Mississippi University for Women

Public · Moderately Selective · MS

Photo: LikeTheBread (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationMS · South

SettingRural

Undergrads1,605

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate32.8%

6-yr grad rate46.8%

Drop-out rate32.7%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$8k

Out-of-state tuition$8k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity46.7%

Gender diversity79.9%

International0.8%

Identity—

Overview

Mississippi University for Women, in Columbus, Mississippi, was founded in 1884 as the first public college for women in the United States and has kept its historic name even after admitting men, a shift forced by a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case involving a male applicant to its nursing program. The campus sits in a National Historic District of antebellum and Victorian buildings that gives it a distinct architectural character among Mississippi's public universities.

Academics

Nursing remains the university's core strength, alongside speech-language pathology, which has an established regional reputation, and a genuinely unusual offering for a small public university: culinary arts, taught through a dedicated culinary institute. Class sizes stay small across the board.

Campus & student life

The historic campus and modest enrollment give the school, known locally as The W, a close, low-key community feel distinct from Mississippi's larger public flagships. Cost stays modest relative to comparable private options in the state.

Worth knowing

The 1982 Supreme Court case, Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan, is a real piece of American legal and educational history tied directly to this campus, and it is worth knowing both for the school's origin story and for how it shapes the university's identity today as a coeducational institution that still honors its founding mission.

muw.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate90.3%

Enrolled mid-50%ACT 17–24

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying