William Carey University

William Carey University (Carey, William Carey, or WCU) is a private Christian university in Mississippi, United States. The institution is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Mississippi Baptist Convention. The main campus is in Hattiesburg and a second campus is in the Tradition community north of Biloxi. The school gained official university status in 2006. The university offers baccalaureate degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees. William Carey opened its college of osteopathic medicine in 2009, welcoming its first class of 110 students in 2010. Prior to the fall of 2025, the academic year consisted of three trimesters of ten weeks each. Two summer sessions, a January Term, and a May Term are also offered. In fall 2025, William Carey switched to fall and spring semesters of sixteen weeks each, plus a summer session.