New Mexico State University-Main Campus (NMSU) vs University of Southern Mississippi (USM)

New Mexico State University-Main Campus and University of Southern Mississippi, both public research universities, offer distinct educational experiences. NMSU-Main boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to USM's 79%, making it a more accessible option. NMSU-Main's student body is more diverse, with a larger Hispanic population (43%) than USM's (14%). In terms of popular majors, NMSU-Main excels in engineering, agriculture, and nursing, while USM is known for its strong programs in business, education, and health professions. While NMSU-Main has a slightly higher graduation rate (58%) than USM's (56%), both universities provide ample opportunities for academic success and career preparation. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	New Mexico State University-Main Campus	University of Southern Mississippi
Overview
Location	Las Cruces, New Mexico	Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	72.0%	70.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	57.3%	95.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	920 - 1140	N/A
ACT range	17 - 23	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	36.0%
Students submitting ACT score	33.0%	99.0%
Total number of applicants	12,535	9,314
Total number of admissions given out	7,177	8,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,013	1,587
Yield rate	28.0%	17.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,010 Out of state: $38,476	In state: $25,100 Out of state: $27,100
Average net price	$11,397	$13,651
Tuition	In state: $6,041 Out of state: $22,507	In state: $9,094 Out of state: $11,094
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,507 Meal plan: $4,900	$10,950
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $11,518	91.0% Average amount $9,072
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $3,491	54.0% Average amount $5,327
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $10,115	4.0% Average amount $12,298

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,231 Men 41.9% Women 58.1%	10,693 Men 35.3% Women 64.7%
Graduate students	2,673 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%	3,453 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	29.0%	25.7%
International students	5.1%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,384	3,592
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New Mexico Texas Arizona California Colorado	Mississippi Louisiana Alabama Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Health Professions Education Agriculture	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.4%	51.8%
Dropout rate	45.8%	46.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Industrial Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,572 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $90,002 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,582 Year 2: $61,814 Year 3: $80,221 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $79,616 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,000 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $74,617 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,548 Year 2: $59,253 Year 3: $71,978 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,906 Year 2: $62,343 Year 3: $70,303 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,738 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $69,035 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,124 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $66,230 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $59,682 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $64,455 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,638 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $63,843	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $157,573 Year 2: $156,846 Year 3: $164,002 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $95,073 Year 3: $99,130 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $71,295 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $67,024 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,957 Year 2: $56,254 Year 3: $57,464 Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,555 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,239 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,332 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $52,453 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,129 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $50,674 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,726 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,610 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,917 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $48,921

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