Information for Counselors

MSU Promise Program and Medallion Grants “bridge the gap” for Mississippi Students from low and moderate income families
Mississippi State announces 2008-09 scholarship opportunities and criteria
GPAs needed on transcripts for scholarship awarding
Mississippi State provides increased opportunities for transfer students
Mississippi State Freshman Academic Scholarships have upcoming February 1, 2008, priority date
New Online Campus Visit Program Launched
MSU Quick Facts
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Contact Information for the MSU Office of Admissions and Scholarships

MSU Promise Program and Medallion Grants “bridge the gap” for Mississippi Students from low and moderate income families

As part of fulfilling its role as The People’s University, MSU is now offering the Mississippi State Promise Program and the Medallion Grant Program to entering freshmen and entering community college transfer students who come from low and moderate income families. These programs strive to “bridge the gap” between the cost of tuition and required fees minus all other gift aid.

To be eligible for the Mississippi State Promise Program, the student must enroll full time, be a Mississippi resident and either an entering freshman with a 3.0 high school grade-point average on a 4.0 scale, or an entering community college transfer student with a 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale (after completing a minimum of 48 eligible transfer hours). The total family income must be $30,000 or less and the student must demonstrate significant financial need. Recipients will be provided the opportunity to live in a selected MSU residence hall for approximately one half of the applicable double occupancy rate.

The Medallion Grant Program complements the MSU Promise Program by targeting entering Mississippi freshmen and community college transfer students who have the academic potential to be productive graduates of MSU and are from families with moderate incomes, but do not meet the low income criteria to qualify for a Promise Award. To be eligible, the student must enroll full time, be a Mississippi resident and either an entering freshman with a 3.0 high school grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and a minimum 18 ACT score, or an entering community college transfer student with a 2.5 transfer GPA on a 4.0 scale after completing 48 eligible transfer hours. The total family income must be between $30,001 and $45,000 and the student must demonstrate financial need.

To apply for these programs, students must complete the MSU admission and scholarship process by the priority date, as well as the federal student aid application and State of Mississippi student aid application processes, and be admitted to MSU. Additional information about eligibility and application procedures is available at sfa.msstate.edu.

Mississippi State announces 2008-09 scholarship opportunities and criteria

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Mississippi State University is excited to announce our 2008-09 scholarship opportunities! We have a number of scholarship programs including academic scholarships and leadership and service scholarships to assist students in achieving their academic goals. Included in this newsletter, you will find some of our most popular scholarships and their criteria such as the Freshman Academic Scholarship and the recently increased Phi Theta Kappa Community College Scholarship.

We’d also like to remind you about the non-resident scholarships including the Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship which is awarded for 100% of the non-resident portion of tuition. Also offered are the Access Grant and the Alumni Waiver which both cover 50% of the non-resident portion of tuition; however, the Access Grant and Alumni Waiver may not be combined.

To be considered for these MSU scholarships, students must be admitted to MSU and complete the online scholarship resume before the scholarship priority dates of February 1 for freshmen and May 1 for transfers.

We invite you to view a complete listing of Mississippi State scholarships at admissions.msstate.edu/scholarships where you can also find the required admissions application and scholarship resume to receive awards.

GPAs needed on transcripts for scholarship awarding

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We would like to remind you that the student’s grade-point average on a 4.0 scale will be used for scholarship consideration. If this information is provided on the six-semester transcript by the February 1 Freshman Academic Scholarships priority date, we will use the GPA provided by the school.

If you have already submitted a transcript which does not include the GPA, you may submit that information from your office via email to admit@msstate.edu or fax to 662-325-7360. If the GPA is not provided on a transcript, the core GPA as calculated by Mississippi State University will be used, and if both are supplied, the higher GPA will be accepted. Eligibility for scholarships will begin with an overall GPA of 3.0.

Mississippi State provides increased opportunities for transfer students

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Mississippi State has increased the scholarship award amounts for the Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship from $4,500 to $5,000 and the Community College Recognition Scholarship from $2,000 to $2,500. MSU is proud to offer a varierty of community college scholarships for qualifying transfer students.

The Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship is a two-year award totaling $5,000 ($1,250 per semester). Applicants must have completed at least 48 hours of transferable community college courses applicable to a Bachelor’s degree, have a minimum cumulative gradepoint average of 3.25 and be a member of Phi Theta Kappa.

The Community College Recognition Scholarship is a two-year award totaling $2,500 ($625 per semester). Eligibility includes completion of at least 48 hours of transferable community college courses applicable to a Bachelor’s degree and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. The Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship and Community College Recognition Scholarship may not be combined.

Also available is the Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship which is awarded for 100% of the non-resident portion of tuition to students who have a transfer cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher with a minimum of 48 hours of transferable community college courses applicable to a Bachelor’s degree. This scholarship may be combined with the Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship and the Community College Recognition Scholarship.

For more information and additional scholarships, please visit our Web site admissions.msstate.edu/scholarships.

Mississippi State Freshman Academic Scholarships have upcoming February 1, 2008, priority date

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Mississippi State University has a variety of academic scholarships for students who have earned outstanding honors and awards, have an above average ACT/SAT score, a competitive high school GPA, and excellent leadership and service activities.

The Freshman Academic Excellence Scholarship is a four-year award (over eight semesters) that starts at $4,000. Eligibility includes a minimum 24 ACT (1090 SAT), a scholarship GPA of 3.0, and excellent leadership and service activities.

The Non-Resident Freshman Academic Excellence Scholarship is awarded for 100% of the non-resident portion of tuition to students who have a minimum 24 ACT (1090 SAT) and scholarship GPA of 3.0.

For additional freshman scholarships and more information including the required resume', please visit our Web site admissions.msstate.edu/scholarships.

New Online Campus Visit Program Launched

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For spring 2008 campus visits, prospective students may now use the new online campus visit program. A visit to campus is a great way to learn more about life at Mississippi State. During a visit, students are able to tour our beautiful campus and residence halls with Roadrunners, our student recruiters who can speak about student life at MSU. Along with meeting with an admissions counselor who can discuss admissions requirements and scholarships opportunities, students may also meet with academic advisers from areas that interest them.

Our campus visit program can accommodate one-on-one visits with students and parents or larger group visits.

For more information about the online campus visit program, please visit admissions.msstate.edu or for scheduling a visit for this fall, please call 662-325-0539.

MSU Quick Facts

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During 2006-07, MSU students received more than 40 million dollars in scholarships and grants.
MSU has more than 17,000 students and over 80 majors
Kiplinger magazine ranks MSU as one of the top 100 “best values” among the nation’s public colleges and universities
Almost 4,000 non-resident students, representing all 50 states and nearly 75 foreign countries
14:1 student to faculty ratio
85 percent of faculty hold terminal degrees
Shackouls Honors College and study abroad opportunities
Free tutoring in major subjects at The Learning Center and The Writing Center
New facilities including Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, Einstein Brothers Bagels, Sbarro
African-Americans make up 20 percent of enrollment
Highest number of international students in Mississippi public institutions
Approximately 30 National Merit scholar students per year
12th largest cooperative education program in the U.S.
Career Center offers services in career planning and job search assistance for full-time employment, internships, and part-time and summer jobs
Top 25 U.S. Colleges in computer capabilities
2nd oldest PGA sanctioned PGM program in U.S.
International Business Program has 100 percent internship placement and job placement
1 of 4 Mississippi teachers come from MSU
One of 27 veterinary medicine programs in the U.S.
2007 first place winners of the Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility engineering competition