Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

William Carey University

Students comparing William Carey University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Hattiesburg, Mississippi2,201 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 52Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

William Carey University: U.S. News ranks it #373 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #943 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #184 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 2,201 undergraduates, admits 60.3% of applicants, and posts a 59.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $15,480; aid recipients pay $14,258 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $43,087.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
60.3%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$14,258

40% below the $23,574 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$43,087

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
59.8%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$20,832

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1040–1290

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where William Carey ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#373of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#943of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A-#184of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges3.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: William Carey's position moves 78 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About William Carey

William Carey University is a private nonprofit institution in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Federal data show 77.9% first-year retention and a 13:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $14,258 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $23,574 sticker cost against $14,258 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing William Carey University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$15,480

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
27.1%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$8,094

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $23,574 a year, but the average family pays $14,258 — a 40% difference. 27.1% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run William Carey's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    13:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    77.9%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    2,201

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    William Carey: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $15,480 and on-campus room and board is $8,094, for a published total of $23,574 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $14,258.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 60.3%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Midway University

    Midway, KYPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Midway University: U.S. News ranks it #65 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #823 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1357 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 2.5 stars. It enrolls 1,262 undergraduates, admits 95.1% of applicants, and posts a 40.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $27,220; aid recipients pay $29,579 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $44,246.

    Acceptance rate
    95.1%
    Average net price
    $29,579
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $44,246
    6-yr graduation rate
    40.7%
    US News · Regional univ. (South)#65 of 135Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#823 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1357 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    1,262 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 52 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Lipscomb University

    Nashville, TNPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Lipscomb University: U.S. News ranks it #222 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #435 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #455 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #404 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #226 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 2,997 undergraduates, admits 67.7% of applicants, and posts a 72.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $40,572; aid recipients pay $24,739 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $55,541.

    Acceptance rate
    67.7%
    Average net price
    $24,739
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $55,541
    6-yr graduation rate
    72.2%
    US News · National universities#222 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#435 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#455 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    2,997 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 52 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Loyola University New Orleans

    New Orleans, LAPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Loyola University New Orleans: U.S. News ranks it #222 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #786 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #371 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #806 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #25 Best College Newspaper. It enrolls 2,812 undergraduates, admits 93.0% of applicants, and posts a 59.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $49,440; aid recipients pay $23,696 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $52,927.

    Acceptance rate
    93.0%
    Average net price
    $23,696
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $52,927
    6-yr graduation rate
    59.0%
    US News · National universities#222 of 436Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#786 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#371 of 500+3 more on profile

    2,812 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 52 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare William Carey against these