Private nonprofit · University

Blue Mountain Christian University

Blue Mountain, Mississippi · Distant rural

88.9%
Admit rate
$24,016
Avg net price
55%
Graduation rate
$40,421
Median earnings

Blue Mountain Christian University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Blue Mountain, Mississippi (distant rural setting), enrolling 498 undergraduates. It has a Southern Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 498 undergradsDistant ruralAccessible · 89% admitNAIA Division ICold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Blue Mountain Christian University's admitted students.

Admit rate
88.9%
ACT (mid 50%)
19–24
Avg GPA (est.)
3.13

Enter a test score to see where you land against Blue Mountain Christian University's admitted students.

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

About Blue Mountain, Mississippi

Blue Mountain is a village in Tippah County, Mississippi, United States. Blue Mountain is rooted in the community that developed around Blue Mountain Christian University, which was founded in 1873. The Town of Blue Mountain was incorporated in 1877. The name refers to the blueish morning hue of the surrounding hills. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
67 miles to Memphis, TN
To the ocean
278 miles
Nearest airport
32 miles to Tupelo (TUP)

How Blue Mountain Christian University compares

Selectivity88.9%

More selective than 26% · #9 most selective of 15 in Mississippi

SAT average1090

Higher than 27%

Graduation rate55%

Higher than 50% · #7 of 16 in Mississippi

First-year retention68%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$40,421

Higher than 15% · #10 of 16 in Mississippi

Average net price$24,016

Cheaper than 32% · #13 cheapest of 15 in Mississippi

Median debt at graduation$18,534

Lower than 82%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment498

Larger than 22%

Percentiles compare Blue Mountain Christian 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

554students
  • Undergraduate49890%
  • Graduate5610%

Undergraduates by gender

498undergrads
  • Women26253%
  • Men23647%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White66%
  • Black15%
  • Hispanic8.8%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial8.4%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
498
Graduate enrollment
56
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
29%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
4%
Median family income
$36,485
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$57,951
Endowment
$20,456,194

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 109 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Mississippi65%
  • Other U.S. states30%
  • International5.5%

A regional draw: about 64% of first-years come from Mississippi, the rest from elsewhere.

6% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
88.9%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1090
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
19–24
Average GPA (estimated)
3.13

Cost

In-state tuition
$20,180
Room & board
$9,820
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$33,197
Average net price
$24,016

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)
55%
Graduated on time (4 years)
36%
First-year retention
68%
Transferred to another college
29%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,401
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$40,421
Median debt at graduation
$18,534
Students with federal loans
50%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
57%

About 19% 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
36%
Low-income (Pell)
48%
First-generation
42%

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
357
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
72%
Housing charge (year)
$5,140
Meal plan (year)
$3,900
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
345 (211 men · 134 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 (12)

Soccer57
Basketball54
Baseball52
Weight Lifting30
Track and Field (Outdoor)28
Cross Country28
Golf22
Softball20
Volleyball20
Archery13
Tennis12
Bowling9

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (968 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.

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
$23,112
$30–48k
$23,791
$48–75k
$24,721
$75–110k
$26,722
$110k+

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
$111,784

$24,721/year × about 4.5 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$12,824
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from Blue Mountain Christian University itself, averaging $12,824, which softens the sticker price.

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 90 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)
$40,421
Typical debt at graduation
$18,534
Debt vs. one year's pay
46%
Out-earn a HS grad
52%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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
$37,749
Men
$45,891

Men out-earn women by $8,142 (22%) 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
90°F
Winter low
29°F
Annual rain
57.6″
Annual snow
1.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.26.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ripley, MS US station (6.4 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 Blue Mountain Christian University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Blue Mountain Christian University side by side →

Colleges near Blue Mountain Christian 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.