William �Թ��: Responding to Present Needs

As many colleges and universities cope with enrollment declines, �Թ�� is celebrating a record increase for the fall semester. Committed to its 2025-26 theme, “Called to Serve,” the university is expanding where Mississippi needs it most – healthcare, education, ministry, and the arts.

"This strong growth would not be possible without the support of Mississippi Baptists, the dedication of our board of trustees, and the commitment of faculty and staff who go the extra mile to serve students,"

�Թ�� President Ben Burnett

“William �Թ�� has also been recognized by national ranking organizations as one of the state’s ‘best values’ in higher education – proving that Christian education doesn’t have to be expensive.”

Meeting the Need

Physicians

�Թ�� College of Osteopathic Medicine welcomed another class of 200 medical students this fall. The COM is the largest medical school in Mississippi and among the largest in the South. With a focus on rural medicine, �Թ�� doctors are part of the solution to Mississippi’s critical shortage of healthcare providers.

Nurses

Nearly 1,100 students are nursing majors at the �Թ�� College of Health Sciences. �Թ�� also has an established physical therapy program and debuted a new occupational therapy program this fall.

Pharmacists

Located at �Թ��’s Tradition campus, the School of Pharmacy welcomed a record number of first-year students this fall, underscoring the university’s growing impact on healthcare education in the Gulf South.

Teachers

�Թ�� School of Education plays a vital role in fighting Mississippi’s teacher shortage. On average, more than 500 teachers graduated each year for the last six years.

Ministry

�Թ��’s Cooper School of Missions & Ministry Studies has doubled the number of religion majors since 2022 – and offers a bi-vocational degree in the realization that many small churches can’t afford a full-time pastor.

Music

Winters School of Music has tripled in size over the last seven years. With 345 music majors, its legacy of enriching Mississippi’s cultural and spiritual landscape is going strong.

�Թ�� Athletics

�Թ�� has a robust athletic program with 21 teams and 400 student athletes. �Թ�� Athletics has the highest cumulative win record, 74 percent, of any four-year athletic program in Mississippi. Its consistently high graduation rate proves the university’s tradition of excellence both in the classroom and on the field.

Enrollment Growth

Enrollment is rising at all �Թ�� campuses – Hattiesburg, Tradition/Biloxi, and Baton Rouge. Since 2022, the number of residential students at the Hattiesburg campus has grown by 50 percent. University-wide, first-time freshmen increased by 80 percent and total undergraduates rose by 40 percent.

Since 2024, �Թ��’s combined graduate and undergraduate enrollment grew from 4,502 to more than 5,140 – an increase of 14 percent in a single year. With high school dual-enrollment students included, overall enrollment is just over 6,000.

Looking Ahead

In January, �Թ�� purchased 107 undeveloped acres adjacent to its Hattiesburg campus for future expansion.
In September, �Թ�� re-vitalized the heart of its Hattiesburg campus with major renovations to Crawford Hall and Common Grounds coffee shop as gathering places for students.
In the future, �Թ�� plans to build residential housing for students at its Tradition campus to support enrollment growth.

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