NurseSavvy ranking · Mississippi · updated October 10, 2026

Best Nursing Schools in Mississippi (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10

We ranked all 26 RN programs in Mississippi that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in Mississippi, and what graduates earn a year out.

Mississippi University for Women comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.

No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.

Rank it your way

Rank Mississippi’s 26 RN programs on what matters to you

NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.

The top 10 nursing programs in Mississippi

Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.

1
Mississippi University for Women
ColumbusBSN· Public
90score
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
NCLEX strength
100%
Students who finish
90% finish
Cost-to-pay value
$12,411/yr net price
Early-career earnings
$74,422 1 yr out
Start to license: 90 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
2
Belhaven University
JacksonBSN· Private nonprofit
89score
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
NCLEX strength
100%
Students who finish
95% finish
Cost-to-pay value
$15,676/yr net price
Early-career earnings
$69,794 1 yr out
Start to license: 95 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
3
Delta State University
ClevelandBSN· Public
85score
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
NCLEX strength
100%
Students who finish
87% finish
Cost-to-pay value
$13,540/yr net price
Early-career earnings
$68,221 1 yr out
Start to license: 87 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
4
Alcorn State University
NatchezBSN· Public
85score
94% of its nursing students finish the program on time, and 92.3% pass the NCLEX on the first try.
NCLEX strength
92.3%
Students who finish
94% finish
Cost-to-pay value
$13,265/yr net price
Early-career earnings
$85,255 1 yr out
Start to license: 87 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
5
University of Mississippi Medical Center
JacksonBSN· Public
79score
A 99.1% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
NCLEX strength
99.1%
Students who finish
90% finish
Cost-to-pay value
Not publishedfill-in
Early-career earnings
Not publishedfill-in
Start to license: 89 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
6
Northeast Mississippi Community College
BoonevilleADN· Public
79score
A 98.7% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
NCLEX strength
98.7%
Students who finish
78% finish
Cost-to-pay value
$8,343/yr net price
Early-career earnings
$60,759 1 yr out
Start to license: 77 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
7
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
PerkinstonADN· Public
77score
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
NCLEX strength
100%
Students who finish
67% finish
Cost-to-pay value
$6,962/yr net price
Early-career earnings
$66,438 1 yr out
Start to license: 67 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
8
William Carey University
HattiesburgBSN· Private nonprofit
77score
A 98.8% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
NCLEX strength
98.8%
Students who finish
72% finish
Cost-to-pay value
$14,258/yr net price
Early-career earnings
$73,469 1 yr out
Start to license: 71 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
9
Coahoma Community College
ClarksdaleADN· Public
77score
83% of its nursing students finish the program on time, and 88% pass the NCLEX on the first try.
NCLEX strength
88%
Students who finish
83% finish
Cost-to-pay value
$0/yr net price
Early-career earnings
$69,120 1 yr out
Start to license: 73 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
10
University of Southern Mississippi
HattiesburgBSN· Public
76score
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
NCLEX strength
100%
Students who finish
79% finish
Cost-to-pay value
$21,708/yr net price
Early-career earnings
$70,068 1 yr out
Start to license: 79 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.

Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.

All 55 approved programs in Mississippi Full rankings table

The Mississippi leaders on each measure

Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.

Highest NCLEX pass rate: Mississippi University for Women (BSN), 100% first-time.
Most students finish: Belhaven University (BSN), 95% on time.
Lowest average net price: Coahoma Community College, $0/yr.
Highest graduates’ pay: Alcorn State University, $85,255 one year out.
Top ADN vs top BSN: Northeast Mississippi Community College (#6 overall) and Mississippi University for Women (#1 overall).

How we ranked Mississippi’s nursing schools

NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the Mississippi board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to Mississippi’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.

A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →

Frequently asked questions

What is the best nursing school in Mississippi?

Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Mississippi University for Women (BSN, Columbus) ranks #1 of 26 RN programs in Mississippi with a score of 90 out of 100 and a 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.

How did NurseSavvy rank Mississippi nursing schools?

Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the Mississippi board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

What does “fill-in” mean on this list?

When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.

Can a school pay to rank higher?

No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.