Alcorn State University
Public College in Alcorn State, MS. Six-year graduation rate 57%. Median 10-year earnings $36,421.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $36,421, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. 57% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Median debt at graduation reaches $27,000, heavy enough to shape the years right after the degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Debt-to-income ratio 0.74 — elevated (above 0.60)
Admissions
Alcorn State University admits 45% of applicants and is genuinely selective — roughly one in two applicants are turned away. The applicant pool runs to 6,532, typical for a school of this reach. About 21% of admitted students enroll, a yield in the normal range. 8% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 400–513 | 49 (8%) |
| SAT Math | 270–485 | |
| ACT Composite | 15–19 | 561 (92%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Alcorn State University →Academics
57% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. First-year retention is 77% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. The part-time picture is harder: 27% return, against 77% full-time. At 16:1, class sizes land in the normal range for an undergraduate institution.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,290 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $12,376 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($12,613 versus $17,620), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. Most students get help: 85% receive grants worth $10,544 on average. 71% of students borrow federally, so debt is the norm rather than the exception.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 472 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $12,613 |
| $30–48k | $12,344 |
| $48–75k | $16,296 |
| $75–110k | $18,244 |
| $110k+ | $17,620 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,622 of these 2,290 students, totalling $17,725,826 — an average of $10,928 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Claiborne County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)