Key differences on Outcomes
- 1
Bethel grads earn $9.7K more ten years out than Messiah's ($63,764 vs. $54,064)
Median earnings, 10 yrs - 2
Messiah graduates 5 pts more of its students than Bethel (77% vs. 72%)
Graduation rate
Outcomes
Outcomes
Earnings and finishing
Median earnings, 10 yrs
Bethel$63.8KHighest
Messiah$54.1K
Graduation rate
Bethel72%
Messiah77%Highest
Retention rate
Bethel86%
Messiah88%Highest
Borrowing
Median debt
Bethel$21.5KLowest
Messiah$25.6K
Undergrads with a federal loan
Bethel44%
Messiah54%
Median debt, Pell Grant recipients
Bethel$18.2KLowest
Messiah$24.2K
Eight-year outcomes
Credential within 4 years, all students
Bethel63%
Messiah74%
Credential within 8 years, all students
Bethel71%
Messiah78%
Enrolled at another college, 8 years on
Bethel19%
Messiah18%
Graduation by group
Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients
Bethel57%
Messiah70%
Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan
Bethel79%
Messiah81%
Pell graduation gap
Bethel22 pts lower
Messiah10 pts lower
Graduated in 6 years, by race and ethnicity
| Group | Bethel | Messiah |
|---|---|---|
| White | 74% | 77% |
| Asian | Not shown: under 30 students | Not shown: under 30 students |
| Hispanic/Latino | 62% | 46% |
| Black | Not shown: under 30 students | Not shown: under 30 students |
| Two or more races | Not shown: under 30 students | Not shown: under 30 students |
| International | Not shown: under 30 students | Not shown: under 30 students |
On-time progress, from the colleges' Common Data Sets
| Finished within | Bethel | Messiah |
|---|---|---|
| 4 years: Pell recipients | Not published | 67% |
| 4 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | Not published | 75% |
| 4 years: all first-time full-time | Not published | 73% |
| 5 years: Pell recipients | Not published | 70% |
| 5 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | Not published | 80% |
| 5 years: all first-time full-time | Not published | 78% |
Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Messiah University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;Messiah University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About 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