2026 Best Colleges for Student Athletes in Mississippi

Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 10 programs for Student Athletes by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.

To help you decide, College Factual evaluates each program using a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data. Learn more about our ranking methodology.

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Top 10 Colleges for Student Athletes

Explore the leading programs below:

1

Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS

83% Academic Quality Percentile

Mississippi State University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Student Athletes. Based in Mississippi State, MS, Mississippi State University is a public institution.

2

University of Mississippi
University, MS

86% Academic Quality Percentile

University of Mississippi came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. This public school is set in University, MS.

3

University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS

79% Academic Quality Percentile

University of Southern Mississippi came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Located in Hattiesburg, MS, University of Southern Mississippi is a public institution.

4

Millsaps College
Jackson, MS

69% Academic Quality Percentile

Millsaps College landed the #4 spot for Student Athletes. Located in Jackson, MS, Millsaps College is a private not-for-profit institution.

5

Jackson State University
Jackson, MS

70% Academic Quality Percentile

Jackson State University landed the #5 spot for Student Athletes. Located in Jackson, MS, Jackson State University is a public institution.

6

Belhaven University
Jackson, MS

70% Academic Quality Percentile

Belhaven University landed the #6 spot this year. Belhaven University is a private not-for-profit school based in Jackson, MS.

7

Alcorn State University
Alcorn State, MS

66% Academic Quality Percentile

Alcorn State University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Alcorn State, MS, Alcorn State University is a public institution.

8

Delta State University
Cleveland, MS

72% Academic Quality Percentile

Delta State University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Delta State University is a public school based in Cleveland, MS.

9

Mississippi Valley State University
Itta Bena, MS

62% Academic Quality Percentile

Mississippi Valley State University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Mississippi Valley State University is a public school based in Itta Bena, MS.

10

Mississippi University for Women
Columbus, MS

75% Academic Quality Percentile

Mississippi University for Women ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Based in Columbus, MS, Mississippi University for Women is a public institution.

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Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.

This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.

References

• NCAA Academic Progress Rate & Graduation Success Rate — National Collegiate Athletic Association (athlete academic outcomes).
• Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) — U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education (team participation, revenue, expenses, and aid).
• Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics (institutional data).

More about our data sources and methodologies.