Messenger College

Bedford, TX · SouthwestQuad's selectivityAccessible

Known forIntimate campusEconomic diversity

Admissions · Fall 2024

1 in 3 applicants admitted

Messenger admits about 1 in 3 applicants (38%). That puts it in the "Accessible" tier, more selective than 91% of the 1,547 colleges that report admissions.

38%

acceptance rateQuad's selectivityAccessible

Applied

Admitted

Yield

67%

of admits enroll

Applications 115 → 24 since fall 2014 · admit rate 98% → 38%Over time

Getting in, in detail: funnel, what they look at, your scores

Students

Who's on campus

A small campus of 24 undergrads, where 81% receive Pell Grants, a high share compared to other colleges.

undergrads · larger than 2% of colleges

Diversity index

0.61

Pell Grant

81%

above the median

Large suburb

Undergrads −86% since fall 2014Over time

Students and campus life in detail

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Philosophy and Religious Studies, General (67% of graduates). 8 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 89% of colleges. Spends $3,909 a year on instruction per student.

8 to 1

students per faculty member · fewer than at 89% of colleges

What it costs

In 2023–24, the average first-year paid an estimated $26,433 in total (tuition, housing, food, books and other costs, after grants), $2.1K more than the national median. The 88% who received grants paid $25,941 on average; the other 13% paid the full sticker price of $29,881.

12%

$26.4K

average total cost per year, all first-years, after grants (est.) · $2.1K above the national median

Full price: $29,881 a year; tuition, housing, food, books, and other costs
Need-based aid: Little need-based aid above $110K; aid thins out for families above that income
Merit aid: Little or none; under 2% of first-years got a grant without federal aid

Aid generosity

Limited

grants cover 12% of full price

Federal loans

96%

of undergrads · national median 45%

Your price

Net price calculator

the college's own

Financial aid

Financial aid office

Cost rising · +42% after inflation since 2013–14Over time

Prices, who gets aid, and borrowing in detail

Outcomes

What it pays

Former students earn a median $29,463 ten years after enrolling, more than at 2% of colleges; 13% graduate within six years. Four years of net price is about 3.6 years of that salary.

13%

graduate within six years · national median 59%

Median earnings

$29.5K

10 years after entry

Retention

57%

come back for year two

Graduation rate 10% → 100% since the class that entered fall 2008Over time

Earnings, finishing, 8-year outcomes, by group

Over time · since 2013–14

How it's changed

Since 2013–14, the full price rose 27% after inflation, while what the average first-year paid rose 42%, as grants covered less of it.

Cost
Rising
+42% after inflation
Applications
115 → 24
Selectivity
98% → 38%
Diversity
Reported

Every series, year by year

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Sources for this overviewEvery dataset and year behind the numbers on this profile; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources for this profile

1
IPEDS directory (Institutional Characteristics: HD)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · 2025–26 · retrieved 2026-10-12
2
College Scorecard
U.S. Department of Education · most recent release; Entered fall 2023; Fall 2024; 2023–24; Fall 2023 · retrieved 2026-10-12
3
IPEDS Admissions survey
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Fall 2024 · retrieved 2026-10-12
4
IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · 2023–24 · retrieved 2026-10-12
5
IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · 2025–26 · retrieved 2026-10-12
6
IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Fall 2024 · retrieved 2026-10-12
7
IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · 2024–25 graduates · retrieved 2026-10-12
8
College Scorecard Field of Study data
U.S. Department of Education · most recent release · retrieved 2026-10-12
9
IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · 2023–24 · retrieved 2026-10-12
10
IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · 2023–24 · retrieved 2026-10-12
11
Common Data Set
Each college (voluntary, standardized template) · most recent release · retrieved 2026-10-12
12
IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Entered fall 2018 · retrieved 2026-10-12
13
IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part C, residence of first-time students)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Fall 2024 · retrieved 2026-10-12
14
IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part A, enrollment by level)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Fall 2024 · retrieved 2026-10-12
15
IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (distance education)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Fall 2024 · retrieved 2026-10-12
16
IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Fall 2024 · retrieved 2026-10-12
17
IPEDS Outcome Measures survey
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Students entering fall 2016 · retrieved 2026-10-12

IPEDS unit ID 417752 · Data retrieved 2026-10-12. Tap any ⓘ to see where that number came from and what year it describes. National ranks and medians include every 4-year college that reports the measure. How we source and calculate everything