2027 at a glanceMississippi Degree Completion Programs at a Glance
- The #1 school for degree completion in Mississippi in 2027 is Mississippi University for Women, because 66% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 8 other colleges on this list) and its online rate is $377 per credit for Mississippi residents (lower than 6 other colleges on this list).
- #2 is Mississippi State University: its online rate is $452 per credit for Mississippi residents (lower than 2 other colleges on this list).
- #3 is Belhaven University: it accepts up to 93 transfer credits (the highest on this list).
8 of the 10 colleges here are based in Mississippi. They come first. The rest of the list is online colleges based in neighboring states, ranked with the same measures at their out-of-state rate.
The ranking
Degree Completion Programs in Mississippi, Ranked
#1Columbus, MississippiMississippi University for Women
Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Administration, General Business
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #1: 66% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 8 other colleges on this list) and its online rate is $377 per credit for Mississippi residents (lower than 6 other colleges on this list).
The W in Columbus built a Bachelor of Applied Science for community college graduates who hold an AAS in a career and technical field, and the junior and senior years can be completed entirely online. Up to 90 hours of community college coursework can transfer, including 40 hours of approved technical credit. Part-time tuition is $376.96 per credit hour.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 32%
- Where You Start
- A minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA on all coursework attempted and eligibility to return to the college you are leaving; official transcripts from every college attended
- Transfer Credits
- Up to 90 hours of community college coursework, including 40 semester hours of approved career and technical credit from an AAS
- Published Tuition
- $376.96 per credit hour part time (1-11 hours), or $4,523.50 per semester full time; out-of-state students pay an extra $41.67 per credit hour
#2Mississippi State, MississippiMississippi State University
BS in Interdisciplinary Studies
OnlineTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #2: Its online rate is $452 per credit for Mississippi residents (lower than 2 other colleges on this list) and 50% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 4 other colleges on this list).
Mississippi State's online BS in Interdisciplinary Studies reviews transfer credit for up to 60 community college hours or up to 90 hours from a four-year institution. The 120-credit degree is built from two 18-hour emphasis areas or three 12-hour ones, with 36 hours of upper-level work, so you shape it around what you already studied.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 10%
- Where You Start
- Transfer review permits up to 60 community-college hours or up to 90 hours from a four-year institution, subject to degree rules.
- Published Tuition
- $452 per credit hour for Mississippi State Online bachelor's programs, plus a $25 per credit hour instructional support fee
#3Jackson, MississippiBelhaven University
BA in Biblical Studies
OnlineTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #3: It accepts up to 93 transfer credits (the highest on this list) and 30% of its undergraduates study fully online (higher than 6 other colleges on this list).
Belhaven in Jackson delivers its Biblical Studies BA fully online, and the online application asks for transcripts from every school you attended before. Courses treat the Bible as the authority for Christian faith and practice, and the program lists a Human Services concentration if you want a more applied direction.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 30%
- Transfer Credits
- The last 31 of 124 semester hours must be earned at Belhaven, so up to 93 can transfer
#4Hattiesburg, MississippiUniversity of Southern Mississippi
BS in Industrial Engineering Technology, Logistics Emphasis
OnlineTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #4: Its online rate is $450 per credit for Mississippi residents (lower than 3 other colleges on this list) and 25% of its undergraduates study fully online (higher than 3 other colleges on this list).
Southern Miss offers an online BS in Industrial Engineering Technology with a Logistics emphasis. You send official transcripts from every institution attended after high school, then work through 120 credits that include a 42-credit major covering quality control, transportation, distribution and global supply chain management, finishing with a senior project.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 25%
- Where You Start
- Transfer applicants submit official transcripts from all institutions attended after high school for evaluation.
- Transfer Credits
- At least 25% of the credit hours needed for the degree must be earned at Southern Miss, so up to 90 of 120 hours can transfer
#5Jackson, MississippiJackson State University
Bachelor of University Studies
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #5: Its online rate is $412 per credit for Mississippi residents (lower than 4 other colleges on this list) and 26% of its undergraduates study fully online (higher than 4 other colleges on this list).
Jackson State's Bachelor of University Studies is for adults who already have at least 90 credit hours and have been away from college for 24 months. Its School of Lifelong Learning was created by the state's higher education board to serve nontraditional adult learners. Courses run online in 8-week terms at $412 per credit hour.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 26%
- Where You Start
- At least 90 credit hours already earned and no postsecondary enrollment in the past twenty-four months; send official transcripts from all previous colleges plus your high school transcript or GED/HiSET scores
- Transfer Credits
- Built for adults who bring at least 90 earned credit hours
- Study Schedule
- Fully online with 8-week courses
#6Hattiesburg, MississippiWilliam Carey University
Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervisory Management
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #6: Its online rate is $510 per credit for Mississippi residents (lower than 1 other college on this list) and 27% of its undergraduates study fully online (higher than 5 other colleges on this list).
