State Aid

Students seeking state financial aid must be registered for, and complete, 12 credit hours per semester to maintain eligibility for state aid programs. Click Apply for State Aid to go to the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid website for a full listing of the policies, criteria, and application for each type of state aid program. Remember, apply early since there are specific deadline dates for each type of award

The Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students (HELP) provides full tuition to all qualified, college-bound Mississippi residents who apply and enroll full-time at any state public and non-profit two- or four-year eligible college or university to pursue a first baccalaureate or first associate undergraduate degree.
The Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant (MESG) offers up to $2,500 per year to Mississippi residents who are first-time freshmen attending state approved public and non-profit two- or four-year eligible colleges and universities.
The Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant (MTAG) offers up to $500 per year to Mississippi residents attending state-approved public and non-profit two-year colleges.
Law Enforcement Officers and Firemen Scholarship (LAW) The Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters Scholarship Program offers financial assistance to dependent children and spouses of any Mississippi law enforcement officer, full-time firefighter or volunteer firefighter who has suffered fatal injuries or wounds or become permanently and totally disabled as a result of injuries or wounds which occurred in the performance of the official and appointed duties of his or her office. This financial assistance is offered as an eight-semester tuition and room scholarship at any state-supported college or university in Mississippi.
Nissan Scholarship (NISS) Nissan North America, Inc. provides scholarship funds for applicants that will attend a Mississippi public two-year or four-year college.
FAITH Scholarship - (FAITH) Created by the Mississippi Legislature in 2022, the Representative Bill Kinkade Fostering Access & Inspiring True Hope (FAITH) Scholarship awards scholarships up to the full cost of attendance for current and former foster youth to attend college in Mississippi.

Answers to Common Questions:

Summer hours cannot be added to Fall and/or Spring hours.
If enrollment drops below 12 credits before state aid has been disbursed to the student, the aid will be cancelled for that term and the following term.
If enrollment drops below 12 credits after state aid has been disbursed to the student, the aid will be cancelled for the following term.
Students should not report their enrollment directly to the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid. Enrollment is reported by the institution on behalf of its students.
All credit hours for a given term must be completed at a single institution. Credit hours cannot be completed at multiple institutions for a single term.
Students with fewer than 12 credit hours remaining in the course of study may appeal for an exception for a single term. Students with 24 or fewer credit hours remaining in the course of study may appeal for an exception for two terms.
Students enrolled in certain programs with defined curriculum pathways (lock-step) should NOT apply for individual exceptions. Each institution will apply for program exceptions to apply to all students in such programs. Exceptions will be made for students in certain majors that require clinical, practicum, or student teaching terms. Each institution is being advised regarding how to report enrollment for such terms.
All students, including athletes, will be impacted in the same way. In order to receive and continue to receive state aid, the student must take and complete 12 hours, regardless of whether or not the student is an athlete or on any other kind of institutional scholarship.

For more information and applications for these state programs, contact Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid at 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211-6453.