University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS · Public · Small city · Carnegie R1/R2 · USM
Public institution in Hattiesburg, MS · 9,899 undergraduates · 99% acceptance rate · $44,140 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 12%Undergraduates
- Top 18%Out-of-state tuition & fees
- Top 22%Pell Grant share
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
- $14,224615th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $9,618549th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $11,618365th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $25,482717th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $22,500941st lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $44,1401,410th highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $37,7101,368th highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 50.6%1,133rd highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 70.5%1,215th highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 99.4%1,544th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1120598th highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 23494th highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 9,899258th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 15.0:11,317th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 46.6%477th highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 327 mi (ATL)
On 2 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $45
- 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 67 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $54,939 | $56,254 |
| Architectural Engineering Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $51,482 | $52,107 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $50,543 | $52,464 |
| ChemistryPhysical Sciences | bachelors | $46,087 | — |
| Data ProcessingComputer Science | bachelors | $46,087 | $47,846 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $44,384 | — |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $44,021 | $38,829 |
| International BusinessBusiness | bachelors | $38,289 | — |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $36,938 | $37,208 |
| MarketingBusiness | bachelors | $36,220 | $34,348 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $35,157 | $33,993 |
| Special Education and TeachingEducation | bachelors | $35,060 | — |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1910source
- Athletic nickname: "Golden Eagles"source
- M. M. Roberts Stadium seats about 36,000source
- Competes in NCAA Division Isource
- School colors: Black and Goldsource
- Mascot: Seymour d'Campussource
- Motto: ""Southern Miss to the Top!""source
- Campus size: about 300 acressource
- Formerly known as "{{collapsible list"source
- Formerly known as "| titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;padding-left:0.5em;font-size:100%;"source
- Formerly known as "| liststyle = text-align:left;white-space:nowrap;"source
- Formerly known as "| title=|Mississippi Normal College" (1910–1924)source
- Formerly known as "State Teachers College" (1924–1936)source
- Formerly known as "Mississippi State Teachers College" (1936–1940)source
- Formerly known as "Mississippi Southern College (1940–1962)}}"source
- Athletic conference: FBSsource
- A [[National Sea Grant College Program institutionsource
- A Sea-grant]] institutionsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A Space-grant]] institutionsource
- Fight song: ""Southern to the Top""source
- Notable alum: Jimmy Buffettsource
- Notable alum: M.C. Gaineysource
- Notable alum: Tori Bowiesource
- Notable alum: Cindy Hyde-Smithsource
Athletics — 12 sports
NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $6,015,655 (M $3,637,667 · W $2,377,988)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Beach Volleyball
- Football
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field (Indoor)
- Track and Field (Outdoor)
- 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 websiteusm.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 176372)
- 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: University of Southern Mississippi vs Jackson State UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 12 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.