Research brief & institution hub

University of Southern Mississippi

MSLarge public institution · Overall rank #479 nationally

Data snapshot September 27, 2026Updated October 1, 2026

Azimuth ranks University of Southern Mississippi #479 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of Southern Mississippi is a public university in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where Business, Health Professions, and Education lead the degree mix. Access is well above average and mobility is well above average.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them, and the typical graduate earns below the median at comparable schools. The model attributes an addition to the factors it measures and a subtraction to the remainder it cannot explain.

Return is modestly below average. The highest income band pays close to the published cost after aid, while the lowest band pays far less.

Pell students complete at a rate below the entering cohort as a whole. Affordability is around the average, and the price and debt picture sits near the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid fields are much smaller ones.

University of Southern Mississippi at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate^[1]: 99.1%
Six-year completion^[2]: 49.1%
Four-year earnings^[3]: $48,593

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income^[6]: $22,756
Median student debt^[4]: $22,500
Median Parent PLUS debt^[7]: $14,301

University of Southern Mississippi rankings: how Azimuth assesses value^[5]

In Hattiesburg, Mississippi, University of Southern Mississippi serves 10,075 undergraduates as a public university. Its overall standing sits in the upper two-thirds among nonprofit four-year institutions (67th percentile).

Of those who apply to University of Southern Mississippi, 99.1% are admitted, against a peer median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among full-time first-year students, 72.1% return for a second year, against a peer median of 83.1%.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 49.1%, below the 65.0% median at comparable institutions. An estimated 46.3% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year graduation rate leaves a large share of the student body uncovered.

Access is the strongest , at the 86th percentile, with mobility close behind at the 82nd percentile. Affordability sits near the middle of the field (53rd percentile), while return is the weakest of the four, at the 25th percentile. These pillars sit far apart, with return well below the other three.

Access is the strongest pillar in the university's Azimuth profile, at the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility sits close behind at the 82nd percentile.

Affordability lands near the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions, in the 53rd percentile. Return is the weakest of the four, at the 25th percentile.

The middle 50% of submitted ACT scores at University of Southern Mississippi fell between 20 and 29. 46.3% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

Azimuth ranks University of Southern Mississippi #210 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients complete at 35.9%, 13.2 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (49.1%).

Azimuth ranks the university #266 for mobility. Graduates earn about $1,807 less than the model expects for similar students.

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

University of Southern Mississippi rankings in context
Geography	Rank
National	#479

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility: National percentile: 82

Access & reach: National percentile: 86

Affordability: National percentile: 53

Return on investment: National percentile: 25

Top-ranked majors

Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians#2
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians#6
Human Resources Management and Services#69

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / University of Southern Mississippi briefing

University of Southern Mississippi cost & financial aid^[6]^[7]

The published annual cost of attendance at University of Southern Mississippi is $26,566 before any aid. In-state tuition and fees are $9,998; out-of-state tuition and fees are $11,998 for nonresidents.

Room and board on campus add another $11,920. After grants and scholarships, aid recipients pay an average net price of $21,708.

This figure captures what aid recipients actually pay once grants and scholarships are factored in. That amount is $4,858 less than the published sticker price.

The median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $15,634 for the group. At this university, the average net price runs $6,074 above that peer median.

Azimuth ranks the university #664 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance at University of Southern Mississippi is $26,566. Azimuth ranks the university #664 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $19,867, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $22,756, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $26,542. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $6,675.

Aid covers about 18% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $21,708, which is $6,074 above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $22,500 in federal student loans. That is $2,424 above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions.

84.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $14,301.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $256 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$22,756

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of Southern Mississippi

The University of Southern Mississippi serves a student body where federal borrowing is widespread: 84.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among those who complete, the median federal student loan debt is $22,500, which is $2,424 above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The range around that median is broad. For a separate population of parent borrowers, the median Parent PLUS loan is $14,301.

Graduates of University of Southern Mississippi earn a median of $48,593 four years after completing a degree. That figure is $17,017 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and it sits at the 15th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $1,807 less than the model expects for similar students, a result at the 48th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from a downside of $37,087 to an upside of $71,055.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,500 in federal student loans, $2,424 above the peer median of $20,076. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $256 a month.

Earnings land below the peer median and below what the model expects. The upside earnings scenario reaches $71,055.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $14,301. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $256 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: $22,500
Institution Parent PLUS debt: $14,301

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

Estimated student payment · monthly: $256/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly: $182/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 / University of Southern Mississippi briefing

University of Southern Mississippi career outcomes & earnings^[3]^[8]^[9]

Return is the weakest pillar at University of Southern Mississippi, in the 25th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion sit at $48,593, in the 15th percentile, which is $17,017 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $1,807 less than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 48th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,538. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,345.

Federally aided graduates from University of Southern Mississippi who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $48,593 four years after completion, measured among a cohort of 2,856 completers. That median sits at the 15th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That is $17,017 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $1,807 less than the model expects for similar students.

It is the gap between actual earnings and the model's expectation for similar students. Estimated from the program mix, the earnings scenarios run from $37,087 on the downside to $71,055 on the upside, with $48,593 as the typical outcome.

An estimated 28.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The median for federally aided graduates working and not enrolled four years after completion is $48,593, placing it at the 15th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $65,610, so these earnings fall $17,017 below that benchmark.

For return, Azimuth ranks University of Southern Mississippi #1,094 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,807 less than the model expects for similar students.

That outcome sits at the 48th 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) adds $6,538.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,345. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,161.

Degrees cluster in business, health professions, and education, with 17.0% of degrees awarded in STEM fields. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix run from $37,087 on the downside to $71,055 on the upside.

An estimated 28.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix and not on observed enrollment.

