Photo: Cayla.campPR · CC BY-SA 4.0William Carey University is 4.5 miles from Petal
No college sits inside Petal’s boundary, but William Carey University’s campus in Hattiesburg, with 3,855 students on campus, is 4.5 miles from the center of town, and Jones County Junior College is 17.3 miles away in Ellisville. About 4% of Petal’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Petal. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Petal
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Petal
One private college within 4.5 miles, and one public college within 5.9 miles.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Petal’s median household income ($74,750) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Petal: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Petal
Is Petal a college town?
No. About 4 of every 100 Petal residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Mississippi (6). The nearest campus, William Carey University, is 4.5 miles away in Hattiesburg.
What colleges are near Petal?
Within 15 miles: William Carey University (4.5 miles, 3,855 students on campus) and the University of Southern Mississippi (5.9 miles, 9,238).
What is the closest community college to Petal, and what does it cost?
Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, 17.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,806 a year for Mississippi residents; the federal net price, $6,048, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of Southern Mississippi cost if we live in Mississippi?
Tuition and fees are $9,998 a year in-state and $11,998 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $19,867 (under $30,000 income) to $26,542 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Petal. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →