Mississippi Valley
State University
Public College in Itta Bena, MS. Six-year graduation rate 27%. Median 10-year earnings $31,919.
Students who entered Mississippi Valley State University reach a median of $31,919 a decade later, a figure that trails the typical four-year outcome. Only 27% finish within six years, so roughly three in four students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Graduates leave owing a median of $28,413 — a substantial load to service on these earnings. On economic mobility, 3.9% of students travel from the bottom income quintile to the top.
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 0.89 — elevated (above 0.60)
- ! Graduation rate 27% — below national average
Admissions
With an acceptance rate of 92%, Mississippi Valley State University takes nearly everyone who applies. The applicant pool is small at 1,141, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable. About 32% of admitted students enroll, a yield in the normal range. Score ranges below describe the middle half of score submitters among enrolled first-years; students who applied test-optional are not represented in them.
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 | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | 13–17 | 220 (65%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Mississippi Valley State University →Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 27% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. First-year retention is 70% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. The 13:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,326 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $10,232 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. The income table below is the number that matters — $9,073 at $0–30k versus $17,479 at $110k+. Most students get help: 100% receive grants worth $8,675 on average. Borrowing is widespread: 73% take federal loans.
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 · 273 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 | $9,073 |
| $30–48k | $9,076 |
| $48–75k | $9,627 |
| $75–110k | $12,440 |
| $110k+ | $17,479 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 974 of these 1,326 students, totalling $6,151,490 — an average of $6,316 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Leflore 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)