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Mississippi State University · Mississippi

Mississippi State scholarships and merit aid

Public SEC land-grant with a GPA-based non-resident scholarship that pays $12,000–$22,000/year depending on GPA band and test score, plus a resident ACT-by-GPA grid topping out at $10,500/year for 33+ ACT students with a 3.6+ GPA. The non-resident scholarship now covers roughly 80% of non-resident tuition and fees at the top cell.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Mississippi State worth a closer look?

Mississippi State is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 4 published awards, and 2 are based on those numbers.

See our full reasoning

Worth optimizing for if your student is high-GPA out-of-state. Residents get a smaller, GPA-gated ladder where crossing two ACT bands at the lowest GPA tier can triple the award.

Mississippi State runs two separate automatic ladders. For out-of-state students the published top cell is a $22,000/yr Non-Resident Academic Scholarship at 4.10+ GPA with a 31+ ACT (or 1390+ SAT) superscore, which covers roughly 80% of the $27,637 non-resident tuition and fees line. The single biggest computable cliff for OOS applicants is the +$4,000/yr test bonus that lifts the 3.60-4.09 band from $16,000 to $20,000 (and the 4.10+ band from $18,000 to $22,000) once you cross to 31+ ACT. Residents top out far lower at $10,500/yr (3.6+ GPA, 33-36 ACT). Stacking is COA-cap displacement: outside awards that push your total over Cost of Attendance can get institutional merit reduced or canceled, and MSU does not publish whether grants or institutional dollars are cut first, so report every outside award to SFA early. Hard deadline: Presidential Endowed consideration requires scores submitted by December 1. The separately published National Merit Finalist package pays $12,000/year plus an approximately $8,456/year housing award for four years; eligible non-residents may also receive 100% of the non-resident tuition portion.

Merit tiers42 based on grades or scores
Average school award$6,544CDS 2025-2026
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team
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Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Where you landAutomatic merit aid by ACT compositeEach bar marks the ACT score range that qualifies for the tier.
Freshman Academic Excellence Scholarship (Mississippi residents)$1,000
ACT 21+GPA 3.0+

Not on this ladder: Freshman Non-Resident Academic Scholarship, Presidential Endowed Scholarship Package, National Merit Finalist Scholarship Package — application required, holistic, or scored on a different axis.

View as table
TierACT compositeAward
Freshman Academic Excellence Scholarship (Mississippi residents)21+$1,000–$10,500/year based on HS GPA × ACT grid (see notes for full chart)
$1,000–$10,500/year based on HS GPA…$1,000–$10,500/year based on HS GPA × ACT grid (see notes for full chart)

Freshman Academic Excellence Scholarship (Mississippi residents)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.0+
ACT
21+
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Mississippi resident. Scores from the February test date of senior year are the last accepted. Superscores within the same test type (ACT or SAT) are accepted; ACT and SAT subscores cannot be mixed.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a 3.0 cumulative college GPA and continuous full-time enrollment (12 credit hours per semester at MSU)

Notes

Full 2025-2026 resident chart by HS GPA × ACT band. 3.0–3.29 GPA: 21–24 ACT = $1,000/yr; 25–29 ACT = $2,000; 30–32 ACT = $3,000; 33–36 ACT = $4,000. 3.30–3.59 GPA: 21–24 ACT = $1,500; 25–29 ACT = $2,500; 30–32 ACT = $5,000; 33–36 ACT = $6,000. 3.6+ GPA: 21–24 ACT = $3,500; 25–29 ACT = $5,000; 30–32 ACT = $8,000; 33–36 ACT = $10,500. Students scoring 34+ ACT (or SAT equivalent) additionally receive a one-year scholarship valued at the cost of their portion of a double-occupancy residence hall room on top of the FAES amount.

