“R1 public research university with dual campuses in Hattiesburg and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is a public Carnegie R1 research university founded in 1910 and anchored in Hattiesburg, the self-styled "Hub City" of south Mississippi, with additional campuses on the Gulf Coast in Long Beach and a Stennis Space Center research park. Southern Miss is best known for nationally respected programs in marine and ocean science, polymer science and engineering, hydrography, nursing, and teacher education — the College of Nursing and Health Professions is one of the state's largest pipelines into clinical careers, while the School of Polymer Science and Engineering holds one of only a handful of polymer PhD programs in the country. Academic life sits on a classic, tree-lined Southern campus of about 1,090 acres, organized around six colleges that award 190+ bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. The student body of roughly 13,000 skews in-state and first-generation, so the academic climate tends toward hands-on and applied: undergraduate research, teacher-candidate placements in local schools, and Gulf-based field work through the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory and Marine Education Center. For international students, USM is an accessible entry point to an American research university — low cost of attendance, responsive ISSS support, and a near-open admissions posture that rewards solid academics rather than demanding elite test scores. Outside class, Southern Miss is a Sun Belt Conference athletics school where Golden Eagle football, the famed "Pride of Mississippi" marching band, and traditions like Painting of the Eagle Walk during Golden Eagle Welcome Week give the campus its distinct gold-and-black identity. Hattiesburg itself is a friendly mid-size college town within 90 minutes of New Orleans, the Gulf beaches, and Jackson, giving students a low-cost base with easy access to major Southern cities.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
National Universities
US News 2026
Research Activity
Carnegie Classifications (2021)
Research activity
Carnegie Classification
Affiliations
Wikipedia
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceInternational — Fall
International undergraduate deadline for Fall admission
International — Spring
International undergraduate deadline for Spring admission
Domestic Priority — Fall 2026
Priority deadline for freshman, transfer, readmit, and dual enrollment
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$9,998
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$11,998
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
One of Mississippi's largest producers of nurses and allied-health professionals, with clinical partnerships across the Gulf Coast and central Mississippi.
Houses the School of Polymer Science and Engineering and the Division of Marine Science — USM's most distinctive research strengths — alongside humanities and social science departments.
AACSB-accredited business college offering majors tied to the regional economy, from logistics to healthcare administration.
A primary teacher-preparation pipeline for Mississippi K-12 schools, with strong programs in sport management and child development.
Home to the School of Music (including the Pride of Mississippi marching band), theatre, and communication programs.
4 years
One of a small number of dedicated polymer bachelor's degrees in the United States, feeding top-ranked graduate research and a pipeline into chemical and materials industries.
4 years
Taught across the Hattiesburg campus and the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, giving undergraduates access to ocean-going research vessels and Gulf field sites.
4 years
Large CCNE-accredited nursing program with clinical rotations across Forrest General, Memorial Hospital Gulfport, and regional partners; strong NCLEX pass rates.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $11,998
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
