


Mississippi Christian University in Clinton is the institution long known as Mississippi College. It traces its founding to 1826, when it began as Hampstead Academy. It later adopted the Mississippi College name, which appears in many historical records and older program listings.
The institution became affiliated with Mississippi Baptists in the nineteenth century. Over time, it expanded beyond undergraduate liberal arts education into professional and graduate programs, including nursing and law. The Mississippi Christian University name reflects its present identity as a university with a stated Christian mission; applicants comparing records under the old and new names should make sure they are looking at the Clinton institution, not a similarly named school.
Mississippi Christian University offers undergraduate and graduate study across the liberal arts, sciences, business, education, health professions, and Christian studies. Its academic organization includes schools devoted to areas such as business, education, nursing, science and mathematics, and humanities and social sciences, as well as a law school.
Representative fields include biology, computer science, psychology, accounting, teacher education, nursing, and communication. The range of credentials and admission requirements differs by program: entry to a university undergraduate major is not necessarily entry to a nursing clinical sequence, teacher-licensure pathway, or law degree. Students considering a licensed profession should check the current academic catalog for prerequisites, clinical or fieldwork requirements, and the state in which they intend to practice.
Mississippi Christian University's principal campus is in Clinton, Mississippi, a city west of Jackson. Clinton offers a smaller-city setting, while the Jackson area provides additional employers, clinical sites, government offices, and cultural destinations.
The distinction matters for programs with internships, student teaching, or clinical placements, which may involve travel beyond campus. Students can bring a car as first-year students, and commuters should account for parking and travel time when planning a schedule. Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport is the principal nearby commercial airport. The university's law-school location and any other program site should be checked separately rather than assumed to be on the Clinton campus.
Mississippi Christian University describes its educational purpose in explicitly Christian terms, combining academic study with character, service, and preparation for work and community life. Its historical affiliation is with the Mississippi Baptist Convention.
That identity is relevant to students evaluating the campus environment, but it should not be confused with an admissions requirement that every applicant share the same faith. Prospective students who want to know how the mission affects a particular degree should examine that program's curriculum and the university's current student-life policies, rather than infer requirements from the institution's name alone.
Name of the institution
Mississippi Christian UniversityLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
Suburb: LargeInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, primarily baccalaureate or aboveInstitution size category
1,000 - 4,999Religious affiliation
Protestant (Southern Baptist Convention)School type
UniversityMain student body
CoeducationalCalendar system
SemestersFoundation year
1826Mississippi Christian University is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation confirms that the school meets quality standards and is required for students to receive federal financial aid.
Bachelor's degree
Postbaccalaureate certificate
Master's degree
Post-master's certificate
Doctor's degree - research/scholarship
Doctor's degree - professional practiceData last updated on November 2, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.