student Population	3,373
44	Number of Faculties	175
14 to 1	Students to Faculty Ratio	12 to 1
Distance Learning (Online Classes), Study Abroad, Weekend/Evening College	Special Learning Opportunities	Distance Learning (Online Classes), ROTC, Study Abroad, Teacher Certification
Academic/career counseling service, Employment services	On Campus Student Services	Academic/career counseling service, Employment services