Mississippi Colleges, Universities And Trade Schools

• Total Colleges: 62
• Total Medical Schools: 3
• Total Colleges With Tenure: 0
• Colleges By Highest Degree Offered
• Associate's: 21
• Bachelor's Degree: 5
• Master's Degree: 8
• Doctor's Degree: 8
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• Total Faculty: 34,561
• Total Full Time Faculty: 28,581
• Total Part Time Faculty: 5,980
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• Total Students: 180,073
• Total Full Time Students: 141,023
• Total Part Time Students: 39,050
• Total Undergraduate Students: 159,340
• Total Graduate Students: 20,733

Student Race Breakdown

Student Gender Breakdown

Student Age Breakdown

The state of Mississippi is home to a large number of institutions that provide post-secondary educational opportunities for interested individuals. The state’s larger cities and urban centers tend to house many of the larger institutions, with a number in the state’s capital and largest city, Jackson. The state is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, a Louisiana to the Southwest and Arkansas to the west. Though the state is middling in size, it provides coverage through multiple 2 and four year institutions throughout the state.

Public institutions are funded by Mississippi, operating campuses in locations throughout the state. These school are tied to the state, and share resources, though they do not belong to a single overseeing body as many other public institutions do in other states. Among these schools, the University of Mississippi is among the oldest, not just in the state but in the south. Public institutions tend to have larger program offerings, more students enrolled, and generally less stringent admissions requirements, particularly for residents of the state. The state also operates schools that are part of the traditionally black colleges through Alcorn State University.

Public institutions in the state include:

• The University of Mississippi (Oxford, Jackson)
• Mississippi State University (Starkville, Meridian)
• Alcorn State University (Lorman)
• Delta State University (Cleveland)
• University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, Long Beach)

Private institutions tend to have lower overall enrollment and usually adhere to stricter enrollment practices, particularly regarding the admissions process. Such school’s also tend to have significantly higher tuition costs and tend specialize in particular areas of education. The high cost, strict enrollment procedure, and low enrollment allows for smaller classrooms, excellent student to teacher ratios, and more extracurricular programs such as internships, study abroad opportunities, research positions for undergraduate students. Some school will have a foundation based in a particular faith, usual Christian in origin, which may or may not be a strong part of the school’s educational tradition.

Private schools in Mississippi include:

• Millsaps College (Jackson)
• Rust College (Holly Springs)
• Mississippi College (Clinton)
• Virginia College (Jackson, Biloxi)
• Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson)

In addition to the above four year institutions, the state is also home to a large number of two year community and technical colleges as well as trade schools and career colleges. Community and technical colleges are publically funded and provide a large number of programs that allow for academic transfer or career training over the course of one or two years depending on the degree or certificate earned. Career colleges and trade schools also provide education and training in high demand fields, often through short programs and at much higher costs. These schools usually assist in job placement after graduation and specialize in particular fields of study and training and can be found in major cities throughout the state.