Skip to content
← Back to Delta State's chapter

MeritPlaybook / Take-home research

Delta State
Decision sheet

Mississippi · Research checked 2026-06-07 · School research, not an aid offer

The starting point

Delta State publishes almost no automatic GPA/ACT merit grid — incoming freshmen are matched to academic scholarships through the Okra portal (average award ~$4,800/yr), with the top competitive Statesman Freshman Scholarship covering 100% of tuition.

Selection beyond grades and scores. These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.

Awards to discuss

First 3 of 4 recorded awards, in chapter display order. This is a selection, not a ranking. Read the full chapter for all awards. Amounts retain the original units and conditions; confirm the entering year with the school.

Statesman Freshman Scholarship

100% tuition coverage · Published coverage or package

Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.

GPA: Not published · SAT: Not published · ACT: Not published

Eligibility: Described as 'highly competitive'; awarded to 'exceptional incoming freshmen who meet specific academic requirements' — the specific GPA/ACT/SAT thresholds are NOT published on the public page.

Renewal: Renewal terms not published on the scholarships page.

Other terms: Merit. The single richest published institutional award, but it is competitive and its exact academic cutoffs are not on the public page — confirm thresholds with Admissions. 'Tuition' coverage is not the full cost of attendance ($23,214 on-campus).

https://www.deltastate.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/

Casanova Annual Science Scholarship

$2,000 per semester · Published amount

Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.

Eligibility: For 'eligible students passionate about the sciences'; specific eligibility criteria not published on this page.

Renewal: Not stated whether renewable beyond the awarded year.

Other terms: Departmental/program-specific merit award (sciences). Amount is per semester, i.e. up to $4,000 per academic year if held both terms.

https://www.deltastate.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/

Delta Heroes Graduate Scholarship

$1,200 per year · Published amount

Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.

Eligibility: GRADUATE students serving Mississippi communities in law enforcement, education, and first-response professions. Not a freshman/undergraduate merit award.

Renewal: Not stated.

Other terms: GRADUATE-LEVEL, service-profession award — included for completeness but does NOT apply to incoming freshmen. Flagged so it is not mistaken for an undergraduate automatic merit tier.

https://www.deltastate.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/

Ask before you decide

  1. Which entering-year policy and residency category apply to us? What are the admission and scholarship deadlines?
  2. What grades and credits are required to renew, and for how many terms?
  3. How would other school awards or outside scholarships change the offer?

Recorded stacking policy: Delta State publishes no general outside-scholarship displacement policy on its scholarships page. The one explicit stacking mechanic found is on the Delta State Free Tuition program: it is LAST-DOLLAR — Pell and any other earned scholarships are applied to tuition first, and the university covers only the remaining tuition balance. For free-tuition recipients, an additional merit/outside scholarship therefore reduces the university's own contribution rather than adding net new money against tuition.

Our unanswered questions / Family notes

Keep the sources with the decision

Full research, award details and source context: https://meritplaybook.com/colleges/delta-state-university/merit-aid

The research date is not a guarantee that a policy still applies. Confirm current amounts, deadlines and conditions with the school before making a financial decision.