Cheap Colleges in Mississippi for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $3,540 and $28,600 a year in tuition and fees at the 22 public colleges and universities we rank in Mississippi, a gap of $25,060 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $7,373, $5,413 (42%) below the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $4,250, so the typical out-of-state premium is only $3,123 here, a ratio of 1.7 to 1.
Mississippi Delta Community College ranks first at $3,540, ahead of Northwest Mississippi Community College ($3,740) and Copiah-Lincoln Community College ($5,000).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Mississippi
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported out-of-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Mississippi has 22
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 22 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Mississippi Delta Community College Moorhead, MS Public · 2-year | $3,540 | $3,540 | $3,715 | 31% | 1,413 |
| 2 | Northwest Mississippi Community College Senatobia, MS Public · 2-year | $3,740 | $3,740 | $7,911 | 44% | 5,452 |
| 3 | Copiah-Lincoln Community College Wesson, MS Public · 2-year | $5,000 | $4,000 | $3,894 | 51% | 1,922 |
| 4 | Itawamba Community College Fulton, MS Public · 2-year | $5,820 | $3,420 | $4,616 | 48% | 4,167 |
| 5 | Pearl River Community College Poplarville, MS Public · 2-year | $6,100 | $3,700 | $6,532 | 36% | 4,903 |
| 6 | East Central Community College Decatur, MS Public · 2-year | $6,260 | $4,160 | $5,240 | 38% | 1,520 |
| 7 | Meridian Community College Meridian, MS Public · 2-year | $6,478 | $4,078 | $6,351 | 39% | 2,156 |
| 8 | Holmes Community College Goodman, MS Public · 2-year | $6,610 | $3,710 | $5,643 | 42% | 3,958 |
| 9 | Southwest Mississippi Community College Summit, MS Public · 2-year | $6,780 | $4,080 | $2,525 | 48% | 1,474 |
| 10 | Jones County Junior College Ellisville, MS Public · 2-year | $6,806 | $4,806 | $6,048 | 38% | 3,535 |
| 11 | Hinds Community College Raymond, MS Public · 2-year | $7,300 | $4,250 | $4,060 | 43% | 6,397 |
| 12 | East Mississippi Community College Scooba, MS Public · 2-year | $7,445 | $4,095 | $4,608 | 44% | 2,838 |
| 13 | Mississippi Valley State University Itta Bena, MS Public · 4-year | $7,692 | $7,692 | $9,686 | 24% | 1,439 |
| 14 | Northeast Mississippi Community College Booneville, MS Public · 2-year | $7,710 | $4,470 | $8,343 | 35% | 2,698 |
| 15 | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Perkinston, MS Public · 2-year | $7,850 | $4,250 | $6,962 | 47% | 6,353 |
| 16 | Mississippi University for Women Columbus, MS Public · 4-year | $8,492 | $8,492 | $12,411 | 42% | 1,605 |
| 17 | Delta State University Cleveland, MS Public · 4-year | $8,605 | $8,605 | $13,540 | 47% | 1,620 |
| 18 | Alcorn State University Alcorn State, MS Public · 4-year | $8,785 | $8,785 | $13,265 | 51% | 2,363 |
| 19 | Jackson State University Jackson, MS Public · 4-year | $11,965 | $8,965 | $23,836 | 41% | 4,600 |
| 20 | University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS Public · 4-year | $11,998 | $9,998 | $21,708 | 50% | 10,075 |
| 21 | Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS Public · 4-year | $27,637 | $10,202 | $17,595 | 65% | 18,397 |
| 22 | University of Mississippi University, MS Public · 4-year | $28,600 | $9,772 | $13,314 | 70% | 21,473 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Mississippi
Same list in nearby states
Cheap colleges in Tennessee for out-of-state students
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Cheap colleges in Alabama for out-of-state students
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Cheap colleges in Louisiana for out-of-state students
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All 30 colleges in Mississippi See the national version of this ranking