Public · University

Mississippi Valley State University

Itta Bena, Mississippi · Distant rural

#1 best value in Mississippi
92.4%
Admit rate
$9,686
Avg net price
27%
Graduation rate
$31,919
Median earnings

Mississippi Valley State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Itta Bena, Mississippi (distant rural setting), enrolling 1,439 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicSmall · 1,439 undergradsDistant ruralAccessible · 92% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southwestern Athletic Conference

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
92.4%
ACT (mid 50%)
13–17
Avg GPA (est.)
2.62

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

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

About Itta Bena, Mississippi

Itta Bena is a city in Leflore County, Mississippi, United States. The indigenous Choctaw Indians occupied the Delta region for hundreds of years prior to the arrival of European settlers, with ancestors stretching thousands of years into the past. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
84 miles to Jackson, MS
To the ocean
216 miles
Nearest airport
37 miles to Mid Delta (GLH)

How Mississippi Valley State University compares

Selectivity92.4%

More selective than 19% · #11 most selective of 15 in Mississippi

SAT average870

Higher than 1%

Graduation rate27%

Higher than 9% · #14 of 16 in Mississippi

First-year retention70%

Higher than 30%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$31,919

Higher than 4% · #16 of 16 in Mississippi

Average net price$9,686

Cheaper than 92% · #1 cheapest of 15 in Mississippi

Median debt at graduation$28,413

Lower than 6%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,439

Larger than 48%

Percentiles compare Mississippi Valley 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

1,631students
  • Undergraduate1,43988%
  • Graduate19212%

Undergraduates by gender

1,439undergrads
  • Women82357%
  • Men61643%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White3.3%
  • Black91%
  • Hispanic1.8%
  • Asian0.7%
  • Other or multiracial2.9%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,439
Graduate enrollment
192
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
56%
First-generation students
43%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$16,762
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$60,597
Endowment
$4,460,813

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

Admissions

Admission rate
92.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
870
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
13–17
Average GPA (estimated)
2.62

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,692
Room & board
$8,956
Books & supplies
$2,000
Total cost of attendance
$21,154
Average net price
$9,686

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)
27%
Graduated on time (4 years)
15%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$25,817
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$31,919
Median debt at graduation
$28,413
Students with federal loans
49%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
36%

About 12% 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
15%
Low-income (Pell)
11%
First-generation
11%

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
998
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
69%
Housing charge (year)
$4,386
Meal plan (year)
$3,794
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
333 (211 men · 122 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)98
Football98
Basketball36
Baseball33
Soccer20
Softball19
Volleyball19
Tennis10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,205 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.

1.0reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
0.7
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
$9,073
$30–48k
$9,076
$48–75k
$9,627
$75–110k
$12,440
$110k+
$17,479

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
$44,892

$9,627/year × about 4.7 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.

48%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,374
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 48% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,374. 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 205 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)
$31,919
Typical debt at graduation
$28,413
Debt vs. one year's pay
89%
Out-earn a HS grad
31%

Typical debt would take roughly 8.9 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
$29,106
Men
$35,590

Men out-earn women by $6,484 (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
91°F
Winter low
35°F
Annual rain
55.8″
Annual snow
0.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.16.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Moorhead, MS US station (10.6 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 Mississippi Valley State University

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

Colleges near Mississippi Valley 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.