Mississippi Scholarships

GEAR UP MISSISSIPPI SCHOLARSHIP (COHORT 2) Program Overview: The GEAR UP Mississippi Scholarship (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is available to students who participated in GEAR UP Mississippi activities during grades 9 through 12. GEAR UP is a federally funded grant program that provides counseling, mentoring, tutoring, and other support services to help students access and succeed in college. The GEAR UP Mississippi Scholarships for Cohort 2 will be awarded for the first time during the 2014-2015 Aid Year. Important Dates Online Application Period: January 1 - March 31, each year Supporting Document Deadline: April 30, each year FAFSA Filing Deadline: April 30, each year Initial Eligibility Requirements: Must be a legal Mississippi resident Must have a custodial parent or guardian who is a resident of Mississippi Must have no criminal record, other than misdemeanor traffic violations Must have participated in GEAR UP Mississippi activities during grades 9 through 12 Must have a minimum cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale Must have a minimum composite score of 18 on the ACT Must demonstrate financial need and be eligible for a federal Pell grant Must earn a high school diploma from a participating GEAR UP Mississippi school on or after January 1 and before September 1. Must have successfully completed the Mississippi College Prep Curriculum (CPC). The amount of the scholarship will be determined as follows: The maximum annual award amount for the GEAR UP Mississippi Scholarship will be $2,500 for freshmen, $3,000 for sophomores, $3,500 for juniors, and $4,000 for seniors. Classification will be determined by the attending institution. In no case shall the combination of the GEAR UP Scholarship Award and other financial aid exceed the attending institution’s annual Cost of Attendance. Therefore, the annual award amount may be reduced based on the student’s remaining demonstrated financial need after all other gift aid, including the federal Pell grant, has been applied and prior to the awarding of a federal loan or work study.

Program Overview: Created by the Mississippi Legislature this program is designed to provide financial aid assistance to Mississippi residents attending state approved public and nonprofit two-year and four-year eligible colleges and universities. The primary objective of the MESG is to provide educational opportunities for students who wish to pursue post secondary education in the state. Important Dates: Application Dates: January 1 – September 15 Supporting Documents Deadline: October 15 Eligibility Requirements for Entering Freshmen: Be a legal resident of the State of Mississippi for one year prior to high school or Home School completion Have a high school cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 on a 4.0 scale (Home School applicants must provide official transcript of 9th through 12th grades.) Have scored a minimum of a 29 on the National ACT or minimum score of 1290 on the SAT or National Merit or National Achievement Finalist or Semi-Finalist Be accepted and enrolled full-time at an approved postsecondary institution in Mississippi Must be pursuing first certificate, first associate or first bachelors degree Eligibility Requirements for Students Currently Enrolled in College: Meet all the eligibility requirements of the entering freshman Have a minimum of a 3.50 cumulative college grade point average Attend an approved postsecondary institution in Mississippi Enroll and complete full-time enrollment each semester. Full-time enrollment is 12 hours per semester or 9 hours per trimester. NOTE: Only courses classified as “undergraduate” courses by the institution, will be counted towards the total number of hours needed to qualify as a full-time undergraduate student. Hours taken in graduate level courses cannot be counted towards undergraduate enrollment. Courses must be term-bound. Some correspondence and independent study courses may not be accepted. Must be pursuing first certificate, first associate or first bachelors degree Award Amount: MESG awards may be up to $2,500.00 per academic year, but may not exceed tuition and required fees. Maximum Length of Eligibility: A recipient may receive this grant up to 8 semesters (12 trimesters) or degree completion which ever comes first. See website for more information.

The purpose of this scholarship is to financially assist students who are pursuing a career in gerontology or geriatrics. Selection of Recipient(s): To apply for the scholarship, a student must be a junior, senior or graduate student currently enrolled in an accredited university within the eight Southeastern states: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, North and South Carolina. The following criteria will be used to rank nominations: 25 percent - Financial need 25 percent - Application aptness 10 percent - Writing skills 15 percent - Maintain 2.5 GPA 10 percent - Commitment to do volunteer work with elderly

LA Tutors awards a monthly $500 Innovation Scholarship to high school and college students who showcase their creativity and make a positive impact.

MusicAuthority recognizes the positive impact that music can have on a student’s learning experience. Studies have shown how music can enhance learning- from improving memory performance to relieving anxiety, music can be a great component to aid a student’s college experience. We are proud to offer our $1,000 scholarship to one current or prospective student. We will be offering this scholarship on a continual basis and we are excited to promote a passion for music and higher education.

ELIGIBILITY: Pursing a four-year degree in any area of agriculture. Applicant must complete financial analysis section of application and exhibit financial need. Resident of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia or Wisconsin required. Recipients shall allow Tractor Supply Company to use photographs of themselves and their families in company advertising.AWARD: Approximately one scholarship at $3,000. Not guaranteed.

ELIGIBILITY: Pursuing a four-year degree in agricultural business/farm/livestock or ranch management or agricultural sales and marketing. Seventeen $1,000 scholarships to a member from Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina or South Carolina; Arkansas, Louisiana or Mississippi; Missouri; Nebraska; Pennsylvania or New York; Washington, Oregon or Idaho; Ohio; Oklahoma; Alabama, Georgia or Florida; Tennessee; Texas; Wisconsin. In addition, seven scholarships are available to FFA members pursuing a two-year degree in agricultural business/farm/livestock or ranch management or agricultural sales and marketing to the states of Kansas; Kentucky; Nebraska; Ohio; Oklahoma; Texas; Alabama, Georgia or Florida. Applicants must live on a family farm, exhibit strong leadership skills, financial need and demonstrate interest in managing a farm.AWARD: 24 scholarships at $1,000 each, non-renewable.

ELIGIBILITY: Pursuing a four-year degree in select areas of agriculture, agribusiness management, communications, education, journalism, extension, public relations, finance, economics, sales, marketing, engineering, mechanization, technology, plant pathology, plant/animal breeding and genetics, range/soil science or public service and administration in agriculture. Resident of Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin or Wyoming required. No more than one scholarship per state.AWARD: 10 scholarships at $2,000 each, non-renewable.

ELIGIBILITY: Pursuing a two- or four-year degree in agriculture with a preference in animal nutrition, animal science or farm/livestock or ranch management. Resident of Colorado or Mississippi required. Applicants must exhibit strong leadership skills, have participated in community service and be involved in beef cattle.AWARD: Two scholarships at $1,000 each, non-renewable.

ELIGIBILITY: Pursuing a four-year degree in agricultural engineering or agricultural science/technology. Resident of Alabama, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas or West Virginia required. Must have been active in extracurricular activities. Completion of the financial analysis section is required. If these major criteria are equal between potential applicants, those with the greatest financial need will be selected. Recipients shall allow Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. Inc. to publicize or advertise scholarship recipients’ names or likenesses and those of their families.AWARD: 10 scholarships at $2,500 each, non-renewable.

Eligible students will: Write an essay of no fewer than 600 words about their career aspirations and how their current course load will help them achieve success in their careers. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? Thinking outside the box is encouraged! Email their essay as a .doc or .pdf attachment to: scholarship@greatclubs.com YouTube submissions are optional, although not required. Video should be no longer than 5 minutes. (Essays submitted via YouTube must also be submitted in writing.)

The scholarship shall be awarded to a collegian or alumna member of Alpha Phi/Newcomb/Tulane or Epsilon Zeta/Mississippi who will pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree during the academic year for which the scholarship is awarded.