5 best nationally and regionally ranked colleges in MS, US News & World Report says
Is your college among the best in Mississippi? U.S. News & World Report recently shared their 2026 rankings of top colleges in each state and across the nation.
Most of Mississippi’s colleges and universities are publicly funded, but the state is also home to several small private colleges with religious affiliations, according to the ranking.
Seven schools in Mississippi ranked nationally and five schools ranked regionally — with one landing among the top 20 regional colleges in the South.
These are the best national and regional colleges in Mississippi, according to U.S. News & World Report’s ranking.
Top 5 national universities in MS
1. University of Mississippi
Founded in 1848, the University of Mississippi — also known as Ole Miss — is the best national university in the state, according to U.S. News & World Report’s ranking. The public school also has a competitive football program, taking fourth place in the Sept. 28 AP Top 25 college football rankings.
Location: Oxford
National ranking: #169
Undergraduate enrollment (fall 2024): 21,585
Four-year graduation rate: 57%
In-state tuition and fees: $10,150
Out-of-state tuition and fees: $30,310
2. Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University was founded in 1878 as a public institution and has more than 100 majors for undergraduate students to choose from, according to the school’s website. The college was recently named a top college to work for by the Chronicle of Higher Education, according to a Sept. 19 news release by the school.
Location: Starkville
National ranking: #208
Undergraduate enrollment (fall 2024): 18,567
Four-year graduation rate: 46%
In-state tuition and fees: $10,604
Out-of-state tuition and fees: $28,736
3. University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, a public institution founded in 1910, is also ranked among the top performers on social mobility, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Location: Hattiesburg
National ranking: #318
Undergraduate enrollment (fall 2024): 10,193
Four-year graduation rate: 34%
In-state tuition and fees: $9,998
Out-of-state tuition and fees: $11,998
4. Mississippi College
Founded in 1826, Mississippi College is a private institution which also ranks among the lowest acceptance rates, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Location: Clinton
National ranking: #358
Undergraduate enrollment (fall 2024): 2,706
Four-year graduation rate: 54%
Tuition and fees: $21,698
5. Jackson State University
Jackson State University is a public college founded in 1877, according to U.S. News & World Report. The school is also ranked among the top performers on social mobility.
Location: Jackson
National ranking: #363
Undergraduate enrollment (fall 2024): 4,650
Four-year graduation rate: 19%
In-state tuition and fees: $13,635
Out-of-state tuition and fees: $9,635
Best regional universities in MS
1. Blue Mountain Christian University
The best regional university in Mississippi is Blue Mountain Christian University, a private school founded in 1873, according to U.S. News & World Report. The school is among the top 20 regional universities in the South, the ranking found.
Location: Blue Mountain
Regional ranking: #16
Undergraduate enrollment (fall 2024): 919
Four-year graduation rate: 47%
2. Mississippi University for Women
Founded as a public institution in 1884, Mississippi University for Women is ranked second best regional college in the state. The school is also ranked #9 for best value schools, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Location: Columbus
Regional ranking: #33
Undergraduate enrollment (fall 2024): 1,962
Four-year graduation rate: 33%
3. Alcorn State University
Alcorn State University, founded in 1871, is also ranked #21 among top public schools, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Location: Lorman
Regional ranking: #45
Undergraduate enrollment (fall 2024): 2,532
Four-year graduation rate: 43%
4. Delta State University
Delta State University, a public institution founded in 1924, is also ranked #10 for best value schools, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Location: Cleveland
Regional ranking: #50
Undergraduate enrollment (fall 2024): 1,876
Four-year graduation rate: 32%
5. Mississippi Valley State University
Mississippi Valley State University is a public school founded in 1950, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Location: Itta Bena
Regional ranking: #117
Undergraduate enrollment (fall 2024): 2,005
Four-year graduation rate: 14%
How were schools ranked?
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings evaluated more than 1,700 colleges and universities across the country based on 17 factors, according to the report.
To be ranked, institutions had to “grant bachelor’s degrees, hold regional accreditation, offer traditional campus-based education and actively accept new applicants for first-year, full-time students,” according to U.S. News & World Report.
These were the factors schools were evaluated on, according to the report:
- Graduation rates
- First-year retention rates
- Graduation rate performance
- Pell graduation rates
- Pell graduation performance
- College grads earning more than a high school grad
- Borrower debt
- Peer assessment
- Financial resources per student
- Faculty salaries
- Full-time faculty
- Student-faculty ratio
- Standardized tests
- Citations per publication
- Field-weighted citation impact
- Publication share in the top 5% of journals by CiteScore
- Publication share in the top 25% of journals by CiteScore
