State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard
Cheapest Colleges in Mississippi
According to U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data, 48 Mississippi colleges ranked by average net price, what students actually paid after grant and scholarship aid, not the published sticker price.
- Aid covers full cost
- Cheapest net price
- $13,265
- Mississippi median
- 48
- Schools ranked
Data updated June 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage
The list in one line
Coahoma Community College has the lowest average net price in Mississippi at Aid covers full cost, and the state's median net price is 22% below the $17,083 national median across 4,942 schools.
- Aid covers full cost
- cheapest ranked net price
- $13,265
- Mississippi median net price
- 23 public / 25 private
- schools in this ranking
- $12,672
- avg net price, <$30K income families
Average net price is the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, not counting loans that must be repaid. A very low figure at a specialty or religious institution can reflect a narrow enrollment mix rather than typical affordability, check the sector label and enrollment before comparing.
Sticker tuition and real net price diverge most at Millsaps College, where in-state published tuition of $44,680 falls to an average net price of $26,034 after aid, a $18,646 gap. This is the widest sticker-to-net-price gap among ranked Mississippi schools, and a reminder that published tuition alone is a poor guide to what most admitted students actually pay.
Across all 48 ranked Mississippi schools, 23 are public institutions and 25 are private (nonprofit or for-profit). Sector is shown next to every school below because a low sticker-adjacent price at a small religious, seminary, or specialty school can reflect an unusual enrollment mix rather than broad affordability, check enrollment and sector before drawing conclusions from rank alone.
Average net price also blends every income bracket into one figure, so a family's own bracket can land well above or below the number shown here. Federal reporting requires an institution to have enough surveyed aid recipients in a bracket before that bracket is published, so a very small school can show only a partial income-bracket breakdown even when its overall average net price is fully reported. Use the school's own profile page for the full income-bracket table before treating a single average as a personal cost estimate.
Mississippi's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coahoma Community College Clarksdale, MS · Public | Aid covers full cost 101% of the leader · rank #1 | Aid covers full cost | - | $21,521 | 1,808 |
| 2 | Southwest Mississippi Community College Summit, MS · Public | $2,525 91% of the leader · rank #2 | $2,171 | - | $29,092 | 1,752 |
| 3 | Mississippi Delta Community College Moorhead, MS · Public | $3,715 87% of the leader · rank #3 | $3,507 | - | $24,324 | 2,037 |
| 4 | Copiah-Lincoln Community College Wesson, MS · Public | $3,894 86% of the leader · rank #4 | $3,165 | $7,435 | $28,001 | 2,834 |
| 5 | Hinds Community College Raymond, MS · Public | $4,060 85% of the leader · rank #5 | $3,233 | $9,371 | $26,579 | 9,332 |
| 6 | East Mississippi Community College Scooba, MS · Public | $4,608 83% of the leader · rank #6 | $4,273 | $9,006 | $28,549 | 3,642 |
| 7 | Itawamba Community College Fulton, MS · Public | $4,616 83% of the leader · rank #7 | $3,623 | $7,631 | $30,851 | 4,937 |
| 8 | East Central Community College Decatur, MS · Public | $5,240 81% of the leader · rank #8 | $4,575 | $5,500 | $28,873 | 2,523 |
| 9 | Holmes Community College Goodman, MS · Public | $5,643 80% of the leader · rank #9 | $5,618 | $9,274 | $28,661 | 4,959 |
| 10 | Jones County Junior College Ellisville, MS · Public | $6,048 78% of the leader · rank #10 | $5,645 | $6,291 | $29,640 | 4,305 |
| 11 | Meridian Community College Meridian, MS · Public | $6,351 77% of the leader · rank #11 | $6,351 | $5,521 | $28,752 | 2,556 |
| 12 | Pearl River Community College Poplarville, MS · Public | $6,532 76% of the leader · rank #12 | $5,647 | $9,750 | $28,592 | 5,620 |
| 13 | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Perkinston, MS · Public | $6,962 75% of the leader · rank #13 | $5,778 | $10,000 | $28,421 | 8,091 |
| 14 | Northwest Mississippi Community College Senatobia, MS · Public | $7,911 71% of the leader · rank #14 | $6,370 | $6,500 | $31,370 | 7,520 |
| 15 | Southeastern Baptist College Laurel, MS · Private nonprofit | $8,138 71% of the leader · rank #15 | $8,315 | - | - | 69 |
| 16 | Blue Cliff College-Gulfport Gulfport, MS · Private for-profit | $8,252 70% of the leader · rank #16 | $8,252 | $9,500 | $20,197 | 259 |
| 17 | Northeast Mississippi Community College Booneville, MS · Public | $8,343 70% of the leader · rank #17 | $6,771 | $9,722 | $31,687 | 3,338 |
| 18 | Mississippi Institute of Aesthetics Nails & Cosmetology Clinton, MS · Private for-profit | $8,616 69% of the leader · rank #18 | $8,616 | - | $19,988 | 77 |
| 19 | Mississippi Valley State University Itta Bena, MS · Public | $9,686 65% of the leader · rank #19 | $9,073 | $28,413 | $25,817 | 2,196 |
| 20 | KC's School of Hair Design Pontotoc, MS · Private for-profit | $10,214 63% of the leader · rank #20 | $9,881 | $7,978 | $19,613 | 54 |
| 21 | Vaughn Beauty College Aberdeen, MS · Private for-profit | $12,020 57% of the leader · rank #21 | $12,020 | - | - | 60 |
