The state of Mississippi is home to about three dozen four-year public universities, two-year community colleges, and private undergraduate and graduate universities combined. Whether you’re a high school senior looking at attending a Mississippi college or university, or you’re a current college student at one of Mississippi’s many institutions, this post highlights many great scholarships and resources for you to take advantage of.
Let's go over a few of Mississippi's best scholarships for students.
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31
While our quarterly scholarship is not exclusive to Minnesota students, it’s a great no-essay scholarship to apply for in addition to the scholarships on this list! Open to high school, college, and graduate students of all years. DACA students are also encouraged to apply.
Amount: $25,000
Deadline: Monthly
Details: This monthly scholarship is open to all college students! Just fill out one simple registration form.
Amount: $50,000
Deadline: Monthly
Eligibility: The ScholarshipPoints Scholarship is a monthly no essay scholarship open to all high school and college students ages 16 and older, who are US residents!
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: Monthly
Eligibility: Open to high school seniors as all undergraduate students
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: June 30, December 31
Eligibility:Before we get into some of the Mississippi-specific private scholarships, check out our very own no-essay scholarship open to high school students of all years!
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: Sept 15
Eligibility: Award for an entering freshmen or as a renewal for sophomore, junior or senior, who are residents of Mississippi. Applicants must achieve a GPA of 3.5 and must have scored 29 on the ACT. Must enroll full-time at an eligible Mississippi college or university.
Amount: Full Tuition
Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Eligible applicant must be resident of Mississippi and apply for the first time as a freshman and/or sophomore student who graduated from high school within the immediate past two years. Must demonstrate need as determined by the results of the FAFSA.
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: October 15
Eligibility: The National Rice Month Scholarship Video Contest is an opportunity for graduating high school students living in one of those six rice-growing states (yes, Mississippi is one of them!) to tell a story about U.S. rice.
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: The Gulf Coast Hurricane Scholarship is available to undergraduate student members of the Society of Plastics Engineers (membership is free). Students from Mississippi studying in a field that prepares them for a career in the plastics industry are eligible to apply.
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: June 6
Eligibility: Up to $5,000 in stipends are made available to nursing students and nurses pursuing a degree in nursing in the state of Mississippi.
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Pursuing graduate level studies which address the special needs of children and youth; this includes, but is not limited to, Counseling, Psychology, Mental Health, Special Education, Speech Pathology, Exceptional Children, Remedial Skills Development, Hearing Impaired, and Gifted & Talented
Amount: Varies
Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Renewable award for Mississippi residents attending a Mississippi institution. Must be graduating from a Mississippi high school in the current year. The scholarship will pay full tuition and a book allowance.
Amount: up to $75,000
Deadline: March 27
Eligibility:The Emmy Noether Awards seek top aspiring female research scientists in any STEM (science, technology, engineering, or math) field to help realize their potential careers through financial and networking assistance.
Amount: up to $2,500
Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Must currently be enrolled full-time at an accredited two- or four-year college, 3.0 GPA, provide transcript, essay, resume, digital photograph, and letter of recommendation.
Amount: Varies
Deadline: March 8
Eligibility: The scholarship is available to graduating seniors from Corinth and Alcorn County schools who major in Education at a Mississippi college or university.
Amount: $3,000
Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: Young Farmers & Ranchers Foundation Scholarships are presented each year to Farm Bureau member students studying in an agriculture field.
A great resource for Mississippi students comes from the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid. Students, student representatives, high school counselors, superintendents, headmasters, and institutional financial aid administrators can also view student accounts, make updates, and do more.
Mississippi student debt snapshot
According to the Department of Education, Mississippi residents owe $16.2 billion in federal student loan debt with student borrowers owing $36,201 each on average (those numbers do not include private loans). 47.6% of these loan borrowers are under the age of 35.
When looking for ways to fund your higher education journey, remember that scholarships allow you to take fewer loans. Be sure to apply for as many as you’re eligible. You will surely want to take advantage of any merit & need-based scholarships from colleges in Mississippi.