Jackson State University
Jackson, MS · Public · Midsize city · Carnegie R1/R2 · JSU
Public institution in Jackson, MS · 4,769 undergraduates · 91% acceptance rate · $39,060 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 6%Pell Grant share
- Top 14%Out-of-state tuition & fees
- Top 24%In-state tuition & fees
- Top 24%Undergraduates
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $20,1911,090th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $9,090498th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $10,110276th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $28,611884th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $30,4701,826th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $39,0601,653rd highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $30,5301,739th highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 32.2%1,731st highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 68.5%1,320th highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 91.0%1,273rd most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 974979th highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 18914th highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 4,769509th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 15.0:11,317th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 68.4%133rd highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 333 mi (BNA)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $25
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 45 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $54,109 | $55,338 |
| Computer Science | bachelors | $41,937 | $47,260 |
| MarketingBusiness | bachelors | $38,313 | — |
| Computer EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $38,289 | $63,005 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $35,594 | $31,670 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $33,993 | $24,904 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $33,993 | $38,289 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $33,993 | — |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, GeneralMultidisciplinary Studies | bachelors | $29,413 | $30,475 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $28,870 | $34,793 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesHealth Professions | bachelors | $28,697 | $25,525 |
| Communication and Media StudiesCommunications | bachelors | $28,443 | $28,381 |
Campus facts
- A Historically Black College or University (HBCU)source
- Founded in 1877source
- Athletic nickname: "Lady Tigers"source
- Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium seats about 60,492source
- Competes in NCAA Division Isource
- School colors: Whitesource
- Mascot: Bengal Tigersource
- Motto: "Excellentia academia investigatio et officium (Latin)"source
- Formerly known as "Natchez Seminary"source
- Formerly known as "(1877–1883)"source
- Formerly known as "Jackson College"source
- Formerly known as "(1883–1940)"source
- Formerly known as "Mississippi Negro Training School"source
- Formerly known as "(1940–1944)"source
- Formerly known as "Jackson College for Negro Teachers"source
- Formerly known as "(1944–1967)"source
- Formerly known as "Jackson State College"source
- Formerly known as "(1967–1974)"source
- Athletic conference: FCSsource
- A [[National Sea Grant College Program institutionsource
- A sea-grant]] institutionsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A space-grant]]}} institutionsource
- Plays for the "BoomBox Classic" (since 1929)source
- Football rivalry: Soul Bowl (since 1927)source
- 1 Nobel laureate affiliatedsource
- Fight song: ""Cheer Boys""source
- Notable alum: Cassandra Wilsonsource
- Notable alum: Laphonza Butlersource
Athletics — 9 sports
NCAA Division I-FCS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $3,594,060 (M $2,055,122 · W $1,538,938)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Football
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websitejsums.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 175856)
- Compare colleges in MSRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in MississippiEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: Jackson State University vs Mississippi CollegeHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 9 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.