| 22 | Mississippi University for Women Columbus, MS · Public | $12,411 55% of the leader · rank #22 | $10,676 | $15,000 | $47,458 | 2,227 |
| 23 | Traxlers School of Hair Jackson, MS · Private for-profit | $12,520 55% of the leader · rank #23 | $12,201 | - | $13,589 | 110 |
| 24 | Rust College Holly Springs, MS · Private nonprofit | $12,587 55% of the leader · rank #24 | $12,546 | $26,159 | $25,641 | 429 |
| 25 | Alcorn State University Lorman, MS · Public | $13,265 52% of the leader · rank #25 | $12,613 | $27,000 | $27,752 | 2,894 |
See all 48 ranked Mississippi schools →
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | University of Mississippi University, MS · Public | $13,314 52% of the leader · rank #26 | $8,945 | $20,000 | $45,336 | 24,043 |
| 27 | Delta State University Cleveland, MS · Public | $13,540 51% of the leader · rank #27 | $12,223 | $20,390 | $36,265 | 2,716 |
| 28 | William Carey University Hattiesburg, MS · Private nonprofit | $14,258 49% of the leader · rank #28 | $12,224 | $20,832 | $37,639 | 5,448 |
| 29 | Belhaven University Jackson, MS · Private nonprofit | $15,676 43% of the leader · rank #29 | $10,551 | $26,333 | $38,987 | 3,616 |
| 30 | Academy of Hair Design-Pearl Pearl, MS · Private for-profit | $16,468 41% of the leader · rank #30 | $16,468 | $6,500 | $21,382 | 48 |
| 31 | Tougaloo College Tougaloo, MS · Private nonprofit | $17,043 38% of the leader · rank #31 | $17,294 | $30,046 | $25,777 | 725 |
| 32 | The Academy of Hair Design Six Hattiesburg, MS · Private for-profit | $17,138 38% of the leader · rank #32 | $17,138 | $9,500 | $16,382 | 48 |
| 33 | Academy of Hair Design-Jackson Jackson, MS · Private for-profit | $17,356 37% of the leader · rank #33 | $17,356 | $6,786 | $16,877 | 77 |
| 34 | Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS · Public | $17,595 37% of the leader · rank #34 | $14,332 | $22,142 | $43,487 | 22,657 |
| 35 | Delta Technical College-Mississippi Horn Lake, MS · Private for-profit | $18,032 35% of the leader · rank #35 | $17,569 | $9,500 | $30,633 | 2,320 |
| 36 | Fosters Cosmetology College Ripley, MS · Private for-profit | $18,334 34% of the leader · rank #36 | $18,028 | - | $23,011 | 22 |
| 37 | Academy of Hair Design-Grenada Grenada, MS · Private for-profit | $18,742 32% of the leader · rank #37 | $18,742 | $6,786 | $16,877 | 33 |
| 38 | Unlimited Cosmetology School Hattiesburg, MS · Private for-profit | $19,504 30% of the leader · rank #38 | $19,504 | - | - | 26 |
| 39 | University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS · Public | $21,708 22% of the leader · rank #39 | $19,867 | $22,500 | $37,710 | 13,110 |
| 40 | Chris Beauty College Gulfport, MS · Private for-profit | $21,858 21% of the leader · rank #40 | $22,253 | - | $14,489 | 105 |
| 41 | Corinth Academy of Cosmetology Corinth, MS · Private for-profit | $23,198 16% of the leader · rank #41 | $23,053 | $8,500 | $19,228 | 105 |
| 42 | Concorde Career College-Southaven Southaven, MS · Private for-profit | $23,591 15% of the leader · rank #42 | $23,419 | $9,500 | $30,765 | 114 |
| 43 | Jackson State University Jackson, MS · Public | $23,836 14% of the leader · rank #43 | $22,869 | $30,470 | $30,530 | 6,564 |
| 44 | Blue Mountain Christian University Blue Mountain, MS · Private nonprofit | $24,016 13% of the leader · rank #44 | $23,112 | $18,534 | $35,401 | 971 |
| 45 | Hatfield's Mississippi College of Beauty Culture Laurel, MS · Private for-profit | $25,753 7% of the leader · rank #45 | $25,753 | $6,500 | $17,485 | 51 |
| 46 | Millsaps College Jackson, MS · Private nonprofit | $26,034 6% of the leader · rank #46 | $24,215 | $27,000 | $46,137 | 626 |
| 47 | Upper Kutz Barber & Style College Greenville, MS · Private for-profit | $26,734 4% of the leader · rank #47 | $26,588 | - | - | 28 |
| 48 | Mississippi College Clinton, MS · Private nonprofit | $27,712 4% of the leader · rank #48 | $25,984 | $22,500 | $42,011 | 4,087 |
What this means for you
Use Mississippi's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.
- Coahoma Community College reports the lowest average net price in Mississippi, but "average" blends every income bracket, check your bracket's figure before assuming it applies to you. View Coahoma Community College
- See your specific school's in-state cost rank and nearest-price peers. My School Profile
- Compare campus safety alongside cost before deciding. Mississippi safety
Figures reflect the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23 release.
Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. Only schools with a reported average net price in the DOE College Scorecard dataset are ranked. Schools with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting institutions in a state or territory are not given a dedicated ranking page.
Some schools on this page show "Aid covers full cost" instead of a dollar figure. This reflects real federal data: at a small number of low-cost institutions, mostly community colleges with strong state or federal grant programs, average grant and scholarship aid meets or exceeds the cost-of-attendance components used in the net-price calculation, producing a reported net price of $0 or below for the average aided student. It is not a display error.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23
Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every ranked figure on this page is queried directly from the DOE College Scorecard dataset at request time; no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.