Key differences on Getting in

1
Messiah's yield is 20 pts higher than U. Scranton's
Yield rate
2
Messiah's SAT midpoint is 16 points higher than U. Scranton's
SAT midpoint
3
Messiah admits 81% vs. 81% at U. Scranton
Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

U. Scranton81%

Messiah81%Most selective

Applicants

U. Scranton9.7KMost

Messiah2.5K

Admitted

U. Scranton7.9KMost

Messiah2K

Yield rate

U. Scranton11%

Messiah31%Highest

Quad's selectivity

U. ScrantonAccessible
MessiahSelective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

U. Scranton80%

Messiah80%

Men admitted

U. Scranton84%

Messiah77%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. Scranton

1160–1318

Messiah

1150–1350

Axis runs 1000–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. Scranton

25–30

Messiah

26–31

Axis runs 21–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

U. Scranton25%

Messiah51%

Submitted ACT

U. Scranton4%

Messiah6%

Test policy

U. ScrantonTest-optional
MessiahTest-optional

How they read a record

U. Scranton
GPA, the high school record, and a college-prep program are required; class rank is considered.
Messiah
and GPA are both very important; class rank and tests are both important. 69% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher, so and rarely sets an applicant apart; the courses behind it carry more of the weight.

What they look at

Factor	U. Scranton	Messiah
High school GPA	Required	Very important
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Considered	Important
College-prep program	Required	Required
Recommendations	Required	Considered
Essay	Required	Important
Legacy status	Not considered	Considered
Work experience	Not considered	Considered
Demonstration of competencies	Not considered	Not considered
English proficiency test	Required	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Not considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, most recent release;Messiah University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Messiah University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Messiah University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why