Newsweek ranks Mississippi's best colleges for women. One is in Top 15
Picking the right college or university is a very important decision. Making a smart financial choice and finding a good degree program will create the starting point for your career and affect the rest of your life.
For women, that also includes looking for institutions with leadership opportunities, equitable pay practices, campus safety and meaningful pathways to success.
According to a new analysis, there are some great options across the U.S. To find the best colleges for women, Newsweek and Gender Fair teamed up to release their first list.
America's Best Colleges for Women 2026 includes more than 751 colleges. Rankings evaluate four categories that were scored using federally-reported data: Leadership; Pay and Policies; Safety; and Opportunity. The goal was to add a new dimension of insight that complements existing college rankings.
The results also included information on state-level reproductive health policies, sourced from the Center for Reproductive Rights, so students can consider how local laws could impact their health-care access, the report stated.
There are 5 Mississippi colleges and universities ranked on the list, and one made the top 15. Another six fell below 751st place.
Here's what we know about the best Mississippi colleges for women, why some of the biggest universities in the state didn't make the list.
What's the best Mississippi university for women?
Mississippi University for Women in Columbus ranked 1st in the state and 14th in the nation.
Newsweek gave it the following scores:
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Leadership: 90
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Pay and Policy: 84
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Safety: 96
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Opportunity: 39
How do other Mississippi colleges rank for women?
Newsweek ranked four other Mississippi colleges in the Top 750 for women in the U.S.
The ranked colleges are listed by state ranking, followed by national tier.
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No. 2: Mississippi State Valley University - 169th nationally
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No. 3: Jackson State University - 301-400 nationally
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No. 4: Delta State University - 401-500 nationally
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No. 5: Belhaven University - 501-750 nationally
More: WalletHub names best college towns in US. Which Mississippi city was snubbed?
Which Mississippi colleges didn't make the list? Why?
Some of the state's largest universities didn't make the list of the 750 best colleges for women. These universities ranked at or below 751st place on Newsweek's list.
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Alcorn State University
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Mississippi College (The name will change to Mississippi Christian University on June 1, 2026.)
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Mississippi State University
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University of Southern Mississippi
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William Carey University
Safety was a universally high score in Mississippi. Nowhere in the Magnolia State scored lower than 90 out of 100.
This group's Leadership scores, however, looked bleak. Mississippi State University scored a 9, while Alcorn State University had a 14. The rest of the lowest performers in the state didn't crack 35.
Similarly, the Pay and Policy scores for this group were low. Mississippi College had a 10. William Carey University had an 18. Twenty-eight was the highest among these schools.
Opportunity scores fared better. Alcorn State University had a whopping 89, which tied Mississippi Valley for the highest in the state. But the other lowest-ranked schools had scores ranging from 30 to 45.
What are Top 10 best colleges for women in the US?
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Spelman College in Georgia
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Thomas Jefferson University in Pennsylvania
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St. Catherine University in Minnesota
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Herzing University-Madison in Wisconsin
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Alverno College in Wisconsin
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The Chicago School in Illinois
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Ohio University - Southern Campus
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Chicago State University in Illinois
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Miami Dade College in Florida
Tamara Walker is the Lead News Assistant and Trending Reporter for the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Newsweek names the best Mississippi colleges for women
