Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofitMedical

William Carey University

Hattiesburg, Mississippi·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·wmcarey.edu
6-yr Graduation
60%
+6.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
5,321
peer median 6,073
Avg net price
$17,052
-$5.5k vs Doctoral/Professional
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
841
841 candidates competed
Admitted
507
60.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
245
48.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
60%+6.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
45%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
60%
Full-time retention
78%

Pell equity

9.0pp gap
Pell recipients
67%
Non-Pell
58%

Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 87 Title IV programs, 16 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 71 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
87
Passing
16
18.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

87programs
  • Passing16 · 18.4%
  • No Data71 · 81.6%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
0
Safe
15
No data
71

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

16
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+7.9%
$45,151 vs $41,864
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+26.0%
$38,325 vs $30,408
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
+29.5%
$54,194 vs $41,864
Research and Experimental Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+29.8%
$42,822 vs $32,989
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
+37.2%
$57,432 vs $41,864
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+39.4%
$42,389 vs $30,408
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+53.2%
$46,598 vs $30,408
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+55.1%
$47,152 vs $30,408

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

13
Research and Experimental Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
140%
$60,001 debt · $42,822 earn
Educational Administration and Supervision
Doctoral Degree · Education
102%
$71,750 debt · $70,328 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
65%
$25,000 debt · $38,325 earn
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
50%
$27,333 debt · $54,194 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
48%
$24,667 debt · $51,430 earn
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
48%
$27,333 debt · $57,432 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
47%
$20,000 debt · $42,389 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
46%
$23,815 debt · $51,866 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1958Next review Dec 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 12

Action history · 27

  1. Dec 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Nov 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Oct 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Aug 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Osteopathic Association, Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation · Osteopathic Medicine (OSTEO) - Programs leading to the D.O. degree
  5. Jun 2025Deferral of Action
    American Osteopathic Association, Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation · Osteopathic Medicine (OSTEO) - Programs leading to the D.O. degree

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$15,423
$30–48k$16,219
$48–75k$15,717
$75–110k$18,865
$110k+$19,800

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$17,052
-$5,476vs Doctoral/Professional median $22,528
Federal loans
25.5%
In-state tuition
$14,685
Out-of-state
$14,685

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,507 students received $8.3M in Pell grants, alongside $57.8M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,507
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$8.3M
$8,342,956 total
Direct Loans
$57.8M
4,361 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
2k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$4.4M
1,123 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$5.1M
1,154 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$27.0M
1,277 loan awards
Parent PLUS$713K
61 loan awards
Grad PLUS$20.6M
746 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 1,386 borrowers who entered repayment, 23 (1.6%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.6%
-0.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,386
Defaulted
23
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.1%
2017
8.8%
2018
6.9%
2019
1.6%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at William Carey

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs62
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,213 total completions
01Education
59849.3%
02Health Professions
38431.7%
03Biological Sciences
584.8%
04Business
524.3%
05Psychology
433.5%
06Liberal Arts
262.1%
07Security/Protective
201.6%
08Visual/Performing Arts
151.2%
09Communication
100.8%
10Philosophy/Religion
70.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
5,321
12-mo unduplicated
7,130
Undergraduate
4,156
Graduate
2,974

Gender split

Men
33%2,336
Women
67%4,794

Race / ethnicity composition

White
59.7%
Black
28.0%
Non-resident
5.8%
Unknown
2.6%
Hispanic
2.4%
Asian
0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%
Two or more
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
309
161 M · 148 W
Women athletes
47.9%
Athletic aid
$3.7M
Total student aid
Budget
$7.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.8M
$1.8M
Recruiting expense
$7K
$7K
Head-coach salaries
$35K
$32K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Soccer
47 M · 28 W
$1.2M
Track and Field (Outdoor)
21 M · 25 W
$506K
Track and Field (Indoor)
21 M · 25 W
$518K
Baseball
40 M ·
$1.1M
Basketball
25 M · 14 W
$1.1M
Archery
7 M · 18 W
$220K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.88
5 offenses · 5,662 students

3-year trend

0.182 yrs ago0.351 yr ago0.88Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
8
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
8
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Aggravated assault
2
Motor vehicle theft
2
Rape
1

By location

5total
  • On campus1
  • Public property4

VAWA offenses

2
Domestic violence
3
Dating violence
2
Stalking
7 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons03
Drugs20
Liquor10

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
197

William Carey vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions William Carey selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectWilliam Carey University
60%5,321$17,052Doctoral/Professional
Belhaven University
49%49.8%4,213$22,078Doctoral/Professional
Mississippi College
59%29.1%4,164$20,911Doctoral/Professional
Elon University
84%66.3%7,239$41,048Doctoral/Professional
St. Thomas University
48%97.9%7,652$24,275Doctoral/Professional
Barry University
37%77.2%6,825$22,978Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median54%66.3%6,073$22,528

Frequently asked questions about William Carey University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about William Carey.

What is the graduation rate at William Carey University?

William Carey University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 60% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend William Carey University?

William Carey University reports a total enrollment of 5,321 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at William Carey University?

The average net price at William Carey University is $17,052 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at William Carey University?

William Carey University's yield rate is 48.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is William Carey University located?

William Carey University is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39401.

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