The W leads Mississippi universities in inaugural TIME America’s Best Colleges ranking
Mississippi University for Women has been recognized as one of America’s Best Colleges of 2026-27 by TIME.
Interim President Scott Tollison said, “We are proud to be named the top university in Mississippi in the inaugural TIME Best Colleges rankings. This marks the third time in just over a year that a major national publication has ranked The W at the top among Mississippi universities. This honor shows how our continued work is making a difference for our students and the state’s workforce.
As the highest ranked institution of higher learning, private or public, in Mississippi, The W earned an aggregate score five points higher than any other university in the state. The W’s highest marks came in the areas of student outcomes and learning environment.
The inaugural ranking is designed to provide a more meaningful, data-driven perspective on higher education performance by focusing on what institutions deliver for students rather than traditional measures of prestige, according to TIME. Five hundred colleges and universities nationwide were recognized in the inaugural ranking.
Institutions were evaluated across three core pillars: Student Outcomes, Learning Environment and Attractiveness. Institutions receive scores for each pillar, which are then aggregated into a final score used to determine the ranking.
To highlight U.S. institutions that provide the best value for their students, TIME partnered with data research firm Statista. The ranking is built entirely on objective federal datasets, including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and College Scorecard, to provide consistency and credibility in evaluating institutions.
To qualify for the ranking, institutions must have enrolled an average of at least 750 full-time equivalent undergraduate students over the past four years.