Quad
Alcorn State UniversityAlcorn State, MS · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Biology/Biological Sciences, General (19% of graduates). 16 students for every faculty member, more than at 72% of colleges. 61% of faculty are full-time. Spends $8,729 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

421 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 53% of graduates; 27 programs in 20 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Biology/Biological Sciences, General 26.010119% 80
    Graduates in this field earn $40,379 4 years out
  2. General Studies 24.010211% 46
    Graduates in this field earn $42,321 4 years out
  3. Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 24.010111% 45
    Graduates in this field earn $42,321 4 years out
  4. Business Administration and Management, General 52.02016.7% 28
    Graduates in this field earn $39,841 4 years out
  5. Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 51.38015.9% 25
    Graduates in this field earn $93,159 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Liberal arts and general studies, 9.8% → 22% of graduates since 2014–15 (91 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$93,159 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $85,255

    4 years after completion$93,159
    National median: $88,910Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $77,177 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $20,375 · 75 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Agricultural Business and Management$62,499 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $44,330

    4 years after completion$62,499
    National median: $66,647Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $52,360 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $25,125 · 54 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions$59,214 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $36,262

    4 years after completion$59,214
    National median: $70,786Below typical

    Median federal debt: $29,125

  4. Social Work$46,157 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$46,157
    National median: $51,790Below typical

    Median federal debt: $31,250 · 43 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities$42,321 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $26,269

    4 years after completion$42,321
    National median: $53,072Below typical

    Median federal debt: $29,500 · 112 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college16 to 1
16 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 72% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Full-time faculty61%
National median: 67%Below typical
Average faculty salary

$65,133

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$8,729
$8,729
← Lessmore than 28% of 557More →
Endowment per student$7,403
$7,403
← Lessmore than 29% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)