Where to Start Looking to Find a College in Mississippi
If you’re looking for a college in Mississippi, start with the Rise Up! website. This is a typical, comprehensive site although the dual menu bars at the top is a bit confusing. It has a basic search function for colleges in state with a nice comparison feature. Users can search for scholarships, search for colleges by degrees, and watch career videos.
The website contains the usual grade level checklists and requirements for admission into state colleges. It is the first website I’ve come across that actually mentions sports as an extracurricular activity along with the odds of turning pro. Students can also apply for state financial aid through the website. The website provides practice tests for college math and links to test prep resources.
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Rise Up! provides links to all the expected related websites which isn’t always the case for state websites. It is sponsored by GearUp Mississippi and has links to College Goal Sunday which lists upcoming locations and dates for help in completing the FASFA. The Financial Aid section includes links to the state’s college savings plans.
The only relevant website not included is the Get2College website. This website is sponsored by the Education Services Foundation (ESF). Besides the website, ESF offers free services to students to help with test preparation, applications, college selection, and career exploration. The organization also offers resources and workshops for counselors.
Some Numbers to Help You Find a College
There are 15 four-year institutions with 500 or more full-time undergraduates in Mississippi according to the Integrated Post-secondary Education Data System. Approximately 16 percent of students attend one of the seven private colleges while 84 percent of students attend one of the eight state institutions.
The private colleges have an average four-year graduation rate of 32.76% and the public universities have an average five-year graduation rate of 39.1%. Only three schools meet the DIY College Rankings 50-50 profile requirements.
In Mississippi, the average Composite ACT score was 18.7. The English scores was 18.6 and the Math score was 18.3. The 75th% Composite score was 21, English was 22, and Math was 20. A total of 11 colleges ACT 75th% Composite scores were at or above this level.
The top 20 colleges ACT test takers in Mississippi applied to:
- Mississippi State University
- University Southern Mississippi
- University of Mississippi
- Jackson State University
- Jones County Junior College
- Delta State University
- Itawamba Community College
- Alcorn State University
- Northwest Mississippi Community College
- Pearl River Community College
- Northeast Mississippi Comm Coll
- Holmes Community College
- Mississippi College
- Hinds Comm College-Raymond Campus
- University of Alabama
- William Carey University
- East Central Community College
- Meridian Community College
- University of South Alabama
- Copiah-Lincoln Community College
List of Colleges in Mississippi
In the following table, the four-year graduation rate is used for private colleges and the five-year rate for public colleges. The data are based on the data available from IPEDS in the fall of 2012 which are available on the DIY College Search spreadsheet.
Under-
graduates
Grad
Rate
Admitted
75th%
Math
75th%
75th%
Price
Alcorn State University Public 2946 34 36 470 470 19 9987
Belhaven University Private 2278 40 48 590 590 25 18778
Blue Mountain College Private 500 25 52 650 650 24 12154
Delta State University Public 2333 41 58 540 540 23 10892
Jackson State University Public 5021 34 31 20 9540
Millsaps College Private 889 61 61 650 650 29 18808
Mississippi College Private 2929 40 44 630 630 27 14022
Mississippi State University Public 14949 52 63 605 605 27 13270
Mississippi University for Women Public 1937 34 44 530 530 24 7072
Mississippi Valley State University Public 1709 24 16 19 9180
Rust College Private 801 15 46 21 6808
Tougaloo College Private 914 24 35 490 490 20 8212
University of Mississippi Public 14269 54 79 590 590 27 12516
University of Southern Mississippi Public 11297 40 63 570 570 25 11799
William Carey University Private 1897 24 83 530 530 25 13790
