by our College Data Analytics TeamHere is what you can expect to pay at Messiah University, covering the cost range, projected degree costs, net price, debt at graduation, default rates, and aid distribution patterns.
If you want to dig into a particular figure, jump to any section below:
Published attendance costs at Messiah University comes to about $53,939.00 for a single academic year.
The three scenarios below move from the full sticker price, to the net price after average aid, to the net price low-income students typically pay.
| Tuition and fees | $42,240.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $11,699.00 |
| Total cost | $53,939.00 |
| That is 64% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $53,939.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$29,373.00 |
| Net price | $24,566.00 |
| That is 25% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $53,939.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$36,482.00 |
| Net price | $17,457.00 |
| That is 47% below the national average net price. | |
| Want the line-by-line detail? Dig into tuition and fees plus living costs. |
Cost of attendance here has been rising by around 3.3% per year, so the four-year total runs well above today’s cost. These tables carry the cost across a degree for three cases: low-income w/ aid, average aid, and no aid. Loan totals assume a ten-year repayment at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3.3% |
| Freshman year | $18,025.00 | $25,366.00 | $55,695.00 |
| Senior year | $19,844.00 | $27,925.00 | $61,315.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $75,700.00 | $106,527.00 | $233,900.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $28,839.00 | $40,583.00 | $89,107.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $871.00 | $1,226.00 | $2,692.00 |
| Total amount paid | $104,539.00 | $147,111.00 | $323,007.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3.3% |
| Freshman year | $18,025.00 | $25,366.00 | $55,695.00 |
| Senior year | $18,612.00 | $26,192.00 | $57,509.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $36,638.00 | $51,558.00 | $113,204.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $13,958.00 | $19,642.00 | $43,127.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $422.00 | $593.00 | $1,303.00 |
| Total amount paid | $50,595.00 | $71,199.00 | $156,331.00 |
See the full net-price breakdown in the net-price section.
Net price reflects the true cost to attend after grant and scholarship aid is deducted. For most students, this is the more useful number than published tuition because it reflects the real out-of-pocket cost.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $26,502.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $27,686.00 |
What families actually pay shifts with income, since need-based grants are larger for lower-income students. Here is the average net price for each family-income range:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $23,234.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $23,515.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $22,689.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $27,326.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $31,609.00 |
Run your own numbers with the Messiah University Net Price Calculator, or check with the financial aid office.
For the grant-and-scholarship detail behind these figures, see the financial aid breakdown.
The median amount borrowed by graduates of Messiah University works out to $21,911.00, which the Department of Education classifies as a Moderate ($20-30k) debt-load classification.
The full distribution of debt at graduation looks like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $5,500.00 |
| 25th | $11,000.00 |
| Median (50th) | $21,911.00 |
| 75th | $27,000.00 |
| 90th | $31,000.00 |
The distance from the 10th to the 90th percentile shows how widely debt outcomes vary.
For the full borrowing and repayment picture, see the student loan debt detail.
Debt outcomes vary substantially with family income. Below the data splits borrowers across three income groups:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $21,946.00 |
| Middle income | $23,084.00 |
| High income | $21,500.00 |
Low-income graduates carry $446.00 more than graduates from high-income families.
First-gen students typically face different financial-aid contexts than students whose parents attended college.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $22,585.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $21,500.00 |
First-generation borrowers from Messiah University carry $1,085.00 in additional median debt versus continuing-generation peers.
Pell Grants are the largest source of federal need-based aid for undergrads. Looking at Pell recipients versus non-recipients tells us how debt is distributed across need.
The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap at Messiah University comes to $3,688.00. This school carries a federal Pell-debt-inequity flag.
The federal default-rate tier for Messiah University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 1.9% |
To put the rates in context, Stafford loans at Messiah University come to $173,840,839.00 over 9,129 recipients.
Veterans and active-duty servicemembers can tap dedicated federal aid programs like the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD tuition assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 33 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $33,731.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the veteran aid breakdown.
The figures above are a starting point — as you weigh Messiah University, consider the following:
Dig further into the cost picture with the related pages below:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.