by our College Data Analytics TeamUniversity of Southern Mississippi is a public institution in Hattiesburg, Mississippi enrolling 10,075 undergraduates. It accepts 99% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 49%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,191 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 23%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
University of Southern Mississippi ranks #1,191 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 23%.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
University of Southern Mississippi was awarded 49 badges in the 2027 rankings.
Southern Miss is ranked #1,191 out of 5,159 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges list.
Southern Miss is also ranked #3 on the Best Colleges in Mississippi list.
See all of the rankings for University of Southern Mississippi.
With an acceptance rate of 99%, University of Southern Mississippi is easier to get into than many other schools. But that doesn’t mean you can slack off on your application. Make sure to treat this school like any other when submitting requested materials and documents.
Southern Miss received ACT scores from 99% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 20 and 29.
Learn more about University of Southern Mississippi admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at University of Southern Mississippi is about average at 18 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.
In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at University of Southern Mississippi is 100%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at University of Southern Mississippi is 72%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At Southern Miss the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 49%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at University of Southern Mississippi.
During the most recent academic year, there were 10,075 undergraduates at Southern Miss.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at University of Southern Mississippi.
The typical net cost at Southern Miss is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $19,867 | $20,432 | $22,756 | $25,812 | $26,542 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Southern Miss, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
It’s not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At Southern Miss, approximately 48% of students took out student loans averaging $6,674 a year. That adds up to $26,696 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 8.8%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for University of Southern Mississippi.
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $44,140 in their early years. This is right on par with the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Also, graduates in your major field may make more.
See which majors at University of Southern Mississippi make the most money.
University of Southern Mississippi is a public institution found in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life. Get more details about the location of University of Southern Mississippi.
Get in touch with University of Southern Mississippi are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 118 College Drive # 0001, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001 |
| Phone: | 6012661000 |
| Website: | www.usm.edu |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/usm.edu |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/southernmiss |
In the latest year of available data, students from 28 majors graduated from University of Southern Mississippi. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 3,999 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 413 | $43,998 |
| Health & Physical Education | 252 | $25,638 |
| Nursing | 240 | $74,895 |
| General Psychology | 210 | $31,178 |
| Library & Information Science | 195 | NA |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 187 | $33,313 |
| Computer Information Systems | 133 | $51,563 |
| Social Work | 133 | $32,792 |
| General Biology | 127 | $22,817 |
7,690 students took at least one online class at University of Southern Mississippi.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at University of Southern Mississippi.
Curious how schools stack up against Southern Miss? Compare them side by side using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References