University of Southern Mississippi

https://www.usm.edu

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2024 Undergraduate Tuition

$9,888

4% growth from 2023

2024 Average Net Price

$15,095

After Financial Aid

2024 Acceptance Rate

99.1%

7,048 Applicants

2024 Enrolled Students

13,170

76.8% Full-Time

2024 Graduation Rate

49.1%

992 Graduates

About

University of Southern Mississippi is a higher education institution located in Forrest County, MS. In 2024, the most popular Bachelors Degree concentrations at University of Southern Mississippi were General Business Administration & Management (173 degrees awarded), Elementary Education & Teaching (172 degrees), and General Psychology (172 degrees).

In 2024, 3,987 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs at University of Southern Mississippi. 65.1% of these degrees were awarded to women, and 34.9% awarded men. The most common race/ethnicity group of degree recipients was white (2,401 degrees), 2.48 times more than then the next closest race/ethnicity group, black or african american (970 degrees).

The median undergraduate tuition at University of Southern Mississippi is $9,888, which is $−22,032 less than the national average for Doctoral Universities ($31,920).

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Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity Doctoral Universities

Costs

In 2024, the median undergraduate tuition at University of Southern Mississippi is $9,888, which is $22,032 less than the national average for Doctoral Universities ($31,920).

After taking grants and loans into account, the average net price for students is $15,095.

In 2024, 83% of undergraduate students attending University of Southern Mississippi received financial aid through grants. Comparatively, 48% of undergraduate students received financial aid through loans.

Tuition Costs

$9,888

2024 Undergraduate Tuition

In 2024, the cost of tuition at University of Southern Mississippi was $9,888. The cost of tuition at University of Southern Mississippi is $−22,032 less than than the overall (public and private) national average for Doctoral Universities ($31,920).

This chart compares the tuition costs of University of Southern Mississippi (in red) with those of other similar universities.

Average Net Price

$15,095

2024 Value

7.44%

1 Year Growth

In 2024 University of Southern Mississippi had an average net price — the price paid after factoring in grants and loans — of $15,095. Between 2023 and 2024, the average net price of University of Southern Mississippi grew by 7.44%.

This chart compares the average net price of University of Southern Mississippi (in red) with that of other similar universities.

Average net price is calculated from full-time beginning undergraduate students who were awarded a grant or scholarship from federal, state or local governments, or the institution.

Other Student Expenses

$10,766

Room and Board

$840

Books and Supplies

The average yearly cost of room and board at University of Southern Mississippi was of $10,766 in 2024. The cost of room and board increased by 1.38% between 2023 and 2024.

During the same period, the average yearly cost of books and supplies was $840. The cost of books and supplies decreased by 40% during the same period.

This chart compares the average student costs at University of Southern Mississippi (in red) with that of similar universities.

Financial Aid by Income Level

83%

Undergraduates Receiving Financial Aid through Grants

48%

Undergraduates Receiving Financial Aid through Loans

83% of undergraduate students at University of Southern Mississippi received financial aid through grants or loans in 2024. This represents a growth of 3.75% with respect to 2023, when 80% of undergraduate students received financial aid.

This chart compares the average award discount at University of Southern Mississippi (in red) with that of other similar universities.

The average award discount is the ratio between the average grant or scholarship value, and the cost, which is the sum of out-of-state tuition, room, board, book, supplies, and other expenses.

Admissions

University of Southern Mississippi received 7,048 undergraduate applications in 2024, which represents a 20.1% annual growth. Out of those 7,048 applicants, 6,986 students were accepted for enrollment, representing a 99.1% acceptance rate.

There were 13,170 students enrolled at University of Southern Mississippi in 2024. 6% of first-time enrollees submitted SAT scores with their applications.

University of Southern Mississippi has an overall enrollment yield of 25%, which represents the number of admitted students who ended up enrolling.

Acceptance Rate

99.1%

Acceptance Rate in 2024

6,986

Accepted Out of 7,048

In 2024, the undergraduate acceptance rate of University of Southern Mississippi was 99.1% (6,986 admissions from 7,048 applications). This is lower than the acceptance rate of 2023, which was 99.4%. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of applicants declined by 20.1%, while admissions declined by 20.3%.

This chart compares the acceptance rate of University of Southern Mississippi (in red) with that of other similar universities, and the chart below shows the acceptance rate by gender.

SAT Scores

Submission Percentage (2016)

Scores Submitted (2016)

6% of enrolled first-time students at University of Southern Mississippi in 2016 submitted SAT scores with their applications.

The following chart shows the average SAT scores for the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of applicants for each section of the test that they are evaluated on.

