Mississippi University for Women has been selected as one of the 2022 Great Colleges to Work For®, with special designation as an Honor Roll institution. The university has been recognized for 10 consecutive years and placed on Honor Roll eight times.

“I’m so pleased that my co-workers feel the same as I do – The W is a great college to work for!  We care about each other, our students, our beautiful campus, our history – and our future,” said W President Nora Miller.

The W received honors in the following categories:

  • Professional Development
  • Mission & Pride
  • Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness
  • Confidence in Senior Leadership
  • Faculty & Staff Well-being
  • Shared Governance
  • Faculty Experience

The results, released today [ Sept. 12] in a special insert of The Chronicle of Higher Education, are based on a survey of 212 colleges and universities. In all, 68 of those institutions achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition for specific best practices and policies. Results are reported for small, medium and large institutions, with The W included among small universities with 500 to 2,999 students.

The results are based on a survey of 130 four-year institutions and 82 two-year institutions. In all, 68 institutions are recognized as a 2022 Great College to Work For, including 46 four-year institutions and 22 two-year institutions. Only 42 institutions are on the Honor Roll, recognized as stand-outs in their size categories.

The university has participated since 2013 and has been recognized every year.

The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institution questionnaire that captured employment data and workplace policies from each institution, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback.

The Great Colleges to Work For® program is one of the largest and most respected workplace-recognition programs in the country. For more information and to view all current and previous recognized institutions, visit the Great Colleges program website at GreatCollegesProgram.com and GreatCollegesList.com. ModernThink, a strategic human capital consulting firm, administered the survey and analyzed the results.

Mississippi University for Women ranks among the best in the region for best value and social mobility announced by U.S. News & World Report today [Sept. 15].

“While our graduates are the best measure of our success, national recognition of our value helps to spread the word.  I am particularly pleased that our students graduate with the least amount of debt among southern regional universities,” said W President Nora Miller.

The 2022-2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges ranked The W at No. 1 for Best Value Schools among public southern regional universities and No. 4 among Regional Universities (South). The university additionally ranked No. 2 in Top Performers on Social Mobility among public southern regional universities. Social Mobility measures the extent universities and colleges enrolled and graduated students who received Pell Grant. The W was also ranked in the top 10 for Top Regional Universities (South).

Additional recognitions by U.S. News & World Report:

  • Tied for No. 15 Campus Ethnic Diversity- public regional universities (South)
  • Tied for No. 8 Best Colleges for Veterans – public regional universities (South)
  • Lowest Median Amount of Debt at Graduation-regional universities (South)

U.S. News publishes the Best Colleges rankings each year to provide prospective students and their families with helpful data and information on factors such as graduation rates, social mobility and graduate indebtedness.

About The W

Located in historic Columbus, The W was founded in 1884 as the first public college for women in the United States. Today, the university is home to 3,453 students in more than 70 majors and concentrations and has educated men for 40 years. The university is nationally recognized for low student debt, diversity and social mobility which empowers students to BE BOLD.

Be Bold. Tower with Blue. Please visit: www.muw.edu.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives and their communities. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, Real Estate, News and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

To view the entire 2022-2023 rankings, please visit: www.usnews.com/colleges.

In the U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 College Rankings for Regional Universities South, The W is No. 1 in graduating students carrying the lightest debt load. The ranking shows students typically have $15,000 in loan debt after graduation and that 64% of freshman students receive federal loan assistance.

Students in cap and gown

“With current concerns about the economy and rising prices, everyone is concerned about finances and debt,” The President Nora Miller said. “The W strives to make an excellent education affordable, and this No. 1 rating for Least Debt shows that to be true.”

The W also ranked 29th overall (14th among public institutions) in Ethnic Diversity and 42nd overall (28th among public institutions) in Highest Acceptance Rate. U.S. News & World Report doesn’t break schools into groups of comparable sizes or differentiate between public and private. Proprietary schools ranked are considered private.

In 2021, U.S. News & World Report named The W No. 4 in Top Public Performers on Social Mobility-Regional Universities South and No. 10 among Top Performers on Social Mobility-Regional Universities South. The university moved up to No. 4 as a Best Value School Value School among Public Regional Universities in the South. For the third-consecutive year, The W ranked No. 18 among Top Public-Regional Universities South.

In addition to the U.S. News & World Report rankings, The W was the second-highest ranked university in Mississippi on Washington Monthly’s 2021 Best Bang for the Buck: South.

In the 2022 rankings, the data is of loans owned by the U.S. Department of Education, which is the vast majority of student loans. Typical Total Debt After Graduation is the median cumulative amount borrowed by 2018 and 2019 graduates who took out federal loans. Freshmen Receiving Federal Loan is the percentage of first-time, full-time undergraduates who borrowed during the 2018-2019 academic year.

In its Ethnic Diversity category, U.S. News & World Report factors in the total proportion of minority students, leaving out international students, and the overall mix of groups. The data is drawn from each institution’s fall 2020 total undergraduate student body. The ethnic categories used in the calculations are non-Hispanic African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Asian, non-Hispanic white and multiracial (two or more races). Students who did not identify themselves as members of any of those demographic groups were classified as non-Hispanic whites for the purpose of these calculations. The formula produces a diversity index that ranges from 0 to 1. The closer a school’s number is to 1, the more diverse the student population.

In its Acceptance Rate category, U.S. News & World Report ranked the top 100 schools with the highest acceptance rates for the fall 2020 entering class among all schools it surveyed.

In fall 2021, The W retained 75% of the fall 2020 full-time bachelor’s degree seeking, first-time freshmen and graduated or retained 83% of the fall 2020 full-time, bachelor’s degree seeking first-time transfers.

Student using computer

Mississippi University for Women has the 16th-most affordable online bachelor’s degree program in the nation, according to a recent ranking by Best Universities.

The ranking weighs the costs, accreditations and degree programs by each school. The W’s average net price is $13,023. Its annual tuition is $7,756.

The ranking comes on the heels of U.S. News & World Report ranking The W No. 1 in graduating students carrying the lightest debt load in its 2022 College Rankings for Regional Universities South. The ranking shows students typically have $15,000 in loan debt after graduation and that 64% of freshman students receive federal loan assistance.

The W also recently earned two top-five rankings and had nine total programs recognized by Intelligent.com as being among the best in the United States for 2022. The W received a No. 3 ranking in the Best Online Colleges with Lowest Out-of-State Tuition category.

Best Universities provides comprehensive and up-to-date lists of college rankings, from degree programs to campus facilities.