University of Memphis (UofM) vs University of Southern Mississippi (USM)

When it comes to choosing the right university, it's essential to compare institutions to find the best fit. The University of Memphis and the University of Southern Mississippi, both located in the heart of their respective states, offer distinct experiences for students. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to diverse needs and aspirations. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns with your academic goals, preferred campus environment, and personal preferences. Whether you're drawn to the vibrant city life of Memphis or the charming college town atmosphere of Hattiesburg, this comparison will help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.
University of Memphis logo

University of Memphis

University of Southern Mississippi logo

University of Southern Mississippi

Overview

Location Memphis, Tennessee Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Campus setting City: Large City: Small
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 72.0% 70.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 95.2% 95.8%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $25

Graduate: $35
Undergraduate: $40

Graduate: $60
SAT range N/A N/A
ACT range N/A 19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score 99.0%
Total number of applicants 14,916 9,314
Total number of admissions given out 14,201 8,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll 2,593 1,587
Yield rate 18.3% 17.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $26,429

Out of state: $30,461
In state: $25,100

Out of state: $27,100
Average net price $14,251 $13,651
Tuition
In state: $8,352

Out of state: $12,384
In state: $9,094

Out of state: $11,094
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $6,020

Meal plan: $4,414
$10,950
Available payment plans
  • Guaranteed tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

95.0%
Average amount $9,642
91.0%
Average amount $9,072
Students receiving federal student loan 43.0%
Average amount $4,996
54.0%
Average amount $5,327
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $12,990
4.0%
Average amount $12,298

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 16,702
Men 39.4% Women 60.6%
10,693
Men 35.3% Women 64.7%
Graduate students 4,920
Men 38.6% Women 61.4%
3,453
Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 17.9% 25.7%
International students 4.2% 2.8%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Small
Dormitory capacity 2,683 3,592
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Tennessee Mississippi Arkansas Illinois Missouri Mississippi Louisiana Alabama Florida Tennessee

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Business
  • Education
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Business
  • Psychology
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio 16:1 16:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome

Graduation rate 54.4% 51.8%
Dropout rate 27.8% 46.0%
Transferred out 14.4% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $92,183
  • Year 2: $90,482
  • Year 3: $93,053
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $55,578
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $83,771
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $77,569
  • Year 2: $73,446
  • Year 3: $81,572
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,053
  • Year 2: $61,516
  • Year 3: $72,912
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,497
  • Year 2: $60,623
  • Year 3: $71,690
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,138
  • Year 2: $63,749
  • Year 3: $68,655
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,294
  • Year 2: $55,964
  • Year 3: $68,033
Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $52,203
  • Year 2: $61,020
  • Year 3: $64,943
Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,998
  • Year 2: $55,964
  • Year 3: $62,591
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,920
  • Year 2: $51,035
  • Year 3: $61,841
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $157,573
  • Year 2: $156,846
  • Year 3: $164,002
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $95,073
  • Year 3: $99,130
Education, General (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $67,660
  • Year 3: $71,295
Public Health (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $61,516
  • Year 3: $67,024
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $55,957
  • Year 2: $56,254
  • Year 3: $57,464
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $53,555
  • Year 2: $52,107
  • Year 3: $56,239
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $52,332
  • Year 2: $53,358
  • Year 3: $52,453
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $39,129
  • Year 2: $38,829
  • Year 3: $50,674
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,726
  • Year 2: $48,432
  • Year 3: $49,610
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,917
  • Year 2: $45,696
  • Year 3: $48,921

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
University of Memphis UofM vs University of South Alabama University of South Alabama
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Arkansas at Little Rock University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Central Arkansas University of Central Arkansas
University of Memphis UofM vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Northern Colorado University of Northern Colorado
University of Memphis UofM vs Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
University of Memphis UofM vs Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University
University of Memphis UofM vs Georgia State University Georgia State University
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
University of Memphis UofM vs Ball State University Ball State University
University of Memphis UofM vs Iowa State University Iowa State University
University of Memphis UofM vs Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University
University of Memphis UofM vs Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University
University of Memphis UofM vs University of New Orleans University of New Orleans
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Louisiana at Lafayette University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College Park
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Massachusetts-Boston University of Massachusetts-Boston
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Southern Mississippi University of Southern Mississippi
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Missouri-Kansas City University of Missouri-Kansas City
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Missouri-St Louis University of Missouri-St Louis
University of Memphis UofM vs Kean University Kean University
University of Memphis UofM vs CUNY City College CUNY City College
University of Memphis UofM vs CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
University of Memphis UofM vs East Carolina University East Carolina University
University of Memphis UofM vs University of North Carolina at Greensboro University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of Memphis UofM vs Cleveland State University Cleveland State University
University of Memphis UofM vs Kent State University at Kent Kent State University at Kent
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Toledo University of Toledo
University of Memphis UofM vs Youngstown State University Youngstown State University
University of Memphis UofM vs Portland State University Portland State University
University of Memphis UofM vs Austin Peay State University Austin Peay State University
University of Memphis UofM vs Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University
University of Memphis UofM vs The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
University of Memphis UofM vs Texas State University Texas State University
University of Memphis UofM vs The University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Vermont University of Vermont
University of Memphis UofM vs University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs The University of Alabama The University of Alabama
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs University of West Alabama University of West Alabama
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Troy University Troy University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs University of Central Arkansas University of Central Arkansas
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Valdosta State University Valdosta State University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Ball State University Ball State University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Iowa State University Iowa State University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs University of New Orleans University of New Orleans
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs University of Louisiana at Monroe University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs University of Louisiana at Lafayette University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Western Michigan University Western Michigan University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Jackson State University Jackson State University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs University of Central Missouri University of Central Missouri
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs East Carolina University East Carolina University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs University of North Carolina at Asheville University of North Carolina at Asheville
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs University of North Carolina Wilmington University of North Carolina Wilmington
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs University of North Carolina at Pembroke University of North Carolina at Pembroke
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Kent State University at Kent Kent State University at Kent
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Texas State University Texas State University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs The University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs The University of Texas at Tyler The University of Texas at Tyler
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs The University of Texas Permian Basin The University of Texas Permian Basin
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs Texas Woman's University Texas Woman's University
University of Southern Mississippi USM vs University of Vermont University of Vermont