What's the oldest college in Mississippi? See state's historic schools

By Bonnie Bolden

What’s the oldest college in Mississippi? This religious school is celebrating 200 years of preparing young people for the future in 2026.

Some of the oldest public and private schools in the state are more than 150 years old.

Did you know Mississippi has the oldest public Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the United States?

Here’s what to know about the oldest colleges and universities in Mississippi, where you can find them.

Mississippi College celebrates 200 years

Mississippi College was chartered in 1826 as Hampstead Academy, according to a history on its website. The school in what is now Clinton started offering classes for boys and girls in 1827 and was renamed Mississippi Academy.

Initially, the land belonged to the Choctaw tribe. The five acres of the Central Mississippi campus were part of 6 million acres transferred to the U.S. Government in 1820. Mississippi had joined the union only three years earlier.

The school was renamed to Mississippi College in 1830. The co-ed institution was the first in the U.S. to give a woman a degree in December 1831.

From 1842 to 1850, it was a Presbyterian college. The Mississippi Baptist Convention got the campus in 1850, and it’s the second-oldest Baptist university in the U.S.

“Mississippi College was one of the last private colleges in the country to drop its segregation policy and did not do so until the 1969–70 school year,” according to the Mississippi Encyclopedia, published by the University Press of Mississippi to celebrate the Magnolia State’s bicentennial.

Mississippi College announced in 2024 that it will change its name to Mississippi Christian University The rebranding will take effect on June 1, 2026, to coincide with the school’s bicentennial.

How old is the University of Mississippi?

Ole Miss was chartered in 1844, and the Legislature picked Oxford as the site for the flagship university.

Classes started in 1848, according to a history published by the University of Mississippi. It’s the oldest public university in the state.

The school was famously racially integrated in 1962 when the federal government ordered that James Meredith, the first Black student, be allowed to attend. He had to be accompanied by U.S. marshals for his safety. There were violent riots on campus that led to the Mississippi National Guard and soldiers from the U.S. Army clashing with protestors. He graduated in 1963 and remains a national Civil Rights icon.

Alcorn is oldest public HBCU in US

Alcorn State University in Lorman is the oldest public land-grant HBCU in the nation.

Alcorn was founded in 1871, according to a history on its website. The campus was originally Oakland College, a Presbyterian school founded in 1828. The state bought it and renamed it to Alcorn University.

In 1878, it was renamed Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College, initially admitting only men. Women were allowed to enroll later.

The name changed to Alcorn State University in 1974.

What’s the oldest private HBCU in Mississippi?

Rust College in Holly Springs is the oldest private Historically Black College or University in Mississippi.

The Freedman’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church opened Rust in 1866 in Asbury United Methodist Church. It took students of all ages and taught elementary classes, according to a history on its website.

The first building at the current campus opened a year later.

It added high schools and college classes through the years. In 1878, the first college graduates earned their degrees. The elementary school closed in 1930, and the high school closed in 1953.

There were several name changes over time. In 1860, it was chartered as Shaw University. In 1892, the name changed to Rust University because another Shaw already existed. In 1915, it was changed to Rust College.