---
title: Messiah University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Mechanicsburg, PA
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $54,064 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $38,104 – $75,950 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $21,911 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,724 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 75% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $55,875 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 77% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.41× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $26,064 | derived |

**75% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $21,911 (≈ 41% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $19,210 to $62,117 across 19 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,117 | $27,000 |
| Music. | Master's Degree | $59,416 | $21,472 |
| Engineering, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $57,515 | $24,750 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $56,062 | $23,125 |
| Education, General. | Master's Degree | $50,464 | not reported |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other. | Master's Degree | $43,616 | $49,107 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,316 | $27,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,733 | $27,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,254 | $23,073 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,875 | not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,808 | $27,000 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $32,970 | not reported |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,130 | $27,000 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,955 | not reported |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,688 | $25,500 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,360 | not reported |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,969 | $23,013 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,350 | not reported |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $19,210 | $27,000 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Messiah University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?213996

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/messiah-university-pa.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`