The University of Southern Mississippi was founded in 1910 as the Mississippi Normal College. This school was established to provide teacher training for the growing population of Mississippi. The curriculum initially focused on teaching, but over the years, it has grown to include a variety of other programs and disciplines. In 1927, the school was renamed Mississippi State Teachers College and continued to offer teachers more specialized education. By 1940, it had become a four-year institution and changed its name to Mississippi Southern College. In 1962, the institution gained university status and was renamed The University of Southern Mississippi.
Since then, USM has seen tremendous growth in its academic offerings and student population. It now has five campuses located throughout Mississippi: Hattiesburg Campus, Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach, Stennis Space Center Campus in Bay St Louis, Meridian Campus and Poplarville Campus. With an enrollment of approximately 15,000 students each year, USM offers more than 180 undergraduate programs as well as graduate degrees in several areas such as business administration, criminology and justice studies, engineering technology and health sciences. USM also offers a wide range of research opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students across all disciplines. Additionally, the university is home to a variety of cultural events including concerts by nationally-known artists plus theatre performances that take place both on campus and at venues around Hattiesburg. Check USPRIVATESCHOOLSFINDER for a list of private schools in Alabama.
University of Southern Mississippi, as one of the top colleges ranked by major educational institutions, has impressed us by its high selectivity and student friendly application process during admissions. The following tables detail 2018 class profile, including total applications received, average high school GPA, SAT scores/ACT scores, and acceptance rates of University of Southern Mississippi. To learn more about GPA, SAT and ACT scores information, please follow the links below. If you want to find even more about University of Southern Mississippi, such as tuition fees and scholarships, you can click the link after tables to visit the school’s official website.
Official website: https://www.abbreviationfinder.org/acronyms/usm_university-of-southern-mississippi.html
Admissions Stats
The University of Southern Mississippi is a public university located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It offers over 180 degree programs, including undergraduate and graduate degrees. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the university has an enrollment of 14,907 students in the 2017-2018 academic year. The student body is evenly split between male and female students with a gender ratio of 50:50. The student to faculty ratio is 17:1, which means that there are approximately 17 students for every faculty member at the university. The acceptance rate at USM is 72%, which is relatively high compared to other universities in the region. The average GPA for incoming freshmen is 3.0, and the average SAT score range from 980-1190 depending on program and major chosen. USM also offers a wide range of financial aid options from scholarships to loans and grants that can help make college more affordable for students who qualify.
Fall 2022 Selectivity
| Selectivity | selective |
| Fall 2022 acceptance rate | 60% |
| Early decision acceptance rate | N/A |
| Early action acceptance rate | N/A |
| Acceptance rate (excluding early action and early decision students) | 60% |
Fall 2022 Applications, Acceptances & Enrollments
| Applicants | 5,491 |
| Female applicants | 3,420 |
| Male applicants | 2,071 |
| Applicants accepted | 3,279 |
| Female applicants accepted | 2,060 |
| Male applicants accepted | 1,219 |
| Freshman enrollment | 1,591 |
| Female freshman enrollment | 1,015 |
| Male freshman enrollment | 576 |
| Early decision applicants | N/A |
| Early decision applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early decision applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Early action applicants | N/A |
| Early action applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early action applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Total enrolled incoming freshmen who were accepted under early acceptance or early action | N/A |
Fall 2022 Wait List
| School has a wait list | No |
| Applicants placed on wait list | N/A |
| Students accepting place on wait list | N/A |
| Students accepted from wait list | N/A |
Fall 2022 High School Rank
| Freshman students submitting high school class standing | 37% |
Fall 2022 High School GPA
| Freshman students submitting high school GPA | 100% |
| Average high school GPA | 3.1 |
| High school GPA 25th-75th percentile range | 2.7-3.5 |
Fall 2022 Freshman SAT Scores
| Freshman students submitting SAT scores | 3% |
| SAT Critical Reading average score | 512 |
| SAT Critical Reading 25th-75th percentile range | 435-565 |
| SAT Math average score | 498 |
| SAT Math 25th-75th percentile range: | 440-540 |
| SAT Writing average score | N/A |
| SAT Writing 25th-75th percentile range | N/A |
| SAT Essay 25th-75th percentile range | N/A |
Fall 2022 Freshman ACT Scores
| Freshman students submitting ACT scores | 97% |
| Average ACT Composite score | 22 |
| ACT Composite 25th-75th percentile range | 19-24 |
| ACT English 25th-75th percentile range | 17-23 |
| ACT Math 25th-75th percentile range | 19-26 |