Source

$12,000/year at 3.30–3.59 GPA…$12,000/year at 3.30–3.59 GPA; $16,000/year at 3.60–4.09 GPA (rises to $20,000/year at 31+ ACT / 1390+ SAT); $18,000/year at 4.10+ GPA (rises to $22,000/year at 31+ ACT / 1390+ SAT)

Freshman Non-Resident Academic Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.30+
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Non-resident. The 3.60–4.09 GPA and 4.10+ GPA bands receive a $4,000/year test-score bonus at a 31+ ACT or 1390+ SAT superscore. No separate ACT/SAT threshold is published for the base $12,000 tier. Students scoring 34+ ACT (or SAT equivalent) additionally receive a one-year scholarship valued at the cost of their portion of a double-occupancy residence hall room. Superscores within the same test type are accepted.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a 3.0 cumulative college GPA and continuous full-time enrollment (12 credit hours per semester at MSU)

Notes

Full 2025-2026 non-resident chart by HS GPA × test-score band. 3.30–3.59 GPA: $12,000/yr (no test-score bonus tier). 3.60–4.09 GPA: $16,000/yr base; $20,000/yr at 31+ ACT or 1390+ SAT. 4.10+ GPA: $18,000/yr base; $22,000/yr at 31+ ACT or 1390+ SAT. At the top cell the $22,000/yr award covers roughly 80% of the $27,637 non-resident tuition and fees line for 2025-2026. Mississippi State's Non-Resident Military Tuition Waiver (NRMTW, valued at $17,435/year) is awarded in place of the Non-Resident Academic Scholarship when the NRMTW value exceeds the scholarship amount.

Source

Tuition…Tuition + meal plan + on-campus housing for 4 years + $12,000 one-time enrichment allowance (approximately $107,000 total package value)

Presidential Endowed Scholarship Package

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
3.75+
SAT
1360+
ACT
30+
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Competitive review, not automatic. ACT or SAT scores must be submitted to Mississippi State by December 1 for Presidential Endowed consideration. The 3.75+ GPA floor applies to the core or overall high school GPA. NOTE: SAT threshold corrected from prior 1330+ to verbatim 1360+ per MSU's Presidential Endowed page (2026-05-03 audit).

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 semesters subject to continuous full-time enrollment and the published GPA terms

Notes

Mississippi State's top merit package. The $12,000 enrichment allowance is designated for study abroad, undergraduate research, or other professional development. The 2025 entering class received 19 Presidential Endowed awards. Non-residents who earn the Presidential Endowed package also receive the Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship covering 100% of the non-resident portion of tuition, so out-of-state recipients effectively pay the resident rate before Presidential tuition coverage applies.

Source

$12,000/year…$12,000/year ($48,000 over 4 years) + approximately $8,456/year on-campus housing award ($33,824 over 4 years). Non-residents may also receive a Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship covering 100% of the non-resident portion of tuition.

National Merit Finalist Scholarship Package

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Named National Merit Finalist status AND list Mississippi State as first-choice college with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 semesters with continuous on-campus residency and the published GPA terms (live source: 'renewable annually up to 8 semesters at MSU based on overall college GPA')

Notes

The published package lists the $12,000/year National Merit Finalist Scholarship and the approximately $8,456/year Housing Award as separate components. The housing award requires continuous on-campus residency to renew. Non-resident NMFs may also receive the full non-resident tuition portion through the Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship. The package replaces the Freshman Academic and National Merit Semifinalist scholarship packages.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Mississippi State's published information.

  • Cutoff cliffOne ACT point can move the award by +$4,000/yr ($16,000 base → $20,000 with bonus)

    Mississippi State publishes a tier ladder where crossing Non-resident · 3.60-4.09 GPA · below 31 → 31+ ACT changes the marginal value by +$4,000/yr ($16,000 base → $20,000 with bonus). Cleanest single-variable test cliff at MSU; the 31+ ACT / 1390+ SAT bonus.

  • Renewal ruleFreshman Academic Excellence Scholarship (Mississippi residents): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a 3.0 cumulative college GPA and continuous full-time enrollment (12 credit hours per semester at MSU) A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • Aid capHard $53,422 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Mississippi State cannot push the package past $53,422. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

Straight from the aid office

What Mississippi State's aid office says

Per the Scholarships Office, Mississippi State University, August 2026. How we verify

GPA used for scholarships

Which GPA counts — weighted or unweighted, and which years?

Either one, but only three years of it. The office takes the weighted or the unweighted GPA — and added that it uses grades from 9th through 11th grade only, so senior-year grades do not move the scholarship GPA.

“We will take the weighted or unweighted GPA.”
Late test scores still count

If a later test score is higher, can the award go up?

