Each year, more than 58,000 Mississippi students enroll in online classes, earning associate, bachelor's, and graduate degrees. At every public university and private school, online classes are becoming popular for their convenience and affordability. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, there are 41 institutions of higher education in Mississippi, including eight four-year public schools, 15 two-year public institutions, nine private nonprofit schools, and nine for-profit schools. With numerous degree options to select from, including a Mississippi college online MBA, prospective distance learners enjoy a wide variety of choices.
This article ranks the best online colleges in Mississippi. It also offers an overview of distance learning in the state, tuition discount opportunities, and job outlook statistics for Mississippi college graduates. If you're considering enrolling in online college courses in Mississippi or applying to online community colleges in Mississippi, read on to learn more.
But before we look at the best online colleges in Mississippi for 2019, let's start with the state of higher education and online education in Mississippi.
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Overview of Online Colleges in Mississippi
A Brief Overview of Higher Education in Mississippi
Mississippi is home to numerous colleges and universities, and students planning to attend a two-year or four-year institution enjoy a variety of options, including multiple online colleges in Mississippi. The 41 degree-granting institutions located across the state enroll a total of 172,712 students.[dataviz-stats public="24" non-profit="9" for-profit="9"]Mississippi college students also benefit from tuition rates below the national average. According to CollegeBoard, two-year public colleges in Mississippi charged an average annual tuition rate of $3,190 during the 2018-2019 academic year, while students at four-year public colleges paid roughly $8,420 a year. The state's flagship university, the University of Mississippi, or Ole Miss, charges just $8,660 a year in tuition, making it more affordable than nearly all other flagship public institutions. Tuition costs also vary according to institution type. While private schools typically charge overall higher rates, out-of-state students usually pay more at public universities. Online students often receive tuition discounts at both public and private institutions.In addition, many Mississippi college students participate in grant and aid programs that further lower their educational costs. This funding comes from both need- and merit-based opportunities. According to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs, the Mississippi higher education legislative plan provided undergraduate students with over $15 million in aid. Overall, Mississippi college students received more than $39 million in state grants and scholarships.
Higher Education in Mississippi
Featured Online Programs
The State of Online Higher Education in Mississippi
According to a 2017 Online Learning Survey, over 58,000 Mississippi college students were enrolled in online courses. With 33.8% of Mississippi students — or 58,211 individuals — taking at least one online course, the state exceeds the 29.7% national average. Mississippi is home to 20,723 distance learners who take all of their courses entirely online, with just under 15,000 completing undergraduate degrees and 5,786 enrolled in graduate programs.[dataviz-nces online="9.1" undergrad="77.2" in-state="86.4"]
Tuition Breaks for Out-of-State Students
Many online colleges in Mississippi offer tuition discounts for out-of-state students. Some of the best online colleges in Mississippi provide distance learners with lower tuition rates, and many allow online students to pay a flat, in-state tuition rate. Similarly, students attending a Mississippi college may qualify for in-state tuition through an alliance of schools organized by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). Created with the goal of improving educational accessibility, SREB operates in 15 member states, including Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware.Out-of-state candidates also benefit from SREB's Academic Common Market, which decreases tuition costs for qualifying students attending Mississippi colleges. Residents of one of SREB's 15 participating states can apply to pay in-state tuition if they attend a public institution located in another member state. Interested students can start by selecting a program available in their state, applying to either an undergraduate or graduate program at their prospective Mississippi school, and submitting state residency documentation. After completing these steps, residents of SREB member states are permitted to pay in-state tuition rates at their chosen Mississippi institution.
Best Online Colleges in Mississippi
Below, you will find our rankings of the best online four-year programs in Mississippi. Our profiles look at how schools approach online education and then list out their services for distance students, as well as their popular, fully online degrees. After reviewing the best online schools in Mississippi, explore our state resources, like a database of every college and university in Mississippi or our index of popular in-state scholarships.
Ranking Methodology
To determine the best online colleges in each state, we examined the factors most important to prospective students: Academic quality and reputation, online program strength, and cost and student aid. At the most basic level, we use the following formula to determine the best online colleges: Academic Quality + Online Offerings + Cost and Student Aid = Final Score. Of course, there's more to these calculations than meets the eye. Visit our methodology page to discover the data points that shape our formula and to learn more about the process we use to rank schools.
Most Affordable Online Colleges in Mississippi
Below, you'll find all of the online schools in Mississippi sorted by their tuition rates.
Affordability Methodology
Our list of the most affordable online colleges is based on in-state yearly tuition, or annual tuition rates if a school does not differentiate between in-state and out-of-state students. Tuition rates are based on a full course load each semester or term. All colleges on the list offer at least one bachelor's degree completion program available entirely online.The online schools in Mississippi with the lowest tuition are ranked highest.
College Graduate Outlook in Mississippi
Job Outlook for College Graduates in Mississippi
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Mississippi college graduates enter an economy that employs over a million workers. While the state's mean annual wage for all occupations sits below the national average at $38,910, graduates of online colleges in Mississippi benefit from an increasingly competitive job market, lower unemployment rates, and higher average salaries. As one study from Georgetown University demonstrates, college graduates earn around $1 million more in a lifetime than workers without a college degree.In September 2018, Mississippi reported a 4.8% unemployment rate, which is just above the national average. However, employees with a bachelor's degree benefit from a lower unemployment rate than non-college graduates, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In May 2018, for example, bachelor's degree holders experienced an unemployment rate of 2.1%, which is around half that of the overall 3.9% national unemployment rate.The job outlook in Mississippi centers upon several growing fields and occupations, including physical therapy assistant, home health aid, and industrial mechanic. Offering above-average salaries, many of these roles — including physical therapist, nurse practitioner, and software developer — require a bachelor's or graduate degree.