Unlocking Opportunities: A Comprehensive Guide to University of Mississippi Scholarships
The University of Mississippi, with its high acceptance rate of 97%, offers a multitude of scholarship opportunities to make education accessible and affordable. Recognizing hard work and dedication, Ole Miss provides both merit-based and need-based awards to incoming and current students. This article provides a detailed overview of the scholarships available, focusing on eligibility requirements, award amounts, and application processes.
Understanding Admissions at the University of Mississippi
Before diving into scholarship specifics, it's important to understand the general admissions landscape at Ole Miss. While the university has a rolling application deadline, it's advisable to apply early to maximize scholarship opportunities. Standardized tests are required for some applicants, with the middle 50% of admitted students scoring between 1000 and 1200 on the SAT or 21 and 29 on the ACT. Notably, the university will accept super scores, which considers the highest subject tests from multiple ACT/SAT test dates. While GPA is an important academic factor, recommendations are not considered by admissions officials.
Scholarships for Mississippi Residents
The University of Mississippi offers several scholarships specifically for Mississippi residents. These awards recognize students for their hard work and dedication during their high school years. The awards are given to students based only on their high school GPA, ACT/SAT scores, and/or the activities in which they participated. To be considered a “freshman” for these scholarships, you must not have earned more than 18 college credit hours after your high school graduation, excluding dual enrollment courses taken while enrolled in high school.
Freshman Merit and Achievement-Based Scholarships
These scholarships provide fixed award amounts that are renewable for up to four years, provided all terms and conditions are met. It's important to note that at the 33+ ACT level, the scholarship stipend will be set to the value of tuition in Year One and capped at that amount for all undergraduates (including Pharmacy) for the life of the scholarship.
Mississippi residents who earn at least a 3.5 high school GPA and 23 ACT score (or the SAT equivalent) are eligible for the additional 1848 scholarship.
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Eligibility: Entering Freshman with minimum 3.0 high school GPA and 23 ACT score for Mississippi residents (or the SAT equivalent). The university will accept super scores (highest subject tests from ACT/SAT when scores from multiple test dates are submitted for admission). Please be advised that these awards are renewable for up to four years as long as all terms and conditions are met. These cannot be stacked with the Academic Merit awards.
Valedictorian/Salutatorian Scholarship
The High School Valedictorian/Salutatorian Scholarship is awarded to entering freshmen who are named Valedictorian or Salutatorian of their high school.
Award Amount: $8,000 ($2,000/year)Eligibility: Entering freshmen who are named Valedictorian or Salutatorian of their high school. This award is intended for 2 incoming freshmen from each school, so the HS must maintain class rankings.How to Apply: Notify the Office of Financial Aid; a letter from a high school official must confirm (1) they have ranked the graduating class, and (2) the student has obtained the ranking of #1 or #2.
Opportunity Scholarship
This scholarship is individually calculated “filling the gap” per student up to the set cap each year. For 2025-2026, this guarantee of basic cost was value at $20,942 to include all other grant and scholarship aid awarded to the student.
To be eligible for the Opportunity Scholarship, you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, a first-time entering freshman at the start of the fall semester in which you first enroll, seeking a degree, and enrolled full-time at Ole Miss. In addition, you must meet the following criteria:
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- The family income listed on your FAFSA (from the federal tax return) must be at or below $40,000
- Eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Student Aid Index (SAI) no higher than 6,655
- 3.0 high-school GPA
How to Apply: The two applications listed below are required every year.
- Submit a FAFSA by March 1 prior to the fall semester for automatic consideration.
- Submit the State of Mississippi Financial Aid Application for the MS HELP, MTAG, and MESG grants.
National Merit Scholarships
Eligibility: Entering freshmen with National Merit Semifinalist/Finalist status and a 3.0 or higher GPA.How to Apply: Gain admission to the University of Mississippi.
Scholarships for Non-Resident Students
The University of Mississippi also extends scholarship opportunities to non-resident students, recognizing their accomplishments and making attending Ole Miss more affordable. These Non-Resident Freshman Merit and Achievement-Based Scholarships recognize the accomplishments of incoming non-resident students and help make attending Ole Miss more affordable. These awards are given to students based only on their high school GPA, ACT/SAT scores, and/or the activities they participated in during these years. To be considered a “freshman” for these scholarships, you must not have earned more than 18 college credit hours after your high school graduation. This does not include dual enrollment courses taken while enrolled in high school.