William Carey's Supervisory Management BAS lets you carry career and technical credit from a community college into a fully online bachelor's degree. Up to 60 to 64 community college hours can apply, and if you transfer from a four-year school your last 30 hours are taken at Carey. Tuition is $510 per credit hour plus a $20 online fee.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 27%
- Transfer Credits
- A maximum of 60-64 credit hours from a community college; career and technical credit from community colleges can count toward the bachelor's degree
- Study Schedule
- Fully online delivery; about two years for students who have an AAS
#7Cleveland, MississippiDelta State University
BAS in Geospatial Analysis and Intelligence
OnlineTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #7: Its online rate is $351 per credit for Mississippi residents (lower than 7 other colleges on this list) and 14% of its undergraduates study fully online (higher than 1 other college on this list).
Delta State in Cleveland offers a Bachelor of Applied Science in Geospatial Analysis and Intelligence with fully online, asynchronous courses and optional campus visits. A transferable associate degree with a 2.0 GPA qualifies you to apply, and the 120-hour degree finishes with a capstone.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 14%
- Where You Start
- Transfer applicants can qualify with a transferable associate degree and a 2.0 GPA or eligible transferable coursework with a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
#8Blue Mountain, MississippiBlue Mountain Christian University
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
OnlineTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #8: Its online rate is $380 per credit for Mississippi residents (lower than 5 other colleges on this list) and 54% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 7 other colleges on this list).
Blue Mountain Christian University offers its Criminal Justice BS fully online at $380 per credit hour, the same price wherever you live. The catalog accepts up to 70 semester hours from a community or junior college, and you send transcripts from each college you attended. Coursework covers law enforcement, corrections and criminology.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 15%
- Where You Start
- Submit an application and complete official transcripts from each college previously attended; applicants with fewer than twelve semester hours also send a high school transcript or GED report
- Transfer Credits
- A maximum of 70 semester hours from a community or junior college
#9Based in LouisianaNationsUniversity
Bachelor of Religious Studies
OnlineNew Orleans, LouisianaTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #9: 80% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (the highest on this list) and its rate is $150 per credit for out-of-state students (the lowest on this list).
NationsUniversity's Bachelor of Religious Studies is 120 semester credits, and at least 60 come from published religion-related subject categories. You present your previous college work for transfer consideration, and at least 30 credits must be completed through NationsUniversity. The school is based in Louisiana.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 100%
- Where You Start
- Present previous college work for transfer consideration within the bachelor’s degree requirements.
#10Based in AlabamaColumbia Southern University
BS in Organizational Leadership
OnlineOrange Beach, AlabamaTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #10: Its online rate is $278 per credit for out-of-state students (lower than 8 other colleges on this list) and 100% of its undergraduates study fully online (higher than 8 other colleges on this list).
Columbia Southern University in Alabama charges $278 per credit hour for undergraduate courses, and up to 90 credits may transfer into its Organizational Leadership BS after a degree evaluation. The 48-credit major covers organizational behavior, team building, negotiation and leadership communication, with social psychology and industrial-organizational psychology in support. The plan leaves 42 elective credits.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 100%
- Transfer Credits
- Up to 90 credits may transfer, subject to the degree evaluation.
Build a Plan Around Your Transfer Credits.
List the college credits you already have in the degree planner, then bring that list and your questions to a Mississippi school’s transfer advisor. The school’s evaluation decides which credits count toward your degree.
Build your degree plan ↗Going Back to College in Mississippi
Pull transcripts from every college you attended and run them through MATT, the Mississippi Articulation and Transfer Tool, which compares courses across public institutions. Generally, one-half of the hours required for a bachelor's degree may be transferred from a community college. If you hold an AAS, look at a Bachelor of Applied Science: The W accepts up to 90 hours of community college coursework, including 40 hours of technical credit. Online rates run from $376.96 per credit hour at The W to $412 at Jackson State and $510 at William Carey.
Read the official guidance: Mississippi Statewide Articulation Agreement and MATT
Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board have a statewide articulation agreement that governs the transfer of credits between community and junior colleges and public universities. The MATT tool shows how courses transfer.
Read the official guidance: Every college on every state list is scored the same way, out of 100. The measures, from most to least weight:
- Transfer Student Completion (25%): the share of transfer students who earn a degree within eight years (IPEDS Outcome Measures).
