William Carey University

In the 2027 US News rankings, William Carey University placed 365th among national universities, down from 281st in 2020. Getting in is relatively selective when compared to similar institutions. In 2025, the university admitted 60.3% of applicants, an acceptance rate higher than 19% of closely ranked private universities. At the same time, the school converts offers of admission into enrollment at a steady pace. Its yield rate reached 48.3% in 2025, which is higher than 93% of peer schools. While fewer than half of admitted candidates ultimately enroll, this yield demonstrates that William Carey commands stronger commitment from its accepted applicants than most comparable private universities. For applicants, these patterns mean that securing an offer requires standing out in a more competitive pool than peer averages suggest, and admitted cohorts reflect high intent to attend.

Undergraduate applicants to William Carey University generally arrive with test scores reflecting solid academic preparation, with testing centered heavily on the ACT. In 2025, the middle 50% of enrolled students scored between 19 and 25 on the ACT composite. SAT submitters represented a much smaller share of the cohort, posting an institutional median score of 1150, which is higher than 83% of reporting peers among closely ranked private universities. Reading and writing performance on the SAT slightly outpaces math results across the cohort. For prospective students planning their applications, earning an ACT composite score within the low twenties to mid-twenties, or an SAT score near the peer-leading median, aligns well with admitted standards. Presenting standardized results alongside solid high school coursework offers candidates a strong position during review.

Academic programs at William Carey University are heavily concentrated in healthcare and education. In 2025, the top three bachelor's programs accounted for 51.4% of all 510 bachelor's degrees awarded, showing notable concentration. The single largest undergraduate program was Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse, which produced 111 graduates. While undergraduate nursing is not among the highest-ranked nationally, the university's graduate medical training holds prominent positions, with its medical school ranking 1st in Primary Care and 4th in Research in the 2026 US News graduate rankings. Osteopathic Medicine and educational administration also produce large numbers of advanced degrees. In terms of financial returns, 2023 earnings data show that bachelor's graduates in nursing fields earned a median of $74,607 one year after graduation, leading all undergraduate disciplines at the institution. For prospective applicants, the university functions primarily as a training pipeline for regional educators and healthcare practitioners, offering particularly strong career payoffs in nursing.

William Carey University maintains a student body that is predominantly domestic, with international and Asian representation varying noticeably between undergraduate and advanced degree levels. In 2025, overall undergraduate demographics show modest diversity among first-time arrivals, where 17 international students constitute 7.4% of the entering freshman class. Undergraduate Asian representation remains very small across freshmen, continuing undergraduates, and transfer students, with each group showing minimal Asian enrollment. In contrast, advanced degree programs display a much broader presence of domestic minority and global scholars. Graduate enrollment includes 239 Asian students, who make up 10.5% of all degree-seeking graduate attendees, alongside a smaller contingent of foreign postgraduates. For families and prospective applicants weighing their options, this distribution indicates that while undergraduate lecture halls reflect a primarily regional background with limited global immersion, graduate divisions feature a more racially diverse academic setting.

The age profile at William Carey University highlights distinct environments between undergraduate and graduate divisions. In 2025, undergraduates were notably young: students under 18 made up 20.4% of the undergraduate population, followed by those aged 18 to 19 at 19.2%. Combined with traditional-age students aged 20 to 21, the vast majority of undergraduates are young adults or dual-enrolled high school students. In contrast, graduate programs serve an older, career-oriented demographic. Students aged 22 to 24 formed the largest graduate bracket at 30.1%, while adult learners aged 35 to 39 constituted 13.2% of graduate enrollees. This structure creates an undergraduate campus experience centered on very young students alongside an independent, working-age graduate student community.

International enrollment at William Carey University has grown steadily across both undergraduate and graduate divisions over the past decade. At the undergraduate level, the international share climbed to 4.8% in 2025, which is higher than 57% of 30 closely ranked private universities. Graduate international representation expanded even more dramatically over the same period, rising from under one percent to 5.4% in 2025. When examining completions, international students accounted for a modest portion of total degrees, but they concentrated heavily in specific fields. Among 2025 bachelor's degree recipients, international students represented a small single-digit share overall, yet they made up 26.9% of graduates in Business Administration and Management, General, alongside smaller shares in psychology and biology, while having zero representation in nursing. At the master's level, international students completed degrees in educational leadership while remaining absent from several secondary teaching tracks. For prospective international students, these patterns suggest an emerging international cohort that is concentrated primarily in business and selected graduate specializations.

Applicants exploring colleges near William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, have several regional options. Tulane University of Louisiana is a private National University located 106.5 kilometers away, ranked 59th in the 2027 US News rankings. In the public sector, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College lies 127.7 kilometers away and holds a rank of 202. Within the state, Mississippi State University is situated 151.4 kilometers away and ranked 208th. Across the state line in Alabama, The University of Alabama is located 166.6 kilometers away, holding the 156th spot among National Universities. These institutions provide varied campus environments and national ranking levels within driving distance.

Campus safety records reflect a consistently low level of reported incidents at William Carey University. In 2025, the crime rate per 1,000 students was 0.6, dropping from 1.4 in 2016. Across the three-year period from 2023 through 2025, incident counts remained very low across all categories. The most frequent occurrences across those three years were disciplinary referrals for weapons and reports of assault, each totaling 3 incidents over the entire span. Other recorded infractions from 2023 through 2025 were limited to a few isolated occurrences of domestic violence, motor vehicle theft, drug arrests, and stalking. These metrics indicate a relatively calm campus environment with minimal serious crime. For applicants and families, the data suggest that campus security risks are low, though students should always exercise standard personal precautions in university facilities and surrounding neighborhoods.