Golden Triangle institutions of higher learning rank high in 2016 analyses by SmartAsset, a financial technology company. Mississippi State University and Mississippi University for Women are ranked first and second in the state for graduates’ average starting salaries. According to SmartAsset, the average starting salary for MSU graduates is $46,400; for MUW graduates, the figure is $43,200. The average starting salary for all higher education graduates in Mississippi is cited as $40,486.
MSU’s top salary ranking helped make it Mississippi’s Best Value college according to SmartAsset. The analysis considered five factors to determine best value colleges and universities: tuition, student living costs, scholarships and grant offerings, retention rate and starting salary. Categories were weighted to determine each institution’s College Education Value Index. MSU posted a 51.53 in the index in the 2016 Best Value Colleges study. MUW was the next highest at 45.63.
“The W’s affordable tuition and the salaries earned by our graduates benefit them, their family, and our region and state,” MUW President Dr. Jim Borsig told The Dispatch. “We are proud to be a part of the excellent higher education opportunities found in the Golden Triangle.”
Sources used by SmartAsset include 2014 National Center for Educational Statistics, 2016 Payscale and 2014 College InSight.
In a study of community colleges, SmartAsset ranked East Mississippi Community College No. 8 among U.S. community colleges for 2016. That analysis looked at 565 two-year public colleges, ranking by student-faculty ratio, graduation and transfer rates, in-state tuition and fees and the ratio of graduates’ median starting salaries to the full cost of attendance.
“The quality of education at community colleges in Mississippi is second to none,” EMCC President Dr. Thomas Huebner said in a press release. “To achieve a top-10 ranking by SmartAsset validates our efforts to ensure that students at EMCC not only have access to an exceptional education but one that makes sound economic sense.”
To view SmartAsset’s rankings for Mississippi colleges and universities, visit
https://smartasset.com/student-loans/student-loan-calculator?year=2016#mississippi/salary. To view Best Community Colleges of 2016, go to https://smartasset.com/student-loans/best-community-colleges-2016.
Editor’s note: This article contains some information from press releases from MSU and EMCC.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