Academic Merit Scholarships
These scholarships provide fixed award amounts that are renewable for up to four years, provided all terms and conditions are met. This is a fee-specific scholarship that pays towards the non-resident fee. It does not stack with Academic Success NR.
Eligibility: Entering Freshman with minimum 3.0 high school GPA. Also covers full non-resident fee, if applicable. Please be advised that these awards are renewable for up to four years as long as all terms and conditions are met. These cannot be stacked with the Academic Merit awards.
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National Merit Scholarships
Eligibility: Entering freshmen with National Merit Semifinalist/Finalist status and a 3.0 or higher GPA.How to Apply: Gain admission to the University of Mississippi.
Scholarships for Transfer Students
The University of Mississippi provides scholarship opportunities for transfer students, both residents and non-residents. To be considered for Transfer Scholarships, students must typically transfer with at least 30 transferable credit hours, unless otherwise indicated, as determined by the Office of Admissions.
Mississippi Resident Scholarships for New Transfers
Non-Resident Scholarships for New Transfers
To be considered for our Transfer Scholarships, students must typically transfer with at least 30 transferable credit hours, unless otherwise indicated, as determined by the Office of Admissions.
To receive these awards, you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and must be transferring directly from a community college. The calculation of the transfer GPA will include the grades from all prior colleges attended. You must be enrolled full-time to receive these awards. The total scholarship award is not to exceed the cost of attendance. Completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required for all forms of financial aid for which you might apply.
Other Scholarship Opportunities
Private Scholarships
Private scholarships are awards provided by organizations outside of the University, such as Elks, Rotary, your local high school, national organizations, churches etc. You apply directly to the organization sponsoring the scholarship. The organization then selects the recipient(s) and sends the funds to the University which are then applied to your Bursar’s account. If you receive a private scholarship award, this may impact your financial aid award since the combination of all financial aid and scholarships cannot exceed your cost of attendance. If needed, the loans that are offered to you will be reduced first, then other aid. If you know that you will be receiving a private scholarship, please contact our office as soon as possible to prevent receiving an overaward and possible repayment of aid you have already received.
Degree-Specific Awards
The Office of Financial Aid mainly awards non-degree specific scholarships to incoming undergraduate students. If you are a continuing student or interested in a degree-specific award please explore options with your chosen academic department. Some of the degrees offered at the University of Mississippi are B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, B.A. in Computer Science, B.S.C.S. in Computer Science, B.S. in Computer Engineering, B.E. in Engineering, B.S.Ch.E. in Chemical Engineering, B.S.C.E. in Civil Engineering, B.S.E.E. in Electrical Engineering, B.S.M.E. in Mechanical Engineering, B.S.G.E. in Geological Engineering, B.S. in Biological Science, B.S. in Biology, B.A. in Biology, B.A. in Biochemistry, B.S. in Mathematics, B.A. in Mathematics, B.S. in Chemistry, B.A. in Chemistry, B.S. in Forensic Chemistry, B.S. in Geology, B.S. in Physics, B.A. in Physics and B.S. in Engineering.
General Scholarship Information
All students must be admitted to the University of Mississippi to be considered for scholarships. Scholarship eligibility, criteria, and amounts may change without prior notice. Scholarship awards based on merit only are generally renewable for subsequent undergraduate years, provided the recipient maintains the required grade point average. Please review the terms and conditions of your scholarship.
Financial Aid Resources
The Office of Financial Aid at Ole Miss is dedicated to assisting students in navigating the financial aid process. They provide guidance on scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs.
How to Apply for Aid
- Complete the FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required for all forms of financial aid. The University of Mississippi's FAFSA code is 002440.
- Submit Required Documents: Ensure all necessary documents are submitted by the specified deadlines.
- Check Your Financial Aid Status: Regularly monitor your financial aid status through the university's online portal.
External Scholarship Opportunities
In addition to the scholarships offered directly by the University of Mississippi, students are encouraged to explore external scholarship opportunities from various organizations. These private scholarships can significantly reduce the overall cost of attendance.
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