- Cost per Credit (20%): the online per-credit rate the school publishes, at the resident rate for in-state schools, or the federal per-credit charge when no online rate is published.
- Transfer Credit Maximum (15%): the most transfer credit the featured degree accepts, from the school’s own policy.
- Online Experience (15%): the share of undergraduates who study fully online (IPEDS).
- Graduate Earnings (15%): median earnings of the school’s graduates in that field (College Scorecard).
- School Reputation (10%): a rating of how employers regard the school’s bachelor’s degrees, made the same way for every school from its published facts.
When a measure is missing for a college, it gets the middle value for that measure, so missing data never helps a school move up.
Read the full state ranking method ↗ Before you call an admissions officeQuestions About Finishing Your Degree in Mississippi
Which School Has the Best Degree Completion Program in Mississippi?+
The #1 school for degree completion in Mississippi in 2027 is Mississippi University for Women, because 66% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 8 other colleges on this list) and its online rate is $377 per credit for Mississippi residents (lower than 6 other colleges on this list). #2 is Mississippi State University: its online rate is $452 per credit for Mississippi residents (lower than 2 other colleges on this list). #3 is Belhaven University: it accepts up to 93 transfer credits (the highest on this list). The order comes from transfer student graduation rates, cost per credit, transfer credit limits, online experience, graduate earnings and school reputation, weighted the same way for every state.
How Do Community College Credits Transfer to Mississippi Public Universities?+
A statewide articulation agreement between the Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board governs transfer between community and junior colleges and public universities. Generally, one-half of the hours required for a bachelor's degree may be transferred from a community college. The agreement is a minimum, so a university may accept more.
Read the official guidance: Can I Finish Online in Mississippi With Only an Applied Associate Degree?+
Yes, a few schools build degrees for that. Mississippi University for Women offers a Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Administration for AAS graduates, with the junior and senior years available online, and accepts up to 90 community college hours. William Carey's online Supervisory Management BAS requires an AAS and takes career and technical credit.
Read the official guidance: Do Mississippi Schools Charge Out-of-State Students More for Online Courses?+
It depends on the school. The W adds $41.67 per credit hour for out-of-state undergraduates on top of $376.96. Jackson State lists $412 per credit hour for online bachelor's programs, and Blue Mountain Christian University charges $380 per hour with an out-of-state fee of $0.00. Check the rate for your program before you apply.
Read the official guidance: Sources for the Mississippi Rankings
College facts come from each school’s own degree, admission, transfer and tuition pages. Graduation, online enrollment and earnings figures come from federal data that every college reports the same way.
View 35 Source Records
- Transfer Admissions: Requirements | The W
- Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Administration | The W Department of Business
- General Business, BAS | The W Department of Business
- Tuition & Costs | The W Online
- BS in Interdisciplinary Studies
- Is there a limit to the amount of college credit hours I can transfer to MSU?, Mississippi State Admissions
- Online B.A.S. in Weather and Environmental Science, Mississippi State Online
- BA in Biblical Studies
- Academic Programs, Undergraduate, Belhaven University Catalogue
- Industrial Engineering Logistics Degree | Online at Southern Miss
- General Degree Requirements, Southern Miss Academic Bulletin
- College Tuition, Online at Southern Miss
- Academic Programs | School of Lifelong Learning, Jackson State University
- Online Degree Programs | JSU Online
- Supervisory Management Program | William Carey University
- Transfer Student FAQs | William Carey University
- Program: Supervisory Management, B.A.S. (120 hrs) | William Carey University Catalog
- Tuition & Fees 2026-2027 | William Carey University
- Tuition & Fees 2026-2027 | William Carey University (Online Fee)
- BAS in Geospatial Analysis and Intelligence | Delta State University
- Transfer Admissions | Delta State University
- Tuition & Fees, Delta State University
- Requirements for Admission for Degree-Seeking Transfer Students | BMCU 2026-2027 Catalog
- Undergraduate Pricing | Blue Mountain Christian University Online
- Programs | Blue Mountain Christian University Online
- Bachelor of Religious Studies
- B.S. Organizational Leadership
- Columbia Southern University Official Program and Transfer Requirements
- Tuition Overview - Columbia Southern University
- Community College to University Pathway | Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning
- MS Articulation & Transfer Tool (MATT)
- IPEDS Outcome Measures, 2024 Provisional Release (National Center for Education Statistics)
- IPEDS Fall Enrollment: Distance Education Status, 2024 (National Center for Education Statistics)
- IPEDS Institutional Characteristics: Tuition and Fees, 2024 (National Center for Education Statistics)
- College Scorecard: Field of Study Earnings (U.S. Department of Education)