Yes. Scores are accepted through the last test date in February before graduation, and a score that lifts the student into a higher band can upgrade the scholarship. That is a rare second chance — most stat-grid schools freeze the award well before February.

“We will accept test grades for ACT or SAT up until the last test date in the month February before the student graduates. If it increases making him eligible for a higher scholarship then it can be upgraded.”
The second application

Is consideration automatic, or is there a separate scholarship application?

Both. Merit review runs automatically after admission off GPA and test scores, but a separate General Scholarship Application opens October 1 and closes December 1, with leadership and service scholarship applications underneath it — some also due December 1. Students who apply for admission and stop there never see that pool.

“There is another scholarship application called the General Scholarship Application. It will open October 1 and is due by December 1. There will also be leadership and service scholarship applications under the GSA. Some of these are also due December 1.”
Outside scholarships

If an outside scholarship comes in, what gets reduced first?

Federal loans, and only at the ceiling. The office named loans as the first reduction once cost of attendance is reached — answering a question MSU does not settle on its published pages, which state that combined aid cannot exceed cost of attendance without naming a reduction order.

“If cost of attendance is reached, federal loans get reduced first.”
Keeping the scholarship

What keeps the award, and what happens after a bad term?

Academic scholarships renew for up to 8 semesters on continuous full-time enrollment and a 3.0 GPA. The cliff is annual and specific: falling below a 3.0 at the end of the spring semester cancels the scholarship. Leadership and service awards carry their own terms.

“Academic scholarships are renewable up to 8 semesters as long as you maintain continuous full time enrollment and a 3.0 GPA. Leadership and service scholarships vary. If you fall below a 3.0 GPA at the end of the spring semester, your scholarships will be cancelled.”
Getting it back

Can a cancelled scholarship be reinstated?

Through an appeal, yes — the office said a scholarship appeal has to be submitted and approved before a cancelled award is reinstated. It is not automatic on pulling the GPA back up.

“You will have to submit a scholarship appeal and have it approved to them get reinstated.”

What families often miss

  1. Mississippi State admits students without ACT or SAT scores for admission review, but the resident Freshman Academic Excellence Scholarship ladder AND the Presidential Endowed Scholarship Package require submitted scores. Test-optional applicants lose access to the automatic resident merit grid (21 ACT floor) and cannot be considered for Presidential Endowed (30 ACT floor). Non-resident applicants can still receive the GPA-tiered Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship without scores, but the Presidential Endowed pathway is unavailable.

  2. Presidential Endowed is the only MSU package that pays full tuition, room, board, and an enrichment allowance. It is competitive rather than stat-automatic, and the review pool closes when December 1 ACT/SAT scores are on file. High-stats families who wait until the spring automatic merit cycle still receive the stat-automatic scholarships, but they lose the Presidential Endowed pathway entirely. Presidential Endowed is worth an order of magnitude more than the automatic top tier.

  3. Mississippi State does not publish a loan-first or grant-first displacement order. If outside scholarships push a family over COA, institutional scholarships may be adjusted or canceled per SFA policy, and without a published priority order families can't predict which bucket gets reduced. Reporting every outside award to SFA as it's confirmed lets the office sequence the reductions thoughtfully instead of cutting institutional merit retroactively at billing.

See award cutoffs and special programs

What the stats actually buy

Every figure below is a named MSU tier with its own published dollar value. Tested-percentile context: MSU's Common Data Set reports a 21-29 ACT and 1000-1230 SAT middle 50% for 2025-2026.

Student profileLikely outcome
Resident · 3.0-3.29 GPA · 21-24 ACTFreshman Academic Excellence (FAES) — $1,000/yrAutomatic floor of the resident grid.
Resident · 3.6+ GPA · 33-36 ACTFreshman Academic Excellence (FAES) — $10,500/yrTop automatic resident cell. 34+ ACT also adds a one-year double-occupancy housing award.
Non-resident · 3.30-3.59 GPANon-Resident Academic Scholarship — $12,000/yrAutomatic OOS entry tier; no published test-score bonus at this band.
Non-resident · 3.60-4.09 GPA · 31+ ACT / 1390+ SATNon-Resident Academic Scholarship — $20,000/yr$16,000 base plus the $4,000 test-score bonus.
Non-resident · 4.10+ GPA · 31+ ACT / 1390+ SATNon-Resident Academic Scholarship — $22,000/yrTop automatic OOS cell; covers ~80% of the $27,637 non-resident tuition and fees line.
3.75+ GPA · 30+ ACT / 1360+ SAT (competitive)Presidential Endowed Package — ~$107,000 total valueNot automatic; competitive review with only 19 awards in the 2025 class. Scores due Dec 1. Covers tuition + housing + meals + $12,000 enrichment.
National Merit Finalist (MSU named first-choice)NMF Package — $12,000/yr + housing award ~$8,456/yrBoth components run for four years. Non-residents may also receive a scholarship covering 100% of the non-resident portion of tuition.

