Higher Education Outcome Report · South

💰 Low-Cost / High Value

Mississippi Higher Education Outcome Report

Updated continuously · 32 degree-granting institutions graded

Mississippi's higher education system is a above-average mobility and lower earnings system. Median 10-year earnings sit at $37,551, -27% vs the national median.

manufacturing
healthcare
agriculture

51
INSTITUTIONS: $37,551
MEDIAN EARNINGS: ▼ -27% vs natl; $11,576
AVG NET PRICE: 23 / 9
PUBLIC / PRIVATE

OUTCOME GRADE

53/100 · #26 of 50

Mississippi At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

32

119,700 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~15,466

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
0th pct

$34,081

50th of 50 states
Mobility Score
85th pct

2.3%

7th of 46 states
Talent Retention
36th pct

69%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
86th pct

3.8x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Healthcare
Business
Humanities

Executive Summary

Mississippi graduates earn a median of $34,081 a decade after entry, 30% below the national state average, ranking 50th of 50 states.
Upward mobility is a defining strength: the state's institutions move bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 2.3% rate, in the 85th percentile nationally.
Degree production is led by Healthcare and Business, which together account for 39% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Humanities shows oversupply pressure: graduate earnings run 36.9% below the national median, suggesting the field produces more graduates than the local market rewards.
On value, Mississippi returns 3.8x earnings per dollar of net price, among the strongest cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.
The state's strongest mobility engine is Mississippi Valley State University, which moves bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 3.9% rate, the highest in Mississippi.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

-24%

Median graduate earnings in Mississippi are below the national average by 24%.
Cost vs National

-25.3%

Net price in Mississippi is lower than the national average by 25%.
Mobility Rate

+0.54pp

Upward mobility rate is 0.5 percentage points above the national average.
Completion Rate

-5.2pp

Mississippi's graduation rate is 5.2 percentage points below the national average.
Best Value

13.2x

Top value school: Southwest Mississippi Community College ($33,227 earnings vs $2,525 net price).
Low-Income Access

23.3%

23% of students come from bottom-quintile households, a measure of how open the state's colleges are to low-income students.

Education Output Profile

Healthcare (20% of graduates) and Business (19% of graduates) dominate Mississippi's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $36,909.

Healthcare

20%

$36,909 avg
Business

19%

$38,294 avg
Humanities

14%

$33,482 avg
Trades

9%

$32,741 avg
Social Sciences

7%

$41,541 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 13

Outcome Performance

Mississippi's highest-ROI degree cluster is Trades (Construction Trades), where graduates average $32,589 against a net cost of $5,447, a 6.0x return. That's -36.8% vs the national median. At the other end, English & Literature produces $40,397 at a 2.8x return, less than half what the top cluster delivers.

Construction Trades
6.0x

$32,589 earnings $5,447 net -36.8% vs natl
Mechanic & Repair Tech
6.0x

$32,613 earnings $5,461 net -36.8% vs natl
Precision Production
6.0x

$32,613 earnings $5,461 net -36.8% vs natl
Transportation
5.5x

$33,237 earnings $6,022 net -35.6% vs natl
Culinary & Personal Services
5.1x

$34,754 earnings $6,789 net -32.6% vs natl
Legal Studies
3.7x

$37,029 earnings $9,917 net -28.2% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Mississippi's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Health Professions 20%
Business & Marketing 19%
Humanities 14%
Education 6%
Engineering 5%

Highest-Earning Fields

Communications $42,895
Engineering $42,733
Psychology $42,159
Biology & Biomedical $41,676
Visual & Performing Arts $41,477

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Mississippi's graduate supply.

Communications $42,895 3% of grads
Psychology $42,159 4% of grads
Biology & Biomedical $41,676 5% of grads
Visual & Performing Arts $41,477 2% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Mississippi's colleges post an average mobility rate of 2.3%, which puts the state in the 85th percentile nationally. 23% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households, a larger share than most states enroll. Cross-class social connectedness averages 0.94, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

2.3%

▲ +0.61pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

23%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

12%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

37%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

69%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

0.94

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Humanities graduates, however, earn 36.9% below the national median, a possible sign the state produces more of these degrees than its labor market absorbs.

Healthcare
20% of enrollment

$37,198 -27.9% vs natl

24 schools
Business
19% of enrollment

$38,358 -25.6% vs natl

26 schools
Humanities
14% of enrollment

$32,539 -36.9% vs natl

16 schools
Trades
9% of enrollment

$33,203 -35.6% vs natl

11 schools
Social Sciences
7% of enrollment

$43,770 -15.1% vs natl

9 schools
Education
6% of enrollment

$39,231 -23.9% vs natl

12 schools

Potential Oversupply Signals

Humanities: -36.9% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Trades: -35.6% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Healthcare: -27.9% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Institutional Landscape

Mississippi's higher education system includes 3 research-oriented, 6 specialized, 10 access-oriented, 13 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

3

Research Universities
13

Regional Universities
10

Access-Oriented Institutions
6

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

Access-Oriented Institutions

Cost & Access Corridors

73% of Mississippi's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $34,834 at 10 years.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

22

73% of schools
Avg earnings: $34,834
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

6

20% of schools
Avg earnings: $42,716
NET PRICE $25K–$40K

2

7% of schools
Avg earnings: $50,667

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Mississippi

Mississippi is home to 51 colleges and universities, from 23 public institutions to 9 private nonprofits. University of Mississippi anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $33,303 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Jackson, Hattiesburg and Gulfport, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Business & Marketing, Health Professions and Culinary & Personal Services. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Mississippi

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $13,508 a year across Mississippi. Jones County Junior College stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Mississippi's economy leans on manufacturing, healthcare and agriculture, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Business & Marketing, Health Professions and Culinary & Personal Services feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Mississippi level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Mississippi earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$33,303

▼ $-10,534 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$13,508

▲ $-4,568 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

2.5x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

HBCUs in Mississippi

Is Mississippi Right for You?

Mississippi is a strong fit if you want to build a career in manufacturing and healthcare, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

Related Rankings

Top Schools

Millsaps College · MS Mississippi State University · MS University of Mississippi · MS Mississippi Christian University · MS Belhaven University · MS Mississippi University for Women · MS

FAQ

How many colleges are in Mississippi?

There are 51 colleges and universities in Mississippi in our dataset — 23 public, 9 private nonprofit, including 6 HBCUs.

What is the highest-earning college in Mississippi?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Millsaps College leads, followed by schools like Mississippi State University and University of Mississippi.

How much does college cost in Mississippi?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $13,508 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Mississippi?

Mississippi's economy is anchored by manufacturing, healthcare and agriculture, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Mississippi?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. Jones County Junior College, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 51 schools in Mississippi

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

51 institutions in Mississippi

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.

Find My Degree