Enrollment

University of Southern Mississippi had a total enrollment of 13,170 students in 2024. The full-time enrollment at University of Southern Mississippi is 10,108 students and the part-time enrollment is 3,062. This means that 76.8% of students enrolled at University of Southern Mississippi are enrolled full-time.

The enrolled student population at University of Southern Mississippi, both undergraduate and graduate, is 56.1% White, 26% Black or African American, 5.04% Hispanic or Latino, 3.42% Two or More Races, 1.58% Asian, 0.463% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.0456% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.

Students enrolled at University of Southern Mississippi in full-time Undergraduate programs are most commonly White Female (36.4%), followed by White Male (19.7%) and Black or African American Female (18.8%). Students enrolled in full-time Graduate programs are most commonly White Female (33.5%), followed by White Male (18.7%) and Black or African American Female (11.6%).

Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment

76.8%

Full-Time Enrollment

The total enrollment at University of Southern Mississippi in 2024, both undergraduate and graduate, is 13,170 students. The full-time enrollment at University of Southern Mississippi is 10,108 and the part-time enrollment is 3,062. This means that 76.8% of students enrolled at University of Southern Mississippi are enrolled full-time compared with 77.3% at similar Doctoral Universities.

This chart shows the full-time vs part-time enrollment status at University of Southern Mississippi (in red) compares to similar universities.

Retention Rate over Time

72%

2024 Retention Rate

Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall. The retention rate for full-time undergraduates at University of Southern Mississippi was 72%. Compared with the full-time retention rate at similar Doctoral Universities (82%), University of Southern Mississippi had a retention rate lower than its peers.

This chart shows the retention rate over time at University of Southern Mississippi (highlighted in red) compares to similar universities.

Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity (2024)

White
7,384 enrolled students
Black or African American
3,421 enrolled students
Hispanic or Latino
664 enrolled students

The enrolled student population at University of Southern Mississippi is 56.1% White, 26% Black or African American, 5.04% Hispanic or Latino, 3.42% Two or More Races, 1.58% Asian, 0.463% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.0456% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders. This includes both full-time and part-time students as well as graduate and undergraduates. By comparison, enrollment for all Doctoral Universities is 46.2% White, 16.3% Hispanic or Latino, and 10.4% Black or African American.

Any student who is studying in the United States on a temporary basis is categorized as a "Non-Resident Alien", and the share of those students are shown in the chart below. Additionally, 185 students (1.4%) did not report their race.

Graduates

In 2024, 1,205 more women than men received degrees from University of Southern Mississippi. The most common race/ethnicity group of degree recipients at University of Southern Mississippi is white (2,401 degrees awarded). There were 2.48 times more white recipients than the next closest race/ethnicity group, black or african american (970 degrees).

The most common Bachelor's Degree concentration at University of Southern Mississippi is General Business Administration & Management (173 degrees awarded), followed by Elementary Education & Teaching (172 degrees) and General Psychology (172 degrees).

In 2024, the most specialized majors across all degree types at University of Southern Mississippi, meaning they have significantly more degrees awarded in that concentration than the national average across all institutions, are Library Science (205 degrees awarded), Parks, Recreation, & Leisure (235 degrees), and Applied Sciences (13 degrees).

Common Jobs by Major

Elementary & middle school teachers

Most Common Job

The most common jobs for people who hold a degree in one of the 5 most specialized majors at University of Southern Mississippi are Elementary & middle school teachers (1,518,073 people), Secondary school teachers (498,925 people), Education administrators (266,920 people), Special education teachers (201,989 people), and Preschool & kindergarten teachers (196,401 people).

The most specialized majors at University of Southern Mississippi in 2024 are Library Science (205 degrees awarded), Parks, Recreation, & Leisure (235 degrees), Applied Sciences (13 degrees), Human Sciences (112 degrees), and Education (534 degrees) (as of 2024).

Highest Paying Jobs by Major

Surgeons

Highest Paying Job

The highest paying jobs for people who hold a degree in one of the 5 most specialized majors at University of Southern Mississippi are Surgeons, Chief executives & legislators, Physicians, Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists, and Securities, commodities, & financial services sales agents

The most specialized majors at University of Southern Mississippi are Library Science (205 degrees awarded), Parks, Recreation, & Leisure (235 degrees), Applied Sciences (13 degrees), Human Sciences (112 degrees), and Education (534 degrees) (as of 2024).

Common Industries by Major

Elementary & secondary schools

Most Common Industry

The most common industries for people who hold a degree in one of the 5 most specialized majors at University of Southern Mississippi are Elementary & secondary schools (2,795,890 people), Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges (372,670 people), General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals (249,181 people), Computer Systems Design (123,361 people), and Child day care services (116,010 people).