The cliffs worth chasing

Each marginal value is the arithmetic difference between two named MSU tiers. Deltas follow each ladder's steps.

ThresholdMarginal value
Non-resident · 3.60-4.09 GPA · below 31 → 31+ ACT+$4,000/yr ($16,000 base → $20,000 with bonus)Cleanest single-variable test cliff at MSU; the 31+ ACT / 1390+ SAT bonus.
Non-resident · 4.10+ GPA · below 31 → 31+ ACT+$4,000/yr ($18,000 base → $22,000 with bonus)Same test bonus applied at the top GPA band; lands the highest automatic OOS award.
Non-resident · 3.30-3.59 → 3.60-4.09 GPA+$4,000/yr ($12,000 → $16,000 base)GPA-band move; the only lever for OOS students who can't move the test score.
Resident · 3.6+ GPA · 30-32 → 33-36 ACT+$2,500/yr ($8,000 → $10,500)Top resident step. Reaching 34+ ACT also adds a one-year double-occupancy housing award on top.
Resident · 3.0-3.29 GPA · 21-24 → 30-32 ACT (two bands)+$2,000/yr ($1,000 → $3,000, exactly 3x)Tripling at the lowest GPA band requires crossing two ACT bands (skipping the 25-29 = $2,000 cell); still the smallest dollars on the resident grid.
See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Mississippi State works for two very different families. Non-residents with a 3.30+ 9-11 GPA qualify for the Freshman Non-Resident Academic Scholarship, which pays $12,000/year at the 3.30-3.59 GPA floor, $16,000/year at 3.60-4.09, and $18,000/year at 4.10+. A 31+ ACT (or 1390+ SAT) pushes the 3.60-4.09 band up to $20,000/year and the 4.10+ band up to $22,000/year. Mississippi residents with a 3.0 GPA and a 21 ACT qualify for the Freshman Academic Excellence Scholarship, which scales up to $10,500/year at the 3.6+ GPA + 33-36 ACT top cell. Students who score 34+ ACT additionally receive a one-year scholarship valued at the cost of their share of a double-occupancy residence hall. National Merit Finalists who name Mississippi State as first-choice receive $12,000/year plus an approximately $8,456/year on-campus housing award for four years; non-residents may also receive a scholarship covering 100% of the non-resident portion of tuition. Families targeting the Presidential Endowed Scholarship (tuition, room, board, plus a $12,000 enrichment allowance) need ACT or SAT scores on file by December 1 for competitive review. Presidential Endowed is not stat-automatic, and it is worth an order of magnitude more than the automatic top tier.

Cost of attendance$34,431–$53,422 for 2026-2027Each bar is the full published cost for that scenario, sized against the highest figure so totals compare at a glance.
Out-of-state, on-campus$53,422
In-state, on-campus$34,431
  • Tuition & fees
  • Housing & food
  • Books
  • Travel
  • Personal

Official Office of Student Financial Aid COA. Page currently publishes Fall 2026 & Spring 2027 (2026-27) figures; year captured as published. Living On Campus scenario. Loan fees applied individually and not included in the published total per the page note.

Mississippi State cost-of-attendance source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Mississippi State, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Mississippi State, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$14,332
$30,001–$48,000$14,372
$48,001–$75,000$18,671
$75,001–$110,000$20,704
$110,001+$22,987
All income levels (average)$17,595

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$10,202
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$27,637
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$17,595

That works out to roughly a 40% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $29,267 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Mississippi State is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
67%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
83%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$22,142 (~$235/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$51,513
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
30%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
44%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Mississippi State caps total aid at Cost of Attendance. The published policy warns that institutional scholarships may be adjusted or canceled if outside awards push a student over COA, and MSU does not publish a loan-first or grant-first displacement order.

