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William Carey University: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

13 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
60% Acceptance Rate

William Carey University is a private not-for-profit institution in Hattiesburg, Mississippi enrolling 2,201 undergraduates. It accepts 60% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 60%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,616 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 31%), 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.

How Is William Carey University Ranked?

William Carey University ranks #1,616 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 31%.

#1,616 Best Colleges in Nation
#7 Best Colleges in MS
William Carey University ranking badge

2027 Rankings

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.

William Carey University was awarded 13 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

College Factual ranked William Carey University as #1,616 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.

William Carey University is also ranked #7 on the Best Colleges in Mississippi list.

See all of the rankings for William Carey University.

Is It Hard to Get Into William Carey University?

60% Acceptance Rate
57% Of Accepted Are Women
7% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

William Carey University has an acceptance rate of 60%, which means the school is serious about who it admits. Take your time in putting together a strong application that highlights why you are a good fit for William Carey University.

Average Test Scores

About 7% of students accepted to William Carey University submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 540 and 690. Math scores were between 500 and 600.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for William Carey University  ( 540 to 690 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for William Carey University  ( 500 to 600 )
200
800

William Carey University received ACT scores from 93% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 19 and 25.

ACT Composite Scores for William Carey University  ( 19 to 25 )
1
36

Learn more about William Carey University admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at William Carey University?

14 to 1 Student to Faculty
57% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

With a student to faculty ratio of 14 to 1, William Carey University is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.

The full-time faculty percentage at William Carey University is 57%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  57 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at William Carey University?

78% Freshmen Retention
60% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

William Carey University has a freshmen retention rate of 78%. That’s a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It’s also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  78 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at William Carey University for first-time, full-time students is 60%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  60 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at William Carey University.

How Diverse Is William Carey University?

2,201 Undergraduate Students
33.5% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
68.5% Percent Women

During the most recent academic year, there were 2,201 undergraduates at William Carey University.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at William Carey University.

How Much Does William Carey University Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
25% Take Out Loans
$31,316 Total Student Loans

The average net price of William Carey University 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.

Net Price by Income Group for William Carey University

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$12,224 $12,411 $15,320 $18,436 $19,701

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 William Carey University, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At William Carey University, approximately 25% of students took out student loans averaging $7,829 a year. That adds up to $31,316 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 5.8%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for William Carey University.

How Much Do William Carey University Graduates Earn?

$43,087 Avg Salary of Grads
Low Earnings Boost

Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from William Carey University make around $43,087 per year during the early years of their employment. This is about 12% less than the average pay for college graduates overall. However, graduates with your major may make more. Average Salary for William Carey University Graduates

See which majors at William Carey University make the most money.

Where Is William Carey University Located?

Mississippi State
2,201 Undergraduate Students
Small City Campus Setting

William Carey University is an private not-for-profit institution located 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 William Carey University.

Location of William Carey University

Contact information for William Carey University are given below.

Contact Details
Address: 710 William Carey Parkway, Hattiesburg, MS 39401
Phone: 6013186051
Website: www.wmcarey.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Carey_University
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WmCareyU
Twitter: twitter.com/WmCareyU

What Majors Does William Carey University Offer?

20 Majors With Completions
2,576 Undergraduate Degrees

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 20 majors graduated from William Carey University. 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 1,288 NA
Educational Administration 227 $49,115
Teacher Education Grade Specific 191 $37,384
Medicine 154 NA
Nursing 122 $60,508
Teacher Education Subject Specific 117 $37,072
General Biology 64 $23,191
Special Education 59 $39,378
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 48 NA
Health/Medical Admin Services 47 NA

Learn more about the majors offered at William Carey University along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does William Carey University Offer Online Classes?

86% Take At Least One Class Online
37% Take All Classes Online

1,903 students took at least one online class at William Carey University.

Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.

Learn more about online learning at William Carey University.

Want to see how other colleges compare to William Carey University? Match them up using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.

Notes and References

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

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