Majors Awarded

IPEDS uses the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) standard, so the categories may not match the exact concentrations offered by University of Southern Mississippi.

Most Common (2024)

General Business Administration & Management
173 degrees awarded
Elementary Education & Teaching
172 degrees awarded
General Psychology
172 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common bachelors degree concentration at University of Southern Mississippi was General Business Administration & Management with 173 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of degree-majors recipients from bachelors degree programs at University of Southern Mississippi according to their major.

Sex Breakdown for Common Majors

1,391

Degrees Awarded to Men

in 2024

2,596

Degrees Awarded to Women

in 2024

In 2024, 1,391 degrees were awarded to men at University of Southern Mississippi, which is 0.536 times less than the number of degrees awarded to females (2,596).

This chart displays the sex disparity between the top 5 majors at University of Southern Mississippi by degrees awarded.

Most Common Male Majors

In 2024, 148 degrees were awarded to men at University of Southern Mississippi in General Business Administration & Management, which is 0.846 times less than the 175 female recipients with that same degree.

Most Common Female Majors

In 2024, 175 degrees were awarded to men at University of Southern Mississippi in General Business Administration & Management, which is 1.18 times more than the 148 male recipients with that same degree.

Time to Complete

38%

100% Completion Time

52%

150% Completion Time

In 2024, 38% of students graduating from University of Southern Mississippi completed their program within 100% "normal time" (i.e. 4 years for a 4-year degree). Comparatively, 52% completed their degrees within 150% of the normal time, and 53% within 200%.

The following chart shows these completion rates over time compared to the average for the Doctoral Universities Carnegie Classification group.

Graduation rate is defined as the percentage of full-time, first-time students who received a degree or award within a specific percentage of "normal time" to completion for their program.

Race & Ethnicity by Share

Most Common Student Race or Ethnicity (2024)

White
2,401 degrees awarded
Black or African American
970 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
186 degrees awarded

The most common race/ethnicity at University of Southern Mississippi is white (2,401 degrees awarded). There were 2.48 times more white recipients than the next closest race/ethnicity group, black or african american (970 degrees).

0.502% of degree recipients (20 students) did not report their race.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Sex Demographic (2024)

White Female
1,686 degrees awarded
White Female
1,633 degrees awarded
White Female
1,564 degrees awarded

The most common race/ethnicity and sex grouping at University of Southern Mississippi is white female (1,686 degrees awarded). There were 1.03 times more white female recipients than the next closest race/ethnicity group, white female (1,633 degrees).

Operations

University of Southern Mississippi has an endowment valued at nearly $160M, as of the end of the 2024 fiscal year. The return on its endowment was of 9.27M (5.78%) compared to the 9.4% average return (23.7M on 252M) across all Doctoral Universities.

In 2024, University of Southern Mississippi had a total salary expenditure of 397M. University of Southern Mississippi employs 220 Assistant professors, 189 Associate professors and 141 Professors. Most academics at University of Southern Mississippi are Female Assistant professor (111), Male Assistant professor (109), and Male Associate professor (105).

The most common positions for non-instructional staff at University of Southern Mississippi are: Business and Financial Operations, with 307 employees, Service, with 194 employees, and Office and Administrative Support with 192 employees.

Endowment

$160M

2024 Endowment

14.4%

growth from 2023

University of Southern Mississippi has an endowment valued at about $160M, as of the end of the 2024 fiscal year. The endowment of University of Southern Mississippi grew 14.4% from the previous year. The value of their endowment was $91.7M lower than than the median endowment of Doctoral Universities according to the Carnegie Classification grouping.

This line chart shows how the endowment at University of Southern Mississippi (in red) compares to that of some similar universities.

The small bar chart below shows the endowment quintiles for all universities in the Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity Carnegie Classification grouping.

Salary Expenditure

$160M

2024 Salaries

0.715%

growth from 2023

In 2024, University of Southern Mississippi paid a median of $160M in salaries, which represents 40.3% of their overall expenditure ($397M) and a 0.715% growth from the previous year. This is compared to a 6.31% growth between 2022 and 2023, and a 4.13% growth between 2021 and 2022.

Instructional Salaries

$54.7M

Instructional Salaries

666

Number of Employees

In 2024, University of Southern Mississippi paid a total of $54.7M to 666 employees working as instructors, which represents 34.2% of all salaries paid.

This is compared to a median of $4.1M (2.29%) for similar Doctoral Universities.

Occupations by Share

In 2024, the most common positions for non-instructional staff at University of Southern Mississippi were Business and Financial Operations with 307 employees, Service with 194 employees, and Office and Administrative Support with 192 employees.

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