74.7% of college applicants to Hinds County’s 10 universities were admitted for fall 2022

Hinds County’s 10 universities admitted an estimated 74.7% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 13.2% enrolled.

Of the 10 institutions in the county, four provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Mississippi College, Belhaven University and Jackson State University.

At least 19,795 people applied to Hinds County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 25,066 students enrolled in the universities, including 19,352 in undergraduate and 5,714 in graduate programs. In total 13.7% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of Black or African American (55.9%) and white (30.4%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Hinds Community College stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 9,407 students.

U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.

This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.

NCES shows that enrollment data was not available for University of Mississippi Medical Center in Hinds County.

Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.