State Hub

Colleges in Mississippi

CampusPin tracks 34 colleges in Mississippi, 18 universities and 16 community colleges. Compare tuition, acceptance, size, and setting to build a shortlist that fits.

Colleges tracked

34

Universities

18

Community colleges

16

Avg. in-state tuition

$9.7k

About college search in Mississippi

How Mississippi's higher-education landscape shapes a search

Mississippi’s public higher-education sector includes eight public universities under the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Board, plus 15 community and junior colleges coordinated by the Mississippi Community College Board (MCCB). The University of Mississippi (Oxford, often referred to as Ole Miss) and Mississippi State University (Starkville) are the state’s two major flagships, with the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg) as a third major research university. Mississippi has three public HBCUs, Jackson State, Alcorn State, and Mississippi Valley State, and the state has one of the deeper concentrations of HBCUs per capita in the U.S.

Two flagships: Ole Miss and Mississippi State

The University of Mississippi (Oxford) and Mississippi State University (Starkville) are the state’s two major public research universities, Ole Miss is the broader flagship; Mississippi State is the land-grant.

Three public HBCUs

Jackson State University, Alcorn State University, and Mississippi Valley State University are Mississippi’s three public HBCUs.

15 community colleges

The Mississippi Community College Board coordinates 15 community and junior colleges with one of the highest in-state public CC enrollment rates per capita in the U.S.

Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant

MTAG and HELP grants reduce in-state public tuition for eligible students. Verify current details with the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid.

Public university system

Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL), 8 universities

IHL governs Mississippi’s 8 public universities: Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Mississippi University for Women, Delta State, Jackson State (HBCU), Alcorn State (HBCU), and Mississippi Valley State (HBCU).

Community college network

Mississippi Community College Board (MCCB), 15 colleges

MCCB coordinates Mississippi’s 15 community and junior colleges with formal transfer paths via the Mississippi Articulation and Transfer Tool (MATT).

In-state vs. out-of-state tuition

Mississippi in-state public tuition is among the lower rates in the U.S. Out-of-state rates are higher; verify with the institution.

Top metros for college search

Where Mississippi's higher-education density concentrates

  • Jackson

    Jackson hosts Jackson State University (HBCU), Belhaven (private), Millsaps (private), Tougaloo (private HBCU), and Hinds Community College.

  • Oxford

    Oxford is built around the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), the state’s public flagship.

  • Starkville

    Starkville is the home of Mississippi State University, the state’s land-grant institution.

  • Hattiesburg

    Hattiesburg is the home of the University of Southern Mississippi.

What Mississippi actually costs

Median net price after grants
$9,761 for families under $30,000
$13,416 at $110,000 or more
Across 26 Mississippi colleges reporting the full series. All five income bands
Median federal debt at graduation
$18,534 with 30.9% borrowing
Debt without the borrower share is misleading, so CampusPin never shows one alone. Debt by college
Studying entirely online
23% of Mississippi students
Federal enrolment collection, weighted by students rather than campuses. Where they study

Every college we track

Colleges and universities in Mississippi

Filter all Mississippi schools

South region overview

What students weigh when searching colleges in Mississippi

Across Mississippi (MS), CampusPin currently indexes 34 institutions: 23 public and 11 private, split between 18 universities and 16 community colleges. Students often compare fast-growing metros, flagship publics, regional campuses, and cost-sensitive pathways across a wide mix of institutions.

Run one search for broad public options and another for community-college or commuter-oriented pathways.
Check campus setting and support services early because regional fit can vary more than names alone suggest.
Keep cost, transfer, and online flexibility visible if location is important but not completely fixed.

Browse by major

Mississippi colleges by program

Start from the major. Each guide covers what the field studies, its federal CIP classification, and the pay and projected openings for the occupations it leads to, then send you into Mississippi search to build a shortlist.

Fields with a distinct set of Mississippi colleges

49 fields where the colleges that awarded credentials in Mississippi are a materially different set from those of any closely related field, based on federal completions data. Showing the 36 with the most colleges. The number is how many colleges awarded credentials.

