College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Alcorn State University

MSMedium public institution · Overall rank #516 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Alcorn State University #516 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Alcorn State University is a public university in Mississippi where the degree mix leans toward the sciences and health professions. Biological Sciences and Business account for the largest shares of degrees, and the strongest is access, which is among the highest we track.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes a subtraction to the factors it measures and a larger subtraction to the remainder it does not explain.

Return is below the levels seen at many peers, and the typical graduate earns below the median at comparable schools. The aid picture is tight across the income scale: what families at the bottom of the income scale pay is close to what those at the top pay.

Pell students complete at a rate below the cohort as a whole. The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study.

A student drawn to Biology or Liberal Arts and General Studies should know that the best-paid program is a smaller one: Nursing.

Alcorn State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
45.3%
Six-year completion[2]
57.4%
Four-year earnings[3]
$45,495

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$16,296
Median student debt[4]
$27,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$13,000

Alcorn State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

2,363 undergraduates attend Alcorn State University, a public university in Alcorn State, Mississippi. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the university falls near the middle of the field (65th percentile).

Applicants to Alcorn State University are accepted at a rate of 45.3%, against a median of 85.9% at comparable institutions (same type and size). The first-year retention rate is 76.6%, compared with 73.7% at comparable institutions.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 57.4%, while the median at comparable institutions is 49.1%. An estimated 30.0% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so that graduation figure describes a majority of the people who study here.

That completion measure counts only students who began full time and finished within six years. Access is the strongest pillar (98th percentile) and return is the weakest (9th percentile).

Affordability and mobility fall between them, at the 68th and 47th percentiles respectively. The four pillars sit far apart, stretching from near the top of the nonprofit four-year field to near the bottom.

Access is the pillar that stands out in the Azimuth profile, at the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Affordability follows at the 68th percentile, and mobility sits near the middle at the 47th percentile.

Return is the weakest of the four, at the 9th percentile. The shape is a public university with strong financial access and a low return percentile.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 670 and 998. The middle 50% of submitted ACT scores fell between 15 and 19.

69.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks Alcorn State University #35 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 31.7%, which is 25.7 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (57.4%). For mobility, Azimuth ranks the university #781 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $10,391 less than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Alcorn State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#516

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 47
Access & reach
National percentile: 98
Affordability
National percentile: 68
Return on investment
National percentile: 9

01 / Alcorn State University briefing

Alcorn State University cost & financial aid[6][7]

Alcorn State University posts the same published tuition and fees for in-state and out-of-state undergraduates, $8,785, alongside room and board of $12,204. The published cost of attendance is $23,751.

After that grant aid, the average recipient faces a net price of $13,265, a level $803 below the $14,068 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). For the typical recipient, scholarships and grants shave $10,486 off the sticker price, covering about 44% of the total published cost of attendance.

Azimuth ranks the university #456 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 68th percentile.

The published cost of attendance at Alcorn State University is $23,751. Azimuth ranks the university #456 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—is $12,613 for families earning under $30,000, $16,296 for those earning $48,001 to $75,000, and $17,620 for those earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,007.

Aid reduces the published cost by an average of $10,486 for aid recipients. The across all aid recipients is $13,265, which is $803 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

In-state tuition and fees are $8,785, and out-of-state tuition and fees are $8,785. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $27,000 in federal student loans.

That is $5,771 above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions. 88.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $13,000 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$16,296

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Alcorn State University

Borrowers who complete a degree at Alcorn State University leave with a median of $27,000 in federal student loans. That median is $5,771 above the $21,229 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Most undergraduates borrow: the federal-loan share is 88.5%. That share covers students who take any federal loan during their time enrolled.

Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $13,000.

The median earnings for federally aided completers at Alcorn State University who are working and not enrolled are $45,495, at the 10th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That amount is $11,806 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $10,391 less than the model expects for similar students. The gap sits at the 18th percentile.

The program mix yields earnings scenarios from $39,118 on the low end to $81,076 on the high end. The typical earnings scenario is $45,495.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $27,000 in federal loans, $5,771 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $13,000. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$27,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$13,000

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$307/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$165/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Alcorn State University briefing

Alcorn State University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

At Alcorn State University, the median earnings for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled are $45,495 four years after completion. That places the university in the 10th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Those earnings fall $11,806 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The return pillar sits in the 9th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $10,391 less than the model expects for similar students. The gap is in the 18th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $485. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,906.

Four years after completing a degree, the earnings cohort is 497 completers. Federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $45,495, which sits at the 10th percentile nationally.

That is $11,806 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $10,391 less than the model expects for similar students, a gap that sits at the 18th percentile.

An estimated 32.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. Earnings scenarios, estimated from Alcorn State University's program mix, put typical earnings at $45,495, with a downside of $39,118 and an upside of $81,076.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Alcorn State University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $45,495, at the 10th percentile nationally. That figure sits $11,806 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #1,338 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $10,391 less than the model expects for similar students.

The gap lands at the 18th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $485.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,906. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,058.

The degree mix is concentrated in biological sciences, business, and liberal arts. Earnings scenarios estimated from that mix show a downside of $39,118 and an upside of $81,076.

An estimated 32.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings scenarios show a wide range, from $39,118 on the downside to $81,076 on the upside. That spread reflects lower- and higher-earning program clusters. Agricultural Business and Management follows at $62,499, and Social Work at $46,157.

At Alcorn State University, the average net price is $13,265, which is $803 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid covers about 44% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but this is an average rather than a personal quote.

Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $27,000 in federal loans. That debt is $5,771 above the peer median of $21,229, and it corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $13,000 through Parent PLUS. Graduates earn about $10,391 less than the model expects for similar students.

The spread between the lowest and highest income-band net prices is $5,007, so the price a family sees depends heavily on their financial circumstances.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
-$485
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$9,906
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$10,391

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Alcorn State University briefing

Alcorn State University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Alcorn State University admits 45.3% of applicants, a rate that sits well below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
45.3%
Approximate lower endpoint
670
Reported average
904
Approximate upper endpoint
998

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Alcorn State University briefing

What are the largest majors at Alcorn State University?[12]

The earnings spread across Alcorn State University's largest programs is wide, and the highest-earning field is not the one awarding the most degrees. Biology is the largest program, with 113 degrees awarded and median earnings of $40,379 four years after completion.

Nursing, by contrast, awards 39 degrees and its graduates earn $93,159. Agricultural Business and Management sits between the two, with 29 degrees awarded and median earnings of $62,499.

Business Administration and Management awards 42 degrees and its graduates earn $39,841, a more moderate figure.

Biological Sciences accounts for 18.8% of bachelor's degrees awarded, with Business second at 10.5%. The university has 9 programs with published four-year earnings.

The largest single program is Biology, at 113 degrees a year and median earnings of $40,379 four years after completion. Nursing is smaller at 39 degrees but posts the highest earnings among the largest programs, at $93,159. The earnings spread between the largest program and the best-paid one is wide.

The program mix at Alcorn State University is led by Biological Sciences, which accounts for 18.8% of bachelor's degrees awarded. Business and Liberal Arts & General Studies follow, at 10.5% and 10.0% respectively.

The university has 9 programs with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Biology, at 113 degrees awarded a year.

Graduates from that program earn a median of $40,379 four years after completion, which is 0.71x the national median for the field. The highest-earning program is Nursing, with median earnings of $93,159 from 39 degrees awarded.

That figure sits at 1.05x the national median for its field. Agricultural Business and Management is the next highest, at $62,499 from 29 degrees awarded.

The pattern is one of concentration: the largest program and the highest-earning program are not the same. The earnings spread between the top and the rest of the list is wide. 22.5% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Biology, General 113 degrees awarded
$40,379
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 60 degrees awarded
$42,321
Business Administration, Management and Operations 42 degrees awarded
$39,841
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 39 degrees awarded
$93,159
Computer and Information Sciences, General 30 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Agricultural Business and Management 29 degrees awarded
$62,499

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Alcorn State University briefing

What colleges are similar to Alcorn State University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Alcorn State University.

Admissions peerBennett College50.7% admitted
Comparison with Alcorn State University
MeasureAlcorn State UniversityBennett College
Peer earnings · 4 years$45,495$44,644-$851 vs Alcorn State University
Average annual net price$13,265$28,299+$15,034 vs Alcorn State University · higher cost
Admission rate45.3%50.7%
Higher-admission alternativeJackson State University93.2% admitted
Comparison with Alcorn State University
MeasureAlcorn State UniversityJackson State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$45,495$47,606+$2,111 vs Alcorn State University
Average annual net price$13,265$23,836+$10,571 vs Alcorn State University · higher cost
Admission rate45.3%93.2%
Nearby alternativeJackson State UniversityNearby option · MS
Comparison with Alcorn State University
MeasureAlcorn State UniversityJackson State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$45,495$47,606+$2,111 vs Alcorn State University
Average annual net price$13,265$23,836+$10,571 vs Alcorn State University · higher cost
Admission rate45.3%93.2%
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus$82,515 earnings
Comparison with Alcorn State University
MeasureAlcorn State UniversityUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years$45,495$82,515+$37,020 vs Alcorn State University
Average annual net price$13,265$14,091+$826 vs Alcorn State University · higher cost
Admission rate45.3%39.2%
Explore University of Washington-Seattle Campus →
Lower-cost alternativeLouisiana State University at Alexandria$7,065 average net price
Comparison with Alcorn State University
MeasureAlcorn State UniversityLouisiana State University at Alexandria
Peer earnings · 4 years$45,495$51,983+$6,488 vs Alcorn State University
Average annual net price$13,265$7,065-$6,200 vs Alcorn State University · lower cost
Admission rate45.3%92.1%
Similar profileFort Valley State UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Alcorn State University
MeasureAlcorn State UniversityFort Valley State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$45,495$44,844-$651 vs Alcorn State University
Average annual net price$13,265$10,338-$2,927 vs Alcorn State University · lower cost
Admission rate45.3%65.9%

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings