University of Mississippi
PA-11: Employee Compensation

The institution's lowest paid employee is paid $10.75/hour, plus 34% in-kind benefits. With in-kind benefits, the lowest paid employee earns an equivalent to $14.41/hour, which is 105% of the local living wage for a family of four (13.64). The University of Mississippi provides numerous in-kind benefits to qualifying faculty and staff. As a state agency, the University offers health insurance coverage with the State and School Employees’ Health Insurance Plan. Depending on the plan option selected, the University covers 90% - 100% of the employee’s premium. They also pay 50% of the cost for voluntary life insurance coverage at 2X salary with a minimum value of $30,000 and maximum value of $100,000. Faculty and staff employed in a benefit eligible position must participate in the Public Employees’ Retirement System of MS (PERS) or the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) and contribute 9% of gross wages. The University matches the contribution at 15.75%. With the ORP, which is a defined contribution plan, 13.1175% of the employer contribution is applied to the participant’s investment account for a total contribution of 22.175%. Faculty and staff of the University are afforded the opportunity to further their education or pursue personal and professional development by enrolling in for-credit courses offered at the University of Mississippi. Full-time employees may receive a tuition waiver for up to two courses and part-time employees a waiver for one course in each fall, spring, and summer semester. The amount of the waiver is dependent on student status (graduate or undergraduate), course level, and residency status. The fee waiver for a 3-hour course can range from $1,068.75 – $3,412.50 for a resident and $1,994.25 - $3,478.50 for a non-resident. In addition, family members may be awarded academic waivers. A spouse is eligible for a non-resident fee waiver and a qualifying dependent child has an opportunity to receive a 50% - 100% tuition.