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- The IHL Board has the final say on the new funding model. Members are expected to take the matter up for discussion during their next meeting set for June 18.
Consultants with the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems presented Mississippi’s Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees with a proposed new funding model for the state’s eight public universities on Thursday.
Proposed allocations under the new funding model for each of the eight universities based on total funding would be $442.6 million for the upcoming fiscal year if the model was in place.
The graph shown below breaks down the allocations by the eight universities, with Mississippi State receiving the highest allocation at $112.3 million, followed by Ole Miss with $101.8 million. Mississippi Valley State University and the Mississippi University for Women would receive the lowest allocations at $16.8 million and $19.4 million, respectively.
IHL’s Enrollment Fact Book for Fall 2025 reported that Mississippi had just under 82,000 total students enrolled across all eight universities.
The highest enrollment was shown at the University of Mississippi with 28,405, which included the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Mississippi State as second with 23,563. The lowest enrollment was reported at Mississippi Valley State University and the Mississippi University for Women, with 2,276 and 2,371, respectively.
One of the major recommendations from NCHEMS in the new proposed funding model is to provide a floor, or foundational funding level to all institutions to bridge gaps in funding.
NCHEMS representatives told the IHL Board that they had identified gaps in foundational funding for three public universities: $4.2 million at Alcorn State University, $20.5 million at Mississippi State University, and $29.5 million at Ole Miss.
“It’s important to understand that at the floor level, we’re really only saying the state plays a role in opening the doors of an institution. And that happens by virtue of providing an administration for that campus and support for the physical campus facilities,” NCHEMS Vice President Sara Pingel told the IHL Board of Trustees on Thursday.
Additionally, a recommendation to the IHL Board was made for members to consider performance funding for research and other components such as graduation rates, the number of adult learners, and efforts to meet the workforce needs of the state.
NCHEMS determined that after awarding prior year funding at the foundational level, about $2.6 million remained to be expended using the proposed model.
Pingel recommended that the proposed funding model split the remaining funds, with half going to fulfilling the foundational funding gaps listed above and the other half for rewards as universities reach performance metrics.
The suggested funding to close the gaps at the three institutions would have been $104,415 to Alcorn, $499,715 to Mississippi State and $718,492 to Ole Miss this fiscal year if the proposed model were already in place.
In the performance aspect of the model, a point system was devised that applies to research conducted by the four institutions – Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss and Jackson State – that conduct such work, while the remaining factors for the comprehensive sector would focus on progression of students, number of adult learners, and degrees awarded/graduation rate, to name a few, NCHEMS President Brian Prescott explained.
“All eight institutions, of course, would be eligible for the performance funding pool,” Pingel added.
Based on the performance points scale under the proposed funding model, potential allocations for the state’s eight universities using the remaining $1.3 million are shown in the graph below. Ole Miss and Southern Miss would receive the highest amount at $255,506, while the Mississippi University for Women was receive the lowest at $75,149.
The IHL Board of Trustees has the final say on the new funding model. Members are expected to take the matter up for discussion during their next meeting set for June 18.
