Mississippi Financial Aid Programs Help Students Pay for College
Students of Mississippi often depend on financial aid to pay for their education. College grants are the most common form of student aid provided by state sources and plenty of undergraduate students are eligible to apply for grants that never have to be repaid. If you are a state resident going to attend a Mississippi technical school, college or university, consider your financing options carefully and investigate whether you could apply for the college grants we have listed below.
Leap Towards your First Bachelors Degree with up to $1,500 of Grant Money
If you’re a resident of Mississippi attending an in-state college or university you could be awarded grants for undergraduate based studies through the Mississippi Leveraging Education Partnership (LEAP) Grant program.
Each year thousands of financially needy students apply for federal financial aid such as the Pell grant and are awarded amounts of money that help make college a reality. Some depend on all the help they can get and if you’re in a situation where your household income is low and you have very little savings to contribute towards your education, by completing a FAFSA application you could qualify for a Mississippi LEAP Grant. Funds are limited but if you apply early, you will increase your chances of being awarded between $200 and $1,500 towards your annual tuition bill.
Cash Awards for Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior Students
MTAG, which is the ellipsis for the ‘Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grants’ program awards students with two levels of grant money. Mississippi resident freshman and sophomores can receive a college grant of $500 per academic year, and their junior and senior counterparts $1,000. The Tuition Assistance Grant requires a one-year residency and full-time enrolment and students entering freshman must have a minmum 2.5 GPA or ACT score of 15.
Students who wish to apply for the MTAG program are required to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid and an MTAG application, which can obtained from high school counsellors or downloaded from the Mississippi Student Financial Aid Office website. All applications must be submitted by September 15th. If student want to renew the college grant program, they are required to submit a new application each year, continue to attend a full-time course of study and maintain a 2.5 GPA. If students receive a full Pell Grant award, they will not be eligible to receive the MTAG.
Money for Students Perusing a First; Certificate, Associate and Bachelor Degree
The Mississippi Legislature has created the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant program (MESG) in order to provide financial assistance to state college and university residents. If you are attending, a state approved public or not-for profit two-year or four-year college or university on a full-time basis and are studying towards a undergraduate degree, a grant worth $2,500 per academic year could be well within your reach.
The MESG program is available to students entering freshmen who have a high school cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 on a 4.0 scale and have scored 29 or more on the National ACT or minimum score of 1280 on the SAT. Students already enrolled in college can apply for the undergraduate grant program if they meet all the eligibility requirements of the entering freshman and have a 3.50 minimum cumulative college grade point average.
To apply for this grant, applicants must complete an online application on the Mississippi state government website in each academic year. The application deadline dates are January 1 to September 15 and the deadline for supporting documents is October 15. More information about the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant is available on the Mississippi student financial aid website.