Research · Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Mississippi: the 6 state programs and what each asks for
As of October 2026: Mississippi has 6 state scholarship programs for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table says what each one pays, who qualifies, and when it closes, in the state's own words.
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Mississippi high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
The findings, in plain English
Mississippi runs 2 awards that turn on grades or scores. Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant (MESG) is one of them. 3 of the 4 programs we could read name a GPA, and 3 name a test score. A need-based award asks about family income instead, through the FAFSA.
The state's own pages are the only place these rules live. Every row links to the page the state publishes for that program. The rules and the dollar figures move from year to year, so the page is the thing to read, not a summary of it.
What this table does not tell you. The state agency's own page names 2 more programs in a second table below. Some of those pages give no award figure at all, so those rows carry the name and the link only.
Every state scholarship in Mississippi
Read the row, then open the state's own page before you count on a figure.
| Program | Merit or need | What it pays | GPA it asks for | Test score it asks for | Who qualifies | Deadline | Renewable | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students (HELP) | Need-based | Tuition and fees at a Mississippi public institution (or the public-university average amount if attending a private institution), for up to 8 semesters/12 trimesters | 2.5 GPA | 20 ACT (superscore accepted) or the equivalent SAT | Complete the HELP Core Curriculum (IHL College Prep Curriculum); FAFSA completed; Mississippi resident; full-time enrollment (12 credit hours) | MAAPP application deadline March 31; supporting documents (including FAFSA) due April 30, for the 2025-26 aid year shown on this flyer | Maximum 8 semesters/12 trimesters | Source |
| Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant (MESG) | Merit | Up to $2,500 per year, for up to 8 semesters/12 trimesters | 3.5 GPA | 29 ACT (superscore accepted) or the equivalent SAT | Mississippi resident; full-time enrollment (12 credit hours) at an eligible Mississippi institution | MAAPP application deadline September 15, 2026; supporting documents due October 15, 2026; the 2026-27 application opens October 1, 2025 | Maximum 8 semesters/12 trimesters | Source |
| Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant (MTAG) | Merit | Up to $500/year for freshmen and sophomores; up to $1,000/year for juniors and seniors; for up to 8 semesters/12 trimesters | 2.5 GPA | 15 ACT (superscore accepted) or the equivalent SAT | Mississippi resident; full-time enrollment (12 credit hours) at an eligible Mississippi institution | MAAPP application deadline September 15, 2026; supporting documents due October 15, 2026; the 2026-27 application opens October 1, 2025 | Maximum 8 semesters/12 trimesters | Source |
| Fostering Access and Inspiring True Hope Scholarship (FAITH) | Need-based | Up to cost of attendance plus a holiday housing allowance, for up to 5 calendar years | — | — | Younger than 25; was in legal custody of Mississippi CPS, or lived in a Mississippi qualified residential living facility, or was adopted from that custody/facility since age 13; Mississippi resident; at least part-time enrollment (6 credit hours) | No application deadlines | Maximum 5 calendar years | Source |
Every row is a state-funded or state-administered award for a Mississippi high school graduate going to an undergraduate program, as of October 2026. A scholarship from a single college, a private foundation award, a federal program and a graduate-only award are all left out. A blank cell means the state's own page does not state it. Dollar figures and GPA floors change every year.
Other programs the state names
The agency's own page lists these too. Where its page gives no award figure, the row carries the name and the link only.
| Program | What it pays | What the page says | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters Scholarship | — | For the children of law enforcement officers and firefighters who died or were disabled in the line of duty | Source |
| Nissan Scholarship | — | For students interested in the automotive industry | Source |
These rows come from the Mississippi agency's own index of programs. A blank award means that index does not state one, not that the program pays nothing.
How to read a state scholarship
State awards come in two shapes. A merit award asks about grades, a course list, or a test score, and it does not care what a family earns. A need-based award asks about income and assets through the FAFSA, and it does not care about grades. Some awards ask about both, and the table calls those merit and need.
The deadline column is the one families miss. For most need-based state aid the deadline is really the FAFSA deadline, and it falls months before a college asks for a decision. A merit award more often has no application at all: the state or the high school nominates the student from records it already holds.
What a family should do with this
Open the official page in the last column for the one or two programs your student plausibly qualifies for, and write down two dates: the state aid deadline and the FAFSA deadline. Those are the two that close. In Mississippi the earliest date on this table is the one to put on the calendar first.
Then look past the state. A state award is usually the smaller half of an offer. The college's own merit grid and its net price for your family income move more money than any state program on this page, and both are published.
Questions parents ask
What scholarships does Mississippi offer?
Mississippi has 6 state scholarship programs for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table says what each one pays, who qualifies, and when it closes, in the state's own words.
Does Mississippi have a merit scholarship?
Mississippi runs 2 awards that turn on grades or scores, and Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant (MESG) is one of them.
How do I find the rules for a Mississippi scholarship?
Every row links to the page the state publishes for that program. The rules and the dollar figures move from year to year, so the page is the thing to read, not a summary of it.
Method & sources: Programs come from the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid and the agency's own program pages, read in October 2026. The population is a student who graduates from a Mississippi high school and enrolls as an undergraduate. A scholarship offered by one college, a private foundation award, a federal program and a graduate-only award are all out of scope. A value the agency's own page does not state is left blank rather than filled from elsewhere, and a page that could not be read drops every figure.
- Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid
- Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students (HELP)
- Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant (MESG)
- Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant (MTAG)
- Fostering Access and Inspiring True Hope Scholarship (FAITH)
This brief as data: /research/scholarships-in-mississippi.json. Free for editorial use with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).
Related: Merit scholarships by college · State scholarships in every state · High schools in Mississippi · Scholarship deadlines