Alcorn State University

Alcorn State University International Student Insurance

Alcorn State University, located in Lorman, Mississippi, was established in 1871. It’s a historically black, land-grant university established by the Reconstruction-era state legislature to provide higher-education opportunities for freed slaves. It was the first black land grant college in the U.S. It opened as Alcorn University but was renamed Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1878. Its mission at the time was to provide skills training more than education. Women were first admitted in 1895. The school gained its present name in 1974. Today, Alcorn enrolls almost 4,000 students and counting each year. The school colors are purple and gold, and its athletic nicknames are the Braves and the Lady Braves.

Academic and Research Opportunities

Alcorn offers about 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs across its six academic schools: the School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences; the School of Arts and Sciences; the School of Business; the School of Education and Psychology; the School of Nursing; and the Graduate Studies program. Some of its noteworthy offerings include its comprehensive nursing program, its MBA program, and pre-professional programs in fields like law, medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry. Alcorn also operates campuses in Natchez and Vicksburg, both in Mississippi.

Alcorn State University is the home of the Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center, which conducts research and makes policy recommendations that affect socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. 

On Campus

Points of interest include a bike and walking trail, student housing opportunities, dining halls, and the J.D. Boyd Library, which houses a substantial collection of books, reference sources, government documents, periodicals, and instructional media. One standout student organization is the marching band, the “Sounds of Dyn-O-mite”.

Notable Alumni

Notable Alcorn State University alumni and attendees include civil rights activist Medgar Evers; journalist and politician Horace R. Cayton, Sr.; Alex Haley, author of “Roots: The Saga of an American Family”; actor Michael Clarke Duncan; and numerous professional athletes from the NFL and the NBA.

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