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SFA Glossary

A

  • Academic Year (College) – 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.
  • ACT Scores (National) – A test required or accepted at all public and many private universities in Mississippi. Scores are used in college admissions, awarding scholarships, and class placement including honors programs.  The eligibility criteria for certain state funded programs at the undergraduate level require a minimum ACT score as a part of the eligibility requirements.
  • Appeal Process for state aid recipients –A student may submit a formal request for an exception if they lose aid. You can only appeal if you fall below full-time enrollment due to a major life event. You cannot appeal for residency, academic requirements, or deadline dates. You can find more information on the appeal process at “Appeal Process.”
  • Application Process – In order to qualify each year, the student must complete the on-line web application and submit to the state financial aid office all supporting documentation (if requested) by the designated deadline.
  • Availability of Funds – The MTAG is subject to pro-ration in the event there are more eligible applicants than we have funding.  The awards for the HELP, MESG or the discipline specific programs are not pro-rated; however, the number of annual awards is based on the availability of funds and is awarded on a first-come first-serve basis of all eligible applicants who meet the priority deadline date with eligible renewals awarded first.
  • Award Offer – An award offer from a school or the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid lists the award and amount of aid offered to the applicant.

B

  • Break in Enrollment – A break in enrollment would include any semester or trimester during which the student was awarded state aid and did not attend a Mississippi institution of higher learning.  An exception to the break in enrollment is when the student graduates mid-year (December) from a community college and will not enroll in a four (4) year institution until the following fall semester.

C

  • Complete File – At a minimum, the student must complete the on-line application and file the required documents, necessary to determine eligibility no later than the close of business of the published deadline.
  • Continuing Eligibility – Each state aid recipient must maintain a program specific college grade point average to continue to receive funds under the renewal process. The recipient must also maintain continuous full-time enrollment status at one Mississippi institution of higher learning.  Please see renewal eligibility requirements for GPA and continuous full-time enrollment for further information.
  • Continuous Full-time Enrollment – A student must maintain continuous full-time enrollment each academic year to renew eligibility (except for certain nursing and teaching programs). Full-time enrollment requires completing 12 semester credit hours of undergraduate coursework