William Carey University
Private College in Hattiesburg, MS. Six-year graduation rate 60%. Median 10-year earnings $43,087.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $43,087 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. Six-year completion sits at 60%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Median debt at graduation is $20,832, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree. It also moves people — 2.0% of students climb from the bottom fifth of the income distribution 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
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 60% puts William Carey University on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. The applicant pool is small at 841, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable. Yield is high — 48% of admitted students go on to enroll, well above the typical rate. The score bands below rest on the 7% of enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT score — a self-selected group, and not a cutoff.
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 | 540–690 | 15 (7%) |
| SAT Math | 500–600 | |
| ACT Composite | 19–25 | 212 (93%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at William Carey University →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 60%, meaning about two in five students who enroll leave without finishing. 78% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in five are gone before sophomore year. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. With 34% transferring out, this functions substantially as a stepping stone. A 14:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,819 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $15,469 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Net price varies modestly by income — $12,224 at $0–30k against $19,701 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 90% of students get grant aid averaging $11,466, so the published price is a poor guide to what most pay. About 43% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
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 · 203 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 | $12,224 |
| $30–48k | $12,411 |
| $48–75k | $15,320 |
| $75–110k | $18,436 |
| $110k+ | $19,701 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 774 of these 1,819 students, totalling $6,059,260 — an average of $7,829 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Forrest 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)