Public · Community college

Meridian Community College

Meridian, Mississippi · Remote town

12%
Transfer rate
$6,351
Avg net price
34%
Grad / completion
$31,002
Median earnings

Meridian Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Meridian, Mississippi (remote town setting), enrolling 2,156 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,156 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division II

About Meridian, Mississippi

Meridian is the eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. After the treaty was ratified, European-American settlers began to move into the area. One of the first art organizations in the city, The Meridian Art League, was established in February 1933. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
85 miles to Jackson, MS
To the ocean
120 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Key Field / Meridian (MEI)

How Meridian Community College compares

Graduation rate34%

Higher than 19% · #31 of 33 in Mississippi

First-year retention66%

Higher than 35%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$31,002

Higher than 34% · #14 of 28 in Mississippi

Average net price$6,351

Cheaper than 85% · #11 cheapest of 34 in Mississippi

Median debt at graduation$5,521

Lower than 96%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 49%

Undergraduate enrollment2,156

Larger than 83%

Percentiles compare Meridian Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Mississippi.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

2,156undergrads
  • Women1,48569%
  • Men67131%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White44%
  • Black48%
  • Hispanic2.6%
  • Asian0.6%
  • Other or multiracial4.2%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,156
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
39%
First-generation students
42%
Students over 25
27%
Median family income
$19,121
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$52,083
Endowment
$22,365,980

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 416 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Mississippi93%
  • Other U.S. states7.0%

Most first-years stay in state — Meridian Community College draws overwhelmingly from Mississippi.

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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,078
Out-of-state tuition
$6,478
Room & board
$5,520
Books & supplies
$2,600
Total cost of attendance
$14,334
Average net price
$6,351

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
34%
First-year retention
66%
Transferred to another college
12%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$28,752
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$31,002
Median debt at graduation
$5,521
Students with federal loans
11%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
39%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
34%
Low-income (Pell)
35%
First-generation
35%

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
368
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
17%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes
266 (159 men · 107 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)80
Soccer52
Baseball38
Basketball34
Softball20
Tennis18
Volleyball13
Golf6
Swimming5

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
9

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,780 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.

3.7reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year3.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.7
Robbery
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$6,351
$30–48k
$48–75k
$75–110k
$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.

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.

44%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,142
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 44% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,142. 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 419 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)
$31,002
Typical debt at graduation
$5,521
Debt vs. one year's pay
18%
Out-earn a HS grad
37%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.8 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
$28,451
Men
$38,989

Men out-earn women by $10,538 (37%) 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
57″
Annual snow
0.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Meridian Key Fld, MS US station (2.4 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 Meridian Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Meridian Community College side by side →

Colleges near Meridian Community College

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.