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Mississippi is in the Deep South portion of the United States, and its western border is mostly defined by the Mississippi River. Surrounding states include Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, with Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico bordering the south and west. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital as well as the largest city within the state with a population of around 170,000 people.
The website for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning states that there has been almost a 38% increase in STEM degrees in the past five years and 8.9% increase overall in conferred degrees. The website also states that more than 60% of residential students are working in the state of Mississippi five years after graduation.
The state provides eight public universities and a number of satellite centers around Mississippi. In addition, it is responsible for research and public service facilities such as The University of Mississippi Medical Center and The Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is the accrediting body for each of the public universities in Mississippi.
In addition to the public universities, there are seven private colleges and universities in Mississippi. Also, there are four liberal arts colleges within the state. Altogether there are 19 colleges and universities as well as 17 public community colleges throughout the state.
In this ranking, we explore the ten best four-year institutions in the state of Mississippi which were determined using the methodology detailed below.
Methodology
Sources used for this ranking include:
- CollegeData
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Niche
- individual school websites
For a school to be in this ranking, the presence of online programs and courses is required. In some cases, there may be minimal participation required on campus. This can be a good reason to choose a local school, even for online programs. Schools are ranked by adding together the percentage numbers for freshman retention and graduation rates, a numerical equivalent of the overall grade provided by Niche, and the number assigned for affordability based on the cost of attendance.
Charts which explain our conversion of Niche grades to numbers and the residential cost of attendance into an affordability factor can be found in this section.
The formula for the ranking score is explained in the following example:
80 (percent freshman retention) + 55 (graduation percent) + 80 (A- Overall Grade) + 75 (affordability factor) = 290 (final score for ranking)
Note: None of the institutions in this ranking or any of OnlineCollegePlan’s rankings have received preferential treatment, nor have we been requested to do so. Our methodology is fully disclosed so that anyone can arrive at the same ranking using the formula as explained.
Students may also be interested in, “Top 100 Best Online Colleges” which covers the overall best institutions in the United States with online programs. The Best Online College or University By State or Location may help you find a local school with online programs if you are not living in Mississippi. We have also designed the Ultimate Guide to Online Colleges to help students learn more about online school.
The University of Mississippi is most often referred to as Ole Miss and is a public, research university. The Ole Miss campus is located in Oxford, Mississippi with regional campuses in Grenada, Tupelo, DeSota, and Booneville. The school was chartered in 1844 and welcomed its first class of 80 students four years later. Today, more than 23,000 students attend Ole Miss with well over 18,500 being undergraduate students. Some of the talented and successful people who are Ole Miss notable alumni include John Grisham, James Meredith, William Faulkner, Kate Jackson, Archie Manning, Eli Manning, and Michael Oher to name a few.
Mississippi State University, or MSU, are common names for The Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science. The university is located adjacent to and partially in the city Starkville, Mississippi. However, the technical address of the university is Mississippi State, MS. The university is a public, research university and is the largest campus in the state when measured by enrollment. Today, more than 21,000 students attend the flagship campus of MSU. Mississippi State University notable alumni include Mark E. Keenum, John Grisham, Richard Adkerson, Jerry Clower, Erick Dampier, Rafael Palmeiro, and many more talented and successful individuals.
Mississippi College, or MC, is a private, Christian college in Clinton, Mississippi. The college was founded in 1826, making it the second oldest Baptist-affiliated college in the United States. The Clinton campus is approximately 80 acres and the Mississippi College School of Law is in nearby Jackson. Currently, more than 5,000 students attend MC with the majority being undergraduates. Mississippi College is currently ranked as number five in our 
The private Christian liberal arts college of William Carey University has its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and a second campus located in the Tradition community in Biloxi. The university was founded as a boarding school in 1892 by W. I. Thames and was originally located in Poplarville, Mississippi. Over the years the school has grown and changed names reflecting its growth. Today, the main campus is 170 acres and the university serves over 4,500 students, both undergraduate and graduate students. The school motto is, “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” William Carey University notable alumni include Chris McDaniel, Larkin I. Smith, Ezell Lee, Dan Jennings, John Stephenson, and many other talented and successful people.
Blue Mountain College in Blue Mountain, Mississippi was founded in 1873 as a women’s college. Initially, the school was named Blue Mountain Female Institute and enrolled 50 students. The school was officially chartered by the state in 1877. While the school started a course to train men for church-related vocations in 1956, the school was not officially co-educational until 2005. Today, BMC campus consists of 44 acres and enrolls around 600 students with an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Blue Mountain notable alumni include former president of Mississippi State University George Duke Humphrey, poet Muna Lee; and the American artist, Dusti Bongé.
The University of Southern Mississippi, also called Southern Miss or USM, has its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The school is a public research university and was founded in 1910 as Mississippi Normal College and served as a training school for teachers. In 1924, the school changed its name to Mississippi State Teachers College, then later in 1940 as the school added more areas of study, the name change to Mississippi Southern College to reflect its growth. It was in 1962 that the school became the University of Southern Mississippi. Today, well over 14,000 students attend USM. Some of the University of Southern Mississippi notable alumni are Phil Bryant, Jimmy Buffett, Brett Favre, Clarence Weatherspoon, Ray Guy, Cat Cora, Trishelle Cannatella, along with numerous talented and successful people.
The Mississippi University for Women, commonly called “The W”, is a public university which was founded in 1884. Upon its founding, The W was the first public women’s college in the United States. The institution later became co-educational in 1982. Today, over 2,700 students attend The W and around 19% of those are male students. Some of the talented Mississippi University for Women notable alumni are Eudora Welty, Doris Taylor, Toni Seawright, Chris Fryar, Valerie Jaudon, and many more.
Jackson State University, commonly called Jackson State or JSU, is a public, historically black university located in Jackson, Mississippi. Founded by the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New York City in 1877, the school was originally located in Natchez, Mississippi and was named Natchez Seminary. Later the school was moved to Jackson, Mississippi in 1882 and renamed as Jackson College in 1899. It began to build the present campus in as early as 1902. In 1940, the school became a state-supported public institution and continued to grow so that it became Jackson State College in 1956. By March of 1974, JSU had grown and reached university status.
Delta State University, or DSU, is a public university in Cleveland, Mississippi and the heart of the Mississippi Delta. The institution was established in 1924 as a teacher’s college, and today, the university maintains a reputation for excellence in teacher education. Over the years, DSU has added more and different programs to provide a comprehensive undergraduate and graduate curriculum and continues to expand offerings. Currently, the school has approximately 3,500 students in attendance. Some of the Delta State University notable alumni are Steve Azar, Eli Whiteside, Lusia Harris, Margaret Wade, and more.
Alcorn State University was founded at the former Oakland College which had closed during the American Civil War. In 1871, the facility was established as Alcorn University, named in honor of James L. Alcorn who was Governor of Mississippi at the time. The institution was established as a land-grant institution as well as a historically black college (HBCU) and was the first school in the United States with that distinction. In 1878, the school changed names to Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College, and nearly a century later the school became known as Alcorn State University to reflect the growth of the institution. Today more than 3,700 students attend the university. Some of the Alcorn State University notable alumni are Michael Clarke Duncan, Medgar Evers, Steve McNair, Donald Driver, Larry Smith, and many other talented and successful people in their chosen fields.
