School Counselor's Page

Financial Aid Basics

Financial Aid can be received based off of merit or financial need. Below you find information about private scholarships, institutional scholarships, federal aid, and state aid. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me!

Private Scholarships

Privately funded scholarships are one type of financial aid for which students can apply. The funding may be national, such as Coca Cola or Gates Foundation or local, such as Rotary or Junior Auxiliary.

Click the Scholarship Database button below to visit a trusted website dedicated to scholarship opportunities that are often overlooked. You can also sort scholarships by age, race, profession, etc.

Check back later for links to local scholarships once I am able to compile a list for this area! =

Some other good resources for private scholarships may be available at your local insurance companies, parents place of work, community organizations (e.g. Scouts). Below you will find some links to websites and search engines that may prove to be useful in your search for additional private scholarships.

Get2College Scholarships List

Fast Web Search Engine

Merit Aid

Sallie Mae Scholarship Search

Big Future College Board Search

Student Scholarships

Institutional Scholarships

Most scholarships come directly from individual colleges and universities, these are considered institutional scholarships. Complete applications for admission in the fall of your senior year. You must be accepted for admission in order to receive scholarships and ﬁnancial aid. Sometimes the application for admission is used to award scholarships, however many colleges have additional applications.

There may be departmental scholarships or scholarships for specific programs such as Honors Colleges, or talent based scholarships requiring auditions or portfolios. Check out each college’s website and make sure you meet all the deadlines.

Federal Aid

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step in getting money for college. It is required for federal student aid. However, the FAFSA results may also be used for private scholarships, money that comes directly from the college or university and also for state financial aid, all with different deadlines.

Important Tip - Make sure you are using the correct website for the FAFSA. There are scam sites that request credit card information! The direct link is https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa

Need Help Completeing the FAFSA or State Aid Application??

Ms. Meg, our career coach is trained to assist parents and students in completing both FAFSA and MS State Aid applications, just set up an appointment!

We plan to hold official FAFSA days in the classroom to help students create their accounts, individual appointments to finalize the FAFSA can be scheduled to complete the process!

To schedule an appointment or ask about these financial aid applications, you can call Ms. Meg at the school at 662-224-6247

State Aid

Application will open on October 1, 2025

The Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid (MOSFA) offers scholarships and grants based on merit and ﬁnancial need to full-time (15 credit hours per semester) students attending eligible Mississippi colleges and universities. The application is available at https://www.msfinancialaid.org or you can link to the Mississippi application after completing the FAFSA and most of your info will be pre-filled.

Mississippi State Aid Application is for three specific financial aid opportunities, some of which are substantial! These are listed below in more detail.

MISSISSIPPI TUITION ASSISTANCE GRANT (MTAG)

DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 15

Covers up to $500/year for freshmen and sophomores and up to $1000/year for juniors and seniors. Initial eligibility for the student who:

Has a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 and a minimum of 15 on the national ACT or equivalent score on the national SAT
Is not full Pell Grant eligible

MISSISSIPPI EMINENT SCHOLARS GRANT (MESG)

DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 15

Covers up to $2500/year, but may not exceed tuition and required fees at attending institution.

Initial eligibility for the student who:

Achieves a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5.
Scores a minimum of 29 on the national ACT or equivalent score on the national SAT or is a National Merit/National Achievement Finalist or Semi-Finalist.

HIGHER EDUCATION LEGISLATIVE PLAN (HELP)

DEADLINE: MARCH 31

Covers tuition and required fees for no more than 8 semesters at a public institution. Participants attending a private institution in Mississippi will receive an award amount equal to the award of a student attending the nearest comparable Mississippi public institution. Additional documents must be submitted by April 30. Initial eligibility for the student who:

Is a freshman and/or sophomore who graduated from high school within the immediate past two years using the designated core curriculum and is a resident of Mississippi.
Demonstrates need as determined by the results of the FAFSA
Meets the income threshold to qualify as listed on the HELP website.
Has a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 and a minimum of 20 on the national ACT.

Contact me if you have questions, or have suggestions on things to add to this page!

Email - telam@benton.k12.ms.us