Is University of Southern Mississippi Worth It?

University of Southern Mississippi gives you a middling financial return that depends heavily on your major. Median earnings ten years out sit at $44,140, which covers the $22,500 median debt but leaves little cushion. With a 50.6% graduation rate, half of you don't finish in the expected window, and every year you spend beyond four raises the real cost well past the $14,224 sticker.

Your major decides everything here. Nursing pays the most at $56,254, though it also carries the highest debt at $24,327, so the payoff comes with the biggest borrowing. Clinical/medical laboratory science and architectural engineering technology both clear $52,000 with debt near or below the median, making them the cleanest financial bets on campus. Data processing lands around $47,846. Human resources management trails at $40,461, below the school's own median earnings, so that path leaves you closer to break-even.

The main risk is finishing. A 70.5% retention rate means roughly three in ten of you don't return after year one, and dropping out with debt and no degree is the worst outcome the numbers point to. If you're aiming at anything outside the health and technical fields listed, expect earnings that make repaying loans slow.

The net price tiers reward lower-income families. If your household earns under $48k, you pay less than $13,000 a year, and the $30-48k bracket actually pays the least at $11,574. Once you cross $48k, the price jumps sharply, topping $19,500 for families over $110k.

This school fits you if you're targeting nursing, lab science, or architectural engineering technology, especially from a lower-income household. If you're set on a lower-paying major or unsure you'll finish, weigh cheaper options first.