Public · University

Jackson State University

Jackson, Mississippi · Midsize city

93.2%
Admit rate
$23,836
Avg net price
51%
Graduation rate
$39,060
Median earnings

Jackson State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Jackson, Mississippi (midsize city setting), enrolling 4,600 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicMidsize · 4,600 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 93% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southwestern Athletic Conference

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
93.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
820–1070
Avg GPA (est.)
2.79

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

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

About Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Jackson area was historically populated by the Choctaw, the majority of whom were forcibly removed to Oklahoma following Andrew Jackson's signing of the Indian Removal Act in 1830. In 2011, the United States Navy named the USS Jackson (LCS-6) in honor of the city. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Jackson, MS
To the ocean
132 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers (JAN)

How Jackson State University compares

Selectivity93.2%

More selective than 17% · #12 most selective of 15 in Mississippi

SAT average965

Higher than 4%

Graduation rate51%

Higher than 42% · #8 of 16 in Mississippi

First-year retention62%

Higher than 16%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$39,060

Higher than 12% · #12 of 16 in Mississippi

Average net price$23,836

Cheaper than 33% · #12 cheapest of 15 in Mississippi

Median debt at graduation$30,470

Lower than 4%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment4,600

Larger than 77%

Percentiles compare Jackson 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

6,276students
  • Undergraduate4,60073%
  • Graduate1,67627%

Undergraduates by gender

4,600undergrads
  • Women2,97465%
  • Men1,62635%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White2.4%
  • Black94%
  • Other or multiracial3.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,600
Graduate enrollment
1,676
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
72%
First-generation students
32%
Students over 25
19%
Median family income
$21,266
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$71,892
Endowment
$60,978,291

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 978 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Mississippi30%
  • Other U.S. states69%
  • International0.8%

A national draw — only 30% of first-years come from Mississippi; 69% arrive from other states.

1% 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
93.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
820–1070
SAT average
965
SAT reading
430–550
SAT math
390–520
ACT composite
15–20
Average GPA (estimated)
2.79

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,965
Out-of-state tuition
$11,965
Room & board
$14,341
Books & supplies
$1,400
Total cost of attendance
$32,415
Average net price
$23,836

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)
51%
Graduated on time (4 years)
33%
First-year retention
62%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$30,530
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$39,060
Median debt at graduation
$30,470
Students with federal loans
82%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
37%

About 17% 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
33%
Low-income (Pell)
34%
First-generation
33%

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
2,149
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
47%
Housing charge (year)
$6,094
Meal plan (year)
$4,972
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
470 (285 men · 185 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 (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)158
Football136
Soccer41
Baseball38
Basketball34
Softball26
Volleyball17
Tennis14
Bowling6

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
16
Property offenses (2022–2024)
31

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (6,326 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.

16reported offenses a year
5.3 violent a year10 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
5.7
Burglary
4.0
Fondling
2.0
Rape
1.3
Murder
0.7
Robbery
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.7
Arson
0.7

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
$22,869
$30–48k
$22,516
$48–75k
$26,236
$75–110k
$26,388
$110k+
$27,576

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
$118,441

$26,236/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.

71%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,483
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 71% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,483. 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 1,068 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)
$39,060
Typical debt at graduation
$30,470
Debt vs. one year's pay
78%
Out-earn a HS grad
43%

Typical debt would take roughly 7.8 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
$36,533
Men
$45,360

Men out-earn women by $8,827 (24%) 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
92°F
Winter low
38°F
Annual rain
51.3″
Annual snow
1″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Jackson Hawkins Fld, MS US station (2.9 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 Jackson State University

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

Colleges near Jackson 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.