Alcorn State University is a land-grant institution that has been designated by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning as a regional university with a primary purpose to serve the southwestern region of Mississippi. The institution considers itself a premier institution preparing students for graduate and professional school, especially in the sciences.
Organized research is conducted in selected areas, but instruction and public service are the primary components of the university's mission. The institution is currently engaged in a variety of research activities that focus on biotechnology, energy, meat, ecology, farming and alternative crops. Constantly looking for ways to broaden its research function, the institution is moving toward research involving advanced technology and value-added agriculture.
The institution fulfills the instruction component of its mission through small classes and by emphasizing strong undergraduate programs while striving to develop additional graduate programs in specific areas of need and opportunity.
As a Carnegie Master's I institution and a SREB Level 4 institution, Alcorn State offers a wide range of baccalaureate programs in science, mathematics, nursing, agriculture, advanced technologies, education and business. The institution also offers a selected number of master's programs in areas such as agriculture, education, nursing and science.
As the epi-center of southwest Mississippi, the institution, through its "communiversity concept," provides outreach programs and services that are geared toward assisting and meeting the educational, economic, recreational and cultural needs of the immediate community, the region and the state. Through agricultural research and extension programs, the university seeks to serve families with limited resources and to help small and family farmers improve their standard of living. The institution also provides a variety of professional development opportunities for elementary and secondary schools designed to enhance performance in reading, mathematics, science and standardized examinations.
Long-Range Goals
In accordance with and in support of its purposes and philosophy, the institution seeks to achieve the following long-range (continuing) goals:
1. To prepare students for scholarship and service in the areas of general and applied knowledge.
2. To develop leadership, in general, and in areas peculiar to the various curricular offerings for Mississippi, the United States, and the world.
3. To perform the roles and functions of a land-grant university in the areas of teaching, research and extension services.
4. To contribute various educational services to meet the needs of the community at large.
5. To provide curricula and other services to respond to the demands of a dynamic, democratic society.
6. To provide such diversification of specialized educational programs as to accommodate students with varying educational and occupational interests and levels of potential for achievement.
7. To provide an undergraduate education that will enable students to continue their work in graduate and professional schools and to engage in teaching and other professions.
8. To provide graduate programs which enable students to obtain advanced training in specialized fields and to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and new truths through scholarly research and inquiry.
9. To strengthen and maintain a viable comprehensive planning, management and evaluation system in order to facilitate effective decision-making, resource allocation and utilization, fiscal accountability and program review, and evaluation.
10. To achieve and maintain optimum student retention by providing effective services in the areas of student advisement, counseling, tutoring, cultural activities, and instructional methodologies.
11. To secure the financial resources necessary to carry out the mission and goals of the institution.
12. To provide opportunities for students to develop as responsible citizens and scholars in a democratic society by maintaining a campus atmosphere which is safe, healthy and conducive to cultural, personal and social development.
Alcorn State University, located near Lorman, Mississippi, United States, is a public land grant university. It was founded in 1871 as the nation's first state-supported higher education institution for blacks. Alcorn State University is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.
Alcorn State University was founded on the site originally occupied by the Oakland College, a school for whites established by the Presbyterian Church. Oakland College closed its doors at the beginning of the Civil War so that its students could answer the call to arms. Upon failing to reopen at the end of the war, the property was sold to the state of Mississippi and renamed Alcorn University in honor of James L. Alcorn in 1871, then governor of the state of Mississippi.
The college opened with eight faculty members and 179 students in three buildings on a 225 acre (0.9 km²) campus.
Hiram R. Revels resigned his seat in the United States Senate to become Alcorn's first president. The state legislature provided $50,000 in cash for ten successive years for the establishment and overall operations of the college. The state also granted Alcorn three-fifths of the proceeds earned from the sale of thirty thousand acres (120 km²) of land scrip for agricultural colleges. The land was sold for $188,928 with Alcorn receiving a share of $113,400. This money was to be used solely for the agricultural and mechanical components of the college. From its beginning, Alcorn State University was a land-grant college.
In 1878, the name Alcorn University was changed to Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College. The goals for the college set by the Mississippi legislature clearly emphasized training rather than education. The school, like other black schools during these years, was less a college than a trade school.
At first the school was exclusively for black males but in 1895 women were admitted.
In 1974 Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College became Alcorn State University. Governor William L. Waller signed House Bill 298 granting university status to Alcorn and the other state supported colleges.
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| Percent of Students International: | 2% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 81% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | No |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (Southwestern Athletic Conference) Basketball (Southwestern Athletic Conference) Baseball (Southwestern Athletic Conference) Track (Southwestern Athletic Conference) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | In-State | Out-of-State | |
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 3,919 | $ 8,887 | |
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 2,733 | $ 2,733 | |
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 1,185 | $ 6,153 | |
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,772 | 60% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 520 | 9% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 6,760 | 40% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 3,848 | 52% | |
Any Aid: |
88% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 68% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 8% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 420, Math: 410 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 520, Math: 500 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 92% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 16, Verbal: 15, Math: 15 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 19, Verbal: 20, Math: 18 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Recommended |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Required |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Required |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Not Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
