The student population at University of Southern Mississippi is 13,170 (10,193 undergraduate and 2,977 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 1,381 (9.49%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at USM is 77.40% which is decreased by 1,647 over last 10 years. The graduate student population increased by 266 and it has been increasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 58 male students for every 100 female students, unchanged since 2015.
- 4,140 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 161.69% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 14,078 where 13,170 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 4 year-over-year increases and 5 decreases. It peaked at 14,606 students in 2021 and was lowest at 13,110 in 2024. Overall, enrollment dropped from 14,551 to 13,170 students, a net loss of 1,381 (9.5%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at University of Southern Mississippi since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 11,156 where 10,193 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at University of Southern Mississippi since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 2,923 where 2,977 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at University of Southern Mississippi since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 56.07%. The percentage was 62.51% 10 years ago and USM still has a high percentage of white students. 1.58% of enrolled students is Asian and 25.98% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 5.04% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 62.51% to 56.07%. Asian enrollment grew from 1.20% to 1.58%. Black student enrollment decreased from 27.24% to 25.98%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 3.00% to 5.04%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6142 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.5334 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at University of Southern Mississippi over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
4,140 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 31% of total students. The number of online students has increased 161.69% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at University of Southern Mississippi from 2015 to 2025.