MSU's Student Financial Aid office policy states that federal, state, institutional, and outside scholarship aid combined may not exceed Cost of Attendance. If outside scholarships or additional aid push the total package above COA, institutional scholarships may be adjusted or canceled. Unlike some SEC peers, MSU does not publicly specify whether loans, grants, or institutional dollars are reduced first. Because the sequence isn't published, families should notify SFA of every outside award as soon as it is confirmed so the office can apply reductions thoughtfully rather than retroactively adjusting institutional merit at billing.

Source

More school data

From the Mississippi State Common Data Set 2025-2026:

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Mississippi State’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
Average award$6,544Covers ~12% of $53,422 cost of attendance

A verified merit penetration rate isn’t available for Mississippi State, but the average institutional merit recipient gets $6,544.

Where you standACT composite landscapeThe mid-50% admit band shows where most admitted students score. The merit zone shows the score range that qualifies for at least one automatic merit tier.

Merit starts at ACT 21+, inside the 21–29 admit band. A typical admit already qualifies for at least entry-tier merit.

SAT mid-50%1000–123025th / 75th percentile
ACT mid-50%21–2925th / 75th percentile
Average merit award$6,544Across recipients

Source: Common Data Set

Mississippi State merit aid FAQ

  • What's the floor to be considered for Mississippi State automatic merit?

    Mississippi residents need a 3.0 9th-11th grade GPA and a 21 ACT (or the SAT equivalent) for the Freshman Academic Excellence Scholarship ladder. Non-residents need a 3.30 9th-11th grade GPA for the Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship package. MSU does not publish a separate ACT floor at this award level, so GPA is the binding constraint for the non-resident package. Both programs treat scores within the same test type as superscorable.

  • Will an outside scholarship reduce my Mississippi State aid?

    Only if the total aid package exceeds Cost of Attendance. MSU applies federal, state, institutional, and outside scholarship dollars against a single COA cap. Unlike some SEC peers, MSU does not publish a loan-first or grant-first displacement order, so notifying the Student Financial Aid office about every outside award early lets them sequence reductions instead of pulling institutional scholarships at billing.

  • Where are the big breakpoints in the resident Freshman Academic Excellence Scholarship grid?

    The 3.6 GPA breakpoint and the 30 ACT breakpoint are the two biggest. A 3.6+ GPA student at 21–24 ACT ($3,500/yr) already pays more than a 3.0–3.29 GPA student at 33–36 ACT ($4,000/yr), so GPA band matters more than a few ACT points for most families. Moving from 30–32 ACT to 33–36 ACT inside the 3.6+ GPA band takes a student from $8,000/yr to $10,500/yr, and students scoring 34+ ACT additionally receive a one-year housing scholarship valued at the cost of their share of a double-occupancy room.

  • Is the Presidential Endowed Scholarship automatic?

    No. Presidential Endowed is a competitive review package limited to students with a 3.75+ core or overall HS GPA and a 30+ ACT (or 1330+ SAT) whose scores are on file with MSU by December 1. The 2025 entering class received 19 Presidential Endowed awards. Families who meet the stats floor should treat December 1 as a hard deadline; the automatic merit ladder pays a fraction of the Presidential Endowed package value.

  • How does Mississippi State handle National Merit Finalists?

    Named National Merit Finalists who list Mississippi State as first-choice with NMSC receive a $12,000/year National Merit Finalist Scholarship plus a four-year on-campus housing scholarship (approximately $8,456/year). Non-resident NMFs may additionally receive a Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship covering 100% of the non-resident tuition portion. The housing award requires continuous on-campus residency to renew, and the package replaces the Freshman Academic and National Merit Semifinalist scholarship packages.

See sources and other schools

How Mississippi State compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Mississippi State is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Mississippi State is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

  • 63 of 749 verified schools publish a marginal-value cliff table we can quantify.

    Mississippi State is one of them. Most schools won't tell families what one ACT point is actually worth. At the schools that do, a strategic retake is sometimes mathematically more valuable than test-optional positioning.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Mississippi State’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

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