Public · University

Alcorn State University

Alcorn State, Mississippi · Remote rural

#3 most selective in Mississippi#4 best value in Mississippi#5 graduation rate in Mississippi
45.3%
Admit rate
$13,265
Avg net price
57%
Graduation rate
$36,421
Median earnings

Alcorn State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Alcorn State, Mississippi (remote rural setting), enrolling 2,363 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicMidsize · 2,363 undergradsRemote ruralSelective · 45% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southwestern Athletic Conference

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Alcorn State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
45.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
670–998
Avg GPA (est.)
2.72

Enter a test score to see where you land against Alcorn State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Alcorn State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Alcorn State, Mississippi

Alcorn State University is located in Alcorn State, Mississippi, a remote rural setting.

Setting
Remote rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
63 miles to Jackson, MS
To the ocean
116 miles
Nearest airport
68 miles to Monroe (MLU)

How Alcorn State University compares

Selectivity45.3%

More selective than 86% · #3 most selective of 15 in Mississippi

SAT average904

Higher than 1%

Graduation rate57%

Higher than 56% · #5 of 16 in Mississippi

First-year retention77%

Higher than 51%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,421

Higher than 9% · #13 of 16 in Mississippi

Average net price$13,265

Cheaper than 80% · #4 cheapest of 15 in Mississippi

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment2,363

Larger than 62%

Percentiles compare Alcorn State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Mississippi.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,826students
  • Undergraduate2,36384%
  • Graduate46316%

Undergraduates by gender

2,363undergrads
  • Women1,46962%
  • Men89438%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White1.6%
  • Black97%
  • Hispanic0.5%
  • Other or multiracial1.2%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,363
Graduate enrollment
463
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
70%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
10%
Median family income
$18,951
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$65,115
Endowment
$19,787,828

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
45.3%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
670–998
SAT average
904
SAT reading
400–513
SAT math
270–485
ACT composite
15–19
Average GPA (estimated)
2.72

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,785
Room & board
$12,204
Books & supplies
$1,672
Total cost of attendance
$23,751
Average net price
$13,265

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
57%
Graduated on time (4 years)
49%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$27,752
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$36,421
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
67%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
34%

About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
49%
Low-income (Pell)
31%
First-generation
31%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,109
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
89%
Housing charge (year)
$6,508
Meal plan (year)
$3,747
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
400 (248 men · 152 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)150
Football118
Baseball35
Basketball28
Softball22
Soccer18
Tennis16
Volleyball13

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
14
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (2,995 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

6.3reported offenses a year
4.7 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.3
Robbery
1.7
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Burglary
0.7
Fondling
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$12,613
$30–48k
$12,344
$48–75k
$16,296
$75–110k
$18,244
$110k+
$17,620

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$68,606

$16,296/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

63%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,503
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 63% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,503. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 459 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$36,421
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
74%
Out-earn a HS grad
38%

Typical debt would take roughly 7.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$35,220
Men
$39,159

Men out-earn women by $3,939 (11%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
93°F
Winter low
36°F
Annual rain
58.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.16.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, ST Joseph 3 N, LA US station (7.3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Alcorn State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Alcorn State University side by side →

Colleges near Alcorn State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.