Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Mississippi
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every Mississippi college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our Mississippi scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $6,300 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
Mississippi's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
HELP, the Higher Education Legislative Plan
A grant for Mississippi residents with a 2.5 GPA and a 20 ACT who enroll full time and qualify for a full or partial Pell Grant. It pays tuition and required fees at a public university for up to four years. At a private college it pays the average of the public universities.
Source: Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid
“The program provides full tuition to qualified students for up to four years.”
“of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.”
“Score a minimum of 20 on the National ACT.”
“Demonstrate need by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and qualifying for a maximum or partial federal Pell Grant.”
“Be a legal resident of the State of Mississippi for one year prior to application.”
“Tuition and required fees at a public institution Participants attending a private institution will receive an award amount equal to the average tuition and required fees of the public four-year institutions.”
“Max 8 semesters or bachelor’s degree completion, whichever comes first.”
MTAG, the Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant
A grant for Mississippi residents with a 2.5 GPA and a 15 ACT who enroll full time and qualify for less than the full Pell Grant. It pays up to $500 a year in the first two years and up to $1,000 in the last two.
Source: Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid
“of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale”
“Score a minimum of 15 on the National ACT.”
“Be eligible for less than the maximum Federal Pell Grant”
“MTAG awards up to $500 per academic year For state aid, the academic year refers to the Fall and Spring semesters. Summer is generally not covered by state aid unless specifically noted for a program. to freshmen and sophomores, and up to $1,000 per academic year”
MESG, the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant
A merit grant of up to $2,500 a year, never more than tuition and required fees. A resident needs a 3.5 GPA and a 29 ACT or 1330 SAT, or National Merit standing, and must enroll full time.
Source: Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid
“of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.”
“Score a minimum of 29 on the National ACT (1330 on the SAT”
“or be named a National Merit Finalist or Semi-Finalist.”
“MESG awards up to $2,500 per academic year For state aid, the academic year refers to the Fall and Spring semesters. Summer is generally not covered by state aid unless specifically noted for a program., but awards may not exceed tuition and required fees.”
“If a student is eligible for aid through multiple grant programs, the student shall be awarded from the program that awards the larger sum.”
Mississippi's 529 tax deduction
Money you put into a MACS account comes off your Mississippi income, up to $10,000 a year, or $20,000 on a joint return. Take money out for anything other than school costs and Mississippi taxes the earnings and adds the deduction back.
Source: Mississippi State Treasurer, MACS Frequently Asked Questions
“What you contribute (up to $10,000 for a single return or $20,000 for a joint return) during a tax year is deductible from Mississippi adjusted gross income.”
“If you make a non-qualified withdrawal, however, the earnings portion will be taxable to a resident recipient, and the contribution portion that was previously deducted will be included in the resident recipient’s Mississippi gross income.”
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcorn State University public | None published | — | $22,978 |
| Belhaven University private |
| — | $44,725 |
| Delta State University public |
| — | $20,199 |
| Jackson State University public |
| — | $24,363 |
| Mississippi Christian University private |
| — | $43,780 |
| Mississippi State University public |
| — | $28,320 |
| Mississippi University for Women public |
| — | $20,409 |
| University of Mississippi public |
| Ole Miss Opportunity: the average cost of tuition, residence hall housing and an allowance for meals, for Mississippi residents with a family income of $40,000 or less and a Pell Grant | $26,005 |
| University of Southern Mississippi public |
| — | $24,248 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
2 more Mississippi colleges have no page here. For 0 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- William Carey University
- Mississippi Valley State University
Across state lines
The Academic Common Market, run by the Southern Regional Education Board.
Coming to Mississippi from another southern state
Students from the other states in the market pay in-state tuition at a public college that takes part, but only for a degree their own state's public colleges don't offer.
These 7 colleges in Mississippi take part:
- Delta State University
- Jackson State University
- Mississippi State University
- Mississippi University for Women
- Mississippi Valley State University
- University of Mississippi
- University of Southern Mississippi
Going from Mississippi to another southern state
A Mississippi student admitted to such a program in another of these states applies to Mississippi to be certified as a resident. The program search shows which programs are open to Mississippi students.
Source: Southern Regional Education Board, Academic Common Market
“is a tuition-savings program for college students in 15 SREB states who want to pursue degrees that are not offered by public institutions in their home state.”
“Students can enroll in out-of-state institutions and pay the institution’s in-state tuition rates for more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate programs.”
“Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Florida and Texas participate only at the graduate level.”
“Once admitted to the institution, contact your state ACM coordinator and complete the ACM application process in your home state to be certified as a state resident.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $6,300 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our Mississippi scenarios. Each scenario is a household in Mississippi at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest, the federal tax credit and Mississippi's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in Mississippi.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.