UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI M-10

118 College Dr.
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
Tel: (601)266-7011
Admissions: (601)266-5000
Web Site: http://www.usm.edu/

Description:

State-supported, university, coed. Awards bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. Founded 1910. Setting: 1,090-acre suburban campus with easy access to New Orleans. Research spending 2003-04: $38.9 million. Educational spending 2003-04: $6823 per student. Total enrollment: 15,253. Faculty: 808 (659 full-time, 149 part-time). Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 17:1. 5,185 applied, 57% were admitted. 23% from top 10% of their high school class, 52% from top quarter, 82% from top half. Full-time: 9,965 students, 60% women, 40% men. Part-time: 2,555 students, 60% women, 40% men. Students come from 42 states and territories, 40 other countries, 10% from out-of-state, 0.4% Native American, 1% Hispanic, 28% black, 1% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 1% international, 24% 25 or older, 31% live on campus, 14% transferred in. Retention: 72% of full-time freshmen returned the following year. Academic areas with the most degrees conferred: business/marketing; education; health professions and related sciences. Core. Calendar: semesters. Academic remediation for entering students, ESL program, services for LD students, advanced placement, accelerated degree program, honors program, distance learning, double major, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, adult/continuing education programs, co-op programs, graduate courses open to undergrads. Off campus study at Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Marine Science Laboratory, Stennis Space Center. Study abroad program. ROTC: Army, Air Force.

Entrance Requirements:

Options: Common Application, electronic application, early admission, deferred admission. Required: high school transcript, minimum 2.0 high school GPA, SAT or ACT. Required for some: interview. Entrance: moderately difficult. Application deadline: Rolling. Notification: continuous.

Costs Per Year:

Application fee: $0. State resident tuition: $4106 full-time, $172 per credit hour part-time. Nonresident tuition: $9276 full-time, $388 per credit hour part-time. Part-time tuition varies according to course load. College room and board: $5010. College room only: $3010. Room and board charges vary according to housing facility.

Collegiate Environment:

Orientation program. Drama-theater group, choral group, marching band, student-run newspaper, radio station. Social organizations: 200 open to all; national fraternities, national sororities; 16% of eligible men and 15% of eligible women are members. Most popular organizations: University Activities Council, residence halls associations. Major annual events: Fall Festival, UAC sponsored events, homecoming. Student services: legal services, health clinic, personal-psychological counseling, women's center. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices and patrols, late night transport-escort service, controlled dormitory access. 3,932 college housing spaces available; 3,469 were occupied in 2003-04. No special consideration for freshman housing applicants. Options: men-only, women-only housing available. Cook Memorial Library plus 4 others with 1.4 million books, 4.9 million microform titles, 21,259 serials, 19,452 audiovisual materials, an OPAC, and a Web page. Operations spending 2003-04: $4.5 million. 600 computers available on campus for general student use. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment:

Primarily a thriving industrial city, Hattiesburg produces chemicals, clothing, concrete and corrugated containers, and has food processing plants, lumber mills and an oil refinery. Passenger bus, rail and air service is accessible. The city is a well-rounded community with a splendid balance among agriculture, commerce and industry. There are a public library and two hospitals located within the city limits. Each year, the Hattiesburg Concert Association brings concerts, symphonies and choral groups to the city. A full-time recreation department is operated, with both indoor and outdoor programs year-round. There is good hunting and fishing in the general area.