Earnings vary substantially by program mix: the downside scenario is $37,087 and the upside scenario is $71,055. These are earnings scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

At the higher end, Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians graduates earn $89,904 four years after completion, from 51 degrees awarded. Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians follows at $82,848, with 98 degrees awarded.

Graduates of University of Southern Mississippi earn about $1,807 less than the model expects for similar students. The median federal student loan debt for borrowers who finish is $22,500, which is $2,424 above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $256 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $14,301 in Parent PLUS loans.

Median earnings four years after completion sit below the model's expectation, and median federal student debt at completion runs above the peer median.

What explains value-added earnings?

Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.: +$6,538
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.: -$8,345
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.: -$1,807

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

Read the full outcomes brief

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of Southern Mississippi briefing

What are the largest majors at University of Southern Mississippi?^[12]

The highest-earning programs at University of Southern Mississippi are concentrated in technical fields, but the largest programs earn more moderately. Nursing is the exception: it awards 149 degrees a year and posts a median of $72,411 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #298 nationally within its field. Psychology is another large program, with 146 degrees awarded and median earnings of $37,925.

Azimuth ranks it #337 nationally within its field. Liberal Arts and General Studies awards 161 degrees and reports median earnings of $44,963.

Azimuth ranks it #157 nationally within its field, and it is the top-ranked program in Mississippi for that field.

Business accounts for 16.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 12.0%. The university has 19 nationally ranked programs, and earnings data is available for 42 fields.

Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians holds the strongest national rank at #2, and it is also ranked #1 in Mississippi. It awarded 98 degrees and its completers earned a median of $82,848 four years after completion.

Nursing is the highest-earning large program, with 149 degrees awarded and median earnings of $72,411. Azimuth ranks it #298 within its field.

Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians is another ranked program, awarding 51 degrees and showing median earnings of $89,904; it ranks #6 nationally.

University of Southern Mississippi awards bachelor's degrees across 42 programs with published four-year earnings data, 19 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. The program mix is led by Business, which accounts for 16.6% of degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 12.0% and Education at 9.7%.

The largest single programs are Teacher Education at 205 degrees awarded, Business Administration and Management at 197, and Liberal Arts and General Studies at 161. The highest-ranked program is Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians, which ranks #1 in Mississippi within its field.

It awards 98 degrees a year, and graduates earn a median of $82,848 four years after completion. Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians is also strong, ranking #6 nationally and #1 in Mississippi, with 51 degrees awarded and median earnings of $89,904.

The highest-earning program is a smaller one: Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians graduates earn a median of $89,904 four years out, from 51 degrees awarded a year. Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians follows at $82,848 with 98 degrees awarded.

Nursing, the fourth-largest program at 149 degrees, also appears among the top earners at $72,411. The pattern is one of strength spread across several fields rather than concentrated in a single department.

The largest programs by degrees awarded are not the best-paid, and the highest-earning programs are relatively small. Across all fields, 17.0% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 205 degrees awarded: $40,932
Business Administration, Management and Operations 197 degrees awarded: $52,089
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 161 degrees awarded: $44,963
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 149 degrees awarded: $72,411
Psychology, General 146 degrees awarded: $37,925
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 136 degrees awarded: $54,909

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 / University of Southern Mississippi briefing

What colleges are similar to University of Southern Mississippi?^[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 University of Southern Mississippi.

Admissions peerUniversity of Mississippi96.6% admitted

Comparison with University of Southern Mississippi
Measure	University of Southern Mississippi	University of Mississippi
Peer earnings · 4 years	$48,593	$66,243+$17,650 vs University of Southern Mississippi
Average annual net price	$21,708	$13,314-$8,394 vs University of Southern Mississippi · lower cost
Admission rate	99.1%	96.6%

Explore University of Mississippi →

Nearby alternativeBelhaven UniversityNearby option · MS

Comparison with University of Southern Mississippi
Measure	University of Southern Mississippi	Belhaven University
Peer earnings · 4 years	$48,593	$51,795+$3,202 vs University of Southern Mississippi
Average annual net price	$21,708	$15,676-$6,032 vs University of Southern Mississippi · lower cost
Admission rate	99.1%	49.8%

Higher-earnings alternativeCal Poly Maritime Academy$108,757 earnings

Comparison with University of Southern Mississippi
Measure	University of Southern Mississippi	Cal Poly Maritime Academy
Peer earnings · 4 years	$48,593	$108,757+$60,164 vs University of Southern Mississippi
Average annual net price	$21,708	$20,555-$1,153 vs University of Southern Mississippi · lower cost
Admission rate	99.1%	95.0%

Explore Cal Poly Maritime Academy →

Lower-cost alternativeSoutheastern Louisiana University$13,154 average net price

Comparison with University of Southern Mississippi
Measure	University of Southern Mississippi	Southeastern Louisiana University
Peer earnings · 4 years	$48,593	$50,215+$1,622 vs University of Southern Mississippi
Average annual net price	$21,708	$13,154-$8,554 vs University of Southern Mississippi · lower cost
Admission rate	99.1%	99.3%

Explore Southeastern Louisiana University →

Similar profileEast Tennessee State UniversityMatched across several measures

Comparison with University of Southern Mississippi
Measure	University of Southern Mississippi	East Tennessee State University
Peer earnings · 4 years	$48,593	$53,033+$4,440 vs University of Southern Mississippi
Average annual net price	$21,708	$15,983-$5,725 vs University of Southern Mississippi · lower cost
Admission rate	99.1%	86.2%

Explore East Tennessee State University →

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 September 27, 2026Governed hub narrative September 28, 2026Governed spoke corpus September 28, 2026

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.

Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.
Source fields: ADM_RATE
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
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
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
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
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
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 uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. 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
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
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
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
First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.
Source fields: RET_FT4
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
Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.
Source fields: PCTPELL
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
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