State Rankings

Best Colleges in Mississippi

Top colleges in Mississippi ranked by national standing and graduate outcomes — updated 2026.

Colleges listed: 36

Avg grad earnings: $36,883

Public / Private: 28 / 8

Top Colleges in Mississippi

Nationally ranked schools appear first. Remaining schools are ordered by median graduate earnings.

State #	School	Type	Grad Earnings	Admit Rate	SAT Avg	Grad Rate	Out-of-State
1	Mississippi State University Mississippi State#521 national	Public	$51,513	76.3%	1,220	62.9%	$26,580
2	University of Mississippi University#636 national	Public	$50,994	97.8%	1,187	68.5%	$26,980
3	Mississippi College Clinton#675 national	Private	$47,485	48.9%	1,120	62.8%	$21,698
4	Millsaps College Jackson#765 national	Private	$53,848	49.0%	N/A	55.5%	$43,815
5	Belhaven University Jackson#1610 national	Private	$46,440	53.3%	1,050	51.1%	$29,195
6	Southwest Mississippi Community College Summit#1810 national	Public	$33,227	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,660
7	East Mississippi Community College Scooba#1833 national	Public	$33,772	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,950
8	William Carey University Hattiesburg#1864 national	Private	$43,087	58.0%	1,120	40.8%	$14,685
9	Itawamba Community College Fulton#1891 national	Public	$32,912	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5,820
10	Northwest Mississippi Community College Senatobia#1903 national	Public	$36,396	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,060
11	Pearl River Community College Poplarville#1935 national	Public	$33,019	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5,650
12	Mississippi Delta Community College Moorhead#1968 national	Public	$28,421	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,140
13	Hinds Community College Raymond#1990 national	Public	$30,774	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,875
14	Copiah-Lincoln Community College Wesson#1991 national	Public	$31,241	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5,000
15	Holmes Community College Goodman#1992 national	Public	$32,922	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,210
16	Alcorn State University Alcorn State#2002 national	Public	$36,421	24.7%	924	46.2%	$8,549
17	Coahoma Community College Clarksdale#2010 national	Public	$24,289	N/A	N/A	N/A	$3,490
18	East Central Community College Decatur#2039 national	Public	$32,421	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5,965
19	Jones County Junior College Ellisville#2052 national	Public	$33,377	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,000
20	University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg#2068 national	Public	$44,140	99.4%	1,120	50.6%	$11,618
21	Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Perkinston#2109 national	Public	$33,017	N/A	N/A	N/A	$7,250
22	Northeast Mississippi Community College Booneville#2135 national	Public	$34,081	N/A	N/A	N/A	$8,050
23	Meridian Community College Meridian#2139 national	Public	$31,002	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5,992
24	Delta State University Cleveland#2267 national	Public	$41,991	99.7%	1,091	46.9%	$8,605
25	Mississippi University for Women Columbus#2286 national	Public	$46,128	100.0%	1,050	37.8%	$8,092
26	Blue Mountain Christian University Blue Mountain#2360 national	Private	$40,421	100.0%	1,047	51.2%	$19,280
27	Tougaloo College Tougaloo#2517 national	Private	$34,724	53.2%	N/A	32.3%	$11,398
28	Jackson State University Jackson#2542 national	Public	$39,060	91.0%	974	32.2%	$10,110
29	Mississippi Valley State University Itta Bena#2559 national	Public	$31,919	51.2%	910	22.1%	$7,912
30	University of Mississippi Medical Center Jackson	Public	$50,994	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
31	PRCC Hancock Aviation Aerospace Workforce Academy Kiln	Public	$33,019	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5,560
32	Pearl River Community College-Forrest County Campus Hattiesburg	Public	$33,019	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5,560
33	Rust College Holly Springs	Private	$32,275	34.7%	N/A	27.0%	$13,840
34	Copiah-Lincoln Community College Simpson County Center Mendenhall	Public	$31,241	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5,000
35	Copiah-Lincoln Community College-Natchez Campus Natchez	Public	$31,241	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5,000
36	Southeastern Baptist College Laurel	Private	$26,946	N/A	N/A	100.0%	$5,925

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Excludes for-profit institutions.

Compare any two colleges

Use CollegeBound's interactive compare tool to see admissions, costs, and outcome data side by side for any schools in Mississippi or beyond.

Open Compare Tool

Best Colleges in Other States

Alabama→Alaska→Arizona→Arkansas→California→Colorado→Connecticut→Delaware→

← National Rankings