University of Southern Mississippi

www.usm.edu

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2020 Undergraduate Tuition

$8,786

0% growth from 2019

2020 Average Net Price

$14,794

After Financial Aid

2018 Student Loan

7.64%

Default Rate

2020 Acceptance Rate

96.3%

9,683 Applicants

2020 Enrolled Students

14,606

76.2% Full-Time

2020 Graduation Rate

49.7%

794 Graduates

About

University of Southern Mississippi is a higher education institution located in Forrest County, MS. In 2016, the most popular Bachelor's Degree concentrations at University of Southern Mississippi were General Business Administration & Management (172 degrees awarded), Registered Nursing (163 degrees), and Elementary Education & Teaching (125 degrees).

In 2020, 3,414 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs at University of Southern Mississippi. 65.2% of these degrees were awarded to women, and 34.8% awarded men. The most common race/ethnicity group of degree recipients was white (2,334 degrees), 3.29 times more than then the next closest race/ethnicity group, black or african american (709 degrees).

The median undergraduate tuition at University of Southern Mississippi is $8,786, which is $−19,843 less than the national average for Doctoral Universities ($28,629).

Photo by hattiesburgmemory

Doctoral Universities: Higher Research Activity Doctoral Universities

Costs

The median undergraduate tuition at University of Southern Mississippi is $8,786, which is $−19,843 less than the national average for Doctoral Universities ($28,629).

After taking grants and loans into account, the average net price for students is $14,794.

In 2020, 83% of undergraduate students attending University of Southern Mississippi received financial aid through grants. Comparatively, 56% of undergraduate students received financial aid through loans.

Student Expenses

Tuition Costs

$8,786

2020 Undergraduate Tuition

In 2020, the cost of tuition at University of Southern Mississippi was $8,786. The cost of tuition at University of Southern Mississippi is $−19,843 less than than the overall (public and private) national average for Doctoral Universities ($28,629).

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

Average Net Price

$14,794

2020 Value

2.13%

1 Year Growth

In 2020 University of Southern Mississippi had an average net price — the price paid after factoring in grants and loans — of $14,794. Between 2019 and 2020, the average net price of University of Southern Mississippi grew by 2.13%.

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

$10,269

Room and Board

$1,500

Books and Supplies

The average yearly cost of room and board at University of Southern Mississippi was of $10,269 in 2020. During the same period, the average yearly cost of books and supplies was $1,500. The cost of room and board increased by 1.58% between 2019 and 2020. The cost of books and supplies did not change 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

Financial Aid by Income Level

83%

Undergraduates Receiving Financial Aid through Grants

56%

Undergraduates Receiving Financial Aid through Loans

83% of undergraduate students at University of Southern Mississippi received financial aid through grants or loans in 2020. This represents a growth of 5.06% with respect to 2019, when 79% 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.

Student Loan Default Rate

Cohort default rates only account for borrowers who default in the first three years, and some schools only have a small proportion of borrowers entering repayment. These rates should be interpreted with caution, as they may not be reflective of the entire school population.

7.64%

2018 Default Rate

304

Number of Defaults

In 2018 the default rate for borrower's at University of Southern Mississippi was 7.64%, which represents 304 out of the 3977 total borrowers.

A cohort default rate is the percentage of a school's borrowers who enter repayment on certain Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program or William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program loans during a particular federal fiscal year (FY), October 1 to September 30, and default or meet other specified conditions prior to the end of the second following fiscal year.

Admissions

University of Southern Mississippi received 9,683 undergraduate applications in 2020, which represents a 5.06% annual growth. Out of those 9,683 applicants, 9,328 students were accepted for enrollment, representing a 96.3% acceptance rate.

There were 14,606 students enrolled at University of Southern Mississippi in 2020, and 0% of first-time enrollees submitted SAT scores with their applications.

University of Southern Mississippi has an overall enrollment yield of 18%, which represents the number of admitted students who ended up enrolling.

Acceptance Rate

96.3%

Acceptance Rate in 2020

9,328

Accepted Out of 9,683

In 2020, the undergraduate acceptance rate of University of Southern Mississippi was 96.3% (9,328 admissions from 9,683 applications). This is lower than the acceptance rate of 2019, which was 96.9%. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of applicants grew by 5.06%, while admissions grew by 4.4%.

This chart compares the acceptance rate of University of Southern Mississippi (in red) with that of other similar universities.

SAT Scores

Submission Percentage

Scores Submitted

0% of enrolled first-time students at University of Southern Mississippi in 2020 submitted SAT scores with their applications.

This chart shows the SAT scores for the 25th and 75th percentile of applicants broken out into each section of the test that their are evaluated on.

Enrollment

University of Southern Mississippi has a total enrollment of 14,606 students. The full-time enrollment at University of Southern Mississippi is 11,130 students and the part-time enrollment is 3,476. This means that 76.2% 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 61.4% White, 27.3% Black or African American, 3.73% Hispanic or Latino, 3.12% Two or More Races, 1.58% Asian, 0.418% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.089% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.

Students enrolled at University of Southern Mississippi in full-time Undergraduate programs are most commonly White Female (38.6%), followed by White Male (21.5%) and Black or African American Female (20.7%). Students enrolled in full-time Graduate programs are most commonly White Female (41.5%), followed by White Male (23.4%) and Black or African American Female (12.6%).

Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment

76.2%

Full-Time Enrollment

The total enrollment at University of Southern Mississippi, both undergraduate and graduate, is 14,606 students. The full-time enrollment at University of Southern Mississippi is 11,130 and the part-time enrollment is 3,476. This means that 76.2% of students enrolled at University of Southern Mississippi are enrolled full-time compared with 76.4% 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

75%

2020 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 75%. Compared with the full-time retention rate at similar Doctoral Universities (84.5%), 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

White
8,974
Black or African American
3,991
Hispanic or Latino
545

The enrolled student population at University of Southern Mississippi is 61.4% White, 27.3% Black or African American, 3.73% Hispanic or Latino, 3.12% Two or More Races, 1.58% Asian, 0.418% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.089% 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 49.8% White, 15.1% Hispanic or Latino, and 9.74% 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, 14 students (0.0959%) did not report their race.

Graduates

In 2020, 1036 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 (2,334 degrees awarded). There were 3.29 times more white graduates than the next closest race/ethnicity group, black or african american (709 degrees).

The most common Bachelor's Degree concentration at University of Southern Mississippi is General Business Administration & Management (172 degrees awarded), followed by Registered Nursing (163 degrees) and Elementary Education & Teaching (125 degrees).

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 (100 degrees awarded), Parks, Recreation, & Leisure (197 degrees), and Human Sciences (141 degrees).

Workforce

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 (132,236 people), Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers (96,985 people), Other managers (94,202 people), Secondary school teachers (58,510 people), and Postsecondary teachers (48,561 people).

The most specialized majors at University of Southern Mississippi are Library Science (100 degrees awarded), Parks, Recreation, & Leisure (197 degrees), Human Sciences (141 degrees), History (55 degrees), and Engineering Technologies (128 degrees).

Highest Paying Jobs by Major

Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

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 Cardiovascular technologists and technicians, Surgeons, Physicians, Clinical and counseling psychologists, and Computer hardware engineers

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 (277,835 people), Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges (129,337 people), General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals (100,096 people), Legal services (77,597 people), and Computer Systems Design (77,296 people).

Degrees

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

General Business Administration & Management
172 degree-majorss awarded
Registered Nursing
163 degree-majorss awarded
Elementary Education & Teaching
125 degree-majorss awarded

In 2020, the most common bachelors degree concentration at University of Southern Mississippi was General Business Administration & Management with 172 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

1,189

Degrees Awarded to Men

in 2020

2,225

Degrees Awarded to Women

in 2020

In 2020, 1,189 degrees were awarded to men at University of Southern Mississippi, which is 0.534 times less than the number of degrees awarded to females (2,225).

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

Most Common Male Majors

In 2020, 105 degrees were awarded to men at University of Southern Mississippi in General Business Administration & Management, which is 0.84 times less than the 125 female recipients with that same degree.

Most Common Female Majors

In 2020, 145 degrees were awarded to women at University of Southern Mississippi in Registered Nursing, which is 8.06 times more than the 18 male recipients with that same degree.

Time to Complete

27%

100% Completion Time

49%

150% Completion Time

In 2020, 27% 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, 49% completed their degrees within 150% of the normal time, and 50% 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.

Diversity

Graduation Rate by Race and Sex

Showing demographic groups with ≥ 5 graduating students.

Asian Male

Highest Graduation Rate (75%)

The student demographic with the highest graduation rate at University of Southern Mississippi is Male and Asian (75% graduation rate). Across all Doctoral Universities, Asian Female students have the highest graduation rate (72.4%).

The department of education defines graduation rate as the percentage of full-time, first-time students who received a degree or award within 150% of "normal time" to completion.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) categorizes any student who is studying in the United States on a temporary basis as a "Non-Resident Alien", and the graduation rate of those students is shown in the chart below. Additionally, 0.378% of graduates (3 students) did not report their race.

Race & Ethnicity by Share

Most Common Student Race or Ethnicity

White
2,334 degrees awarded
Black or African American
709 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
95 degrees awarded

The most common race/ethnicity at University of Southern Mississippi is white (2,334 degrees awarded). There were 3.29 times more white recipients than the next closest race/ethnicity group, black or african american (709 degrees).

0% of degree recipients (0 students) did not report their race.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Sex Demographic

White Female
1,512 degrees awarded
White Male
822 degrees awarded
Black or African American Female
507 degrees awarded

The most common race/ethnicity and sex grouping at University of Southern Mississippi is white female (1,512 degrees awarded). There were 1.84 times more white female recipients than the next closest race/ethnicity group, white male (822 degrees).

Operations

University of Southern Mississippi has an endowment valued at nearly $113M, as of the end of the 2020 fiscal year. The return on its endowment was of $3.26M (2.89%), compared to the 3.48% average return ($10.5M on $302M) across all Doctoral Universities.

In 2020, University of Southern Mississippi had a total salary expenditure of $349M. University of Southern Mississippi employs 191 Associate professors, 185 Assistant professors, and 153 Professors. Most academics at University of Southern Mississippi are Male Associate professors (110), Female Assistant professors(106), and Male Professors (104).

The most common positions for non-instructional staff at University of Southern Mississippi are: Business and Financial Operations, with 420 employees, Office and Administrative Support, with 225 employees, and Service with 200 employees.

Finances

Endowment

$113M

2020 Endowment

1.5%

decline from 2019

University of Southern Mississippi has an endowment valued at about $113M, as of the end of the 2020 fiscal year. The endowment of University of Southern Mississippi declined 1.5% from the previous year. The value of their endowment was $189M 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: Higher Research Activity Carnegie Classification grouping.

Government Grants and Contracts

Grants & Contracts

$53.9M - Federal
$10.5M - State
$1.3M - Local

As of 2020, University of Southern Mississippi received $53.9M in grants and contracts from the federal government, $10.5M from state grants and contracts, and $1.3M from local grants and contracts.

Expenses

Salary Expenditure

$146M

2020 Salaries

1.61%

growth from 2019

In 2020, University of Southern Mississippi paid a median of $146M in salaries, which represents 41.8% of their overall expenditure ($349M) and a 1.61% growth from the previous year. This is compared to a 4.37% growth from 2018 and a 0.119% decline from 2017.

The median for similar Doctoral Universities is 238M (43% of overall expenditures).

Instructional Salaries

$46.9M

Instructional Salaries

629

Number of Employees

In 2020, University of Southern Mississippi paid a total of $46.9M to 629 employees working as instructors, which represents 32.2% of all salaries paid.

This is compared to a median of $69.9M (29.4%) for similar Doctoral Universities.

Faculty and Staff

Occupations by Share

Associate professor

Most Common Instructor

191 Employees

Business and Financial Operations

Most Common Non-Instructional Employee

420 Employees

In 2020, the most common positions for instructional staff at University of Southern Mississippi were Associate professor with 191 employees; Assistant professor with 185 employees; and Assistant professor with 153 employees.

In 2020, the most common positions for non-instructional staff at University of Southern Mississippi were Business and Financial Operations with 420 employees; Office and Administrative Support with 225 employees; and Service with 200 employees.

Instructors by Academic Rank and Sex

Most Common Demographic

Male Associate professor
Female Assistant professor
Male Professor

In 2020, the most common demographic for instructional staff at University of Southern Mississippi was Male Associate professor with 110 employees, Female Assistant professor with 106 employees, and Male Professor with 104 employees.

This chart shows the sex split between each academic rank present at University of Southern Mississippi.

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