How to use the Mississippi hub

Start with CampusPin results filtered to Mississippi so your first pass stays geographically focused.
Use school profiles to compare tuition, admissions, program format, and campus fit before building a shortlist.
If you are looking for lower-cost or transfer-first options, compare community colleges and four-year destinations separately.
Use blog guides and help-center content when you need stronger decision frameworks, not just more schools.

Next actions for Mississippi

Explore all colleges in MississippiView community colleges in MississippiView online programs in MississippiRead planning guides before you compare

Frequently asked questions

Questions families ask about colleges in Mississippi

Which is the public flagship university in Mississippi?
The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in Oxford is generally considered the state’s primary public flagship. Mississippi State University in Starkville is the state’s land-grant institution. Both are major public research universities.
How many HBCUs are in Mississippi?
Mississippi has seven federally designated HBCUs: three public four-year (Jackson State University, Alcorn State University, Mississippi Valley State University), two private four-year (Tougaloo College, Rust College), and two public two-year (Coahoma Community College and the Utica Campus of Hinds Community College). Mississippi has one of the deeper HBCU concentrations per capita in the U.S.
How does the Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant work?
The Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant (MTAG) covers a portion of tuition at eligible Mississippi public institutions for in-state students who do not receive the federal Pell Grant. The Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students (HELP) grant covers a larger share for needier students. Verify current details with the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid.
What is the Mississippi Articulation and Transfer Tool?
The Mississippi Articulation and Transfer Tool (MATT) is the state’s online tool for course-equivalency lookups between community colleges and public four-year universities. Students can plan transfer credits before enrolling.

Related blog clusters

Guides that pair well with a Mississippi search

Cost and Financial Aid

College affordability, net price, aid interpretation, borrowing decisions, and budgeting guidance for students and families using CampusPin to compare higher-ed options with more discipline.

Community College

Community-college strategy, affordability, transfer readiness, and credential pathway content for students exploring two-year options through CampusPin.

College Search Strategy

Filter-first search strategy, shortlist building, and planning content for students and parents using CampusPin to discover best-fit colleges and universities.

Help Center

Workflow guides for students searching in Mississippi

Getting Started With CampusPin

A fast orientation to the CampusPin workflow, from your first search through profile review, pins, and next-step planning.

How to Use Filters to Narrow Your College List

A practical help article on how to use CampusPin filters without over-filtering or locking yourself into the wrong criteria too early.

How to Read a CampusPin School Profile

A guide to the major sections inside a CampusPin institution profile and how to interpret them effectively. Each page connects to clearer next steps, related guides, and the CampusPin tools that help you decide.

CampusPin research

National analyses with Mississippi in the data

Each report is built from a checksum-verified snapshot, with full methodology and a downloadable CSV that includes Mississippi.

Comparing schools on price? See our national analysis of how college cost relates to graduation and earnings, an association driven by selectivity and sector, not evidence that a pricier college pays off.

Explore Mississippi

More ways to explore Mississippi colleges

What this count of 34 includes

Other sites publish very different totals for Mississippi, and most do not say what they are counting. Here is exactly what this one counts, so you can check it against anyone else's.

By level
18 listed as universities and 16 as community colleges. CampusPin records this as an institution type, and uses it as an approximation of four-year versus two-year; it is not a separately reported degree-level field.
By control
23 public and 11 private. CampusPin records control as public or private only, so private nonprofit and private for-profit institutions are not separated here.
  • Every institution counted has its own CampusPin profile listing the figures behind it and where each one came from, so the total can be checked against its parts rather than taken on trust.
  • This is CampusPin's directory of 3,798 institutions nationwide, not the full federal universe. NCES counted 5,829 Title IV institutions, administrative offices, and U.S. service academies nationwide for 2024-25. That figure includes entities a student would never apply to, which is one reason published totals differ so widely.
  • Figures come from federal sources on a reporting lag, so a very new or very recently closed institution may not be reflected yet. Found something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.
Full data methodologyCoverage and data quality

Data sources & methodology

College listings for Mississippi are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own published information.

Sources used across this page

Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.

  • IPEDS / NCES College Navigator

    Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.

  • U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

    Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.

  • Institutional websites

    Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.

Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.

MethodologyData dictionaryReport a correction

Suggested citation

CampusPin. Colleges in Mississippi. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/colleges-by-state/mississippi