Mississippi College

Mississippi College is a selective private nonprofit college in Clinton, Mississippi. It admits about 1 in 3 applicants, graduates 59% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $47,485 ten years after starting college, more than 79% of the Mississippi colleges we cover.

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Yearly household income. Saved on this device only. No account needed.

Acceptance rate
29%

More selective than 100% of Mississippi colleges we cover.

College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class

What your family pays
$27,712 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $41,214. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
59%

Higher than 79% of Mississippi colleges we cover and 61% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$47,485

Higher than 79% of Mississippi colleges we cover and 33% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

MC acceptance rate & admissions

Of 3,315 applicants, Mississippi College admitted 1,620 and 674 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).

3,315
Applied
1,620
Admitted
674
Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class

ACT composite, middle 50% of first-years19–25
First-year students who return78%
Pell Grant recipients30%
First-generation students26%
Women / men58% / 42%

Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

MC tuition, cost & net price

What families actually pay per year, by income

Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.

College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)

Sticker price (before aid)

Tuition & fees$23,500
Housing & meals, on campus$12,700
Books & supplies$1,800
Total cost of attendance$41,214

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$17,759
Loan default rate3.8%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

What MC costs to finish, and how fast it pays back

Graduates of Mississippi College took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Mississippi. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$25,984$108,0936.4 years
$30–48k$25,743$107,0916.3 years
$48–75k$27,601$114,8206.8 years
$75–110k$29,083$120,9857.1 years
$110k+$29,757$123,7897.3 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (54% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($47,485) minus $30,550 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MS (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $16,935 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method

College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.

Best-value colleges in Mississippi for your income →

MC majors, earnings & careers

Mississippi College offers 44 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Humanities & Languages · 11
  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
  • Business & Finance · 6
  • Science & Math · 5
  • Arts & Design · 4
  • Communications & Media · 3
  • Health & Medicine · 3
  • Education · 2
  • Technology & Computing · 2
  • Engineering · 1

Highest-earning majors at MC

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Nursing$77,374$27,000
Accounting$63,885$21,500
Criminal Justice$55,832$27,000
Business Administration$52,789$27,000
Social Work$51,605$29,000
Biology$49,370$25,000
Kinesiology / Exercise Science$48,861$24,625
Marketing$46,780—
Quick list of all 44 majors
  • Accounting$63,885
  • Biochemistry—
  • Biology$49,370
  • Broadcasting / Digital Media—
  • Business Administration$52,789
  • Chemistry—
  • Communications$44,779
  • Computer and Information Sciences—
  • Computer Science—
  • Criminal Justice$55,832
  • Education (Elementary / Secondary)$42,673
  • Education (Subject Teaching)$44,329
  • Electrical Engineering—
  • English—
  • Entrepreneurship—
  • Finance—
  • Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other—
  • Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$39,178
  • History—
  • International / Global Studies—
  • Kinesiology / Exercise Science$48,861
  • Legal Support Services—
  • Linguistics—
  • Literature—
  • Management Information Systems—
  • Marketing$46,780
  • Mathematics—
  • Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
  • Music—
  • Nursing$77,374
  • Physics—
  • Political Science—
  • Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
  • Psychology$39,933
  • Public Policy Analysis—
  • Public Relations and Advertising—
  • Religious Music and Worship—
  • Religious Studies$40,506
  • Social Work$51,605
  • Sociology—
  • Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
  • Studio Art—
  • Visual and Performing Arts—
  • Writing—

— means too few graduates to report earnings.

College Scorecard field of study, latest release

All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →

Nursing → Registered nurse

$82,630
Jackson
$77,090
Mississippi
$97,550
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Biology → Biological technician

$58,550
Jackson
$56,930
Mississippi
$57,510
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in Jackson

Cost of living
11% below the U.S. average

Overall prices in the Jackson, MS area.

BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$1,105/mo

2 bedrooms $1,289. Housing costs 35% below the U.S. average.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
57° / 92°

January and July average highs. 62 inches of rain a year, 1 inches of snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Relatively Moderate

Highest: tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).

FEMA National Risk Index, Hinds County

Campus & students

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)4,087
First-year students from Mississippi46%
Next most common home statesAlabama, Louisiana, Tennessee
AthleticsNCAA Division II with football · 9 sports
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-24100% bachelor's
Campus typeHighly residential
Student bodyWhite 70% · Black 16% · Hispanic 4% · Asian 2%International 3%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

Hinds County at a glance

Population218,533
Median household income$49,402
Adults with a bachelor's degree31%
Median age37

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare MC with similar schools

Similar private colleges in Mississippi by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
Mississippi College29%$27,71259%$47,485This school
Millsaps College43%$26,03457%$53,848
William Carey University60%$14,25860%$43,087
Belhaven University50%$15,67649%$46,440
Tougaloo College60%$17,04333%$34,724

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

Mississippi College would cost you $1,678 more per year than Millsaps College, on average.

  • Lower sticker price at Mississippi College, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$21,180).
  • Millsaps College gives aided families $20,525 more in grants, on average.
Per year, Mississippi residentMCMillsaps CollegeDifference
Tuition & fees$23,500$44,680−$21,180
Books & supplies$1,800$650+$1,150
Housing & meals$12,700$14,210−$1,510
Personal & travel$5,167$1,792+$3,375
Living-at-home adjustment−$1,953−$1,271−$682
Sticker price$41,214$60,061−$18,847
Average grants−$13,502−$34,027+$20,525
You pay$27,712$26,034+$1,678

“+” means MC costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.

Common questions about MC

What is the MC acceptance rate?

Mississippi College accepts 29% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,620 of 3,315 applicants were admitted.

How much does Mississippi College cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $41,214 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $27,712 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $25,984 and families earning $110k+ pay $29,757.

How much do MC graduates earn?

Former Mississippi College students earn a median $47,485 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the MC graduation rate?

59% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 78% return for their second year.

How long does a MC degree take to pay off?

For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Mississippi College costs about $114,820 after grants ($27,601 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $47,485 ten years after starting, $16,935 more than high school graduates in Mississippi ($30,550), so the cost is repaid in 6.8 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).

Is MC the right fit for your family?

Get a free report comparing MC with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.

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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Mississippi College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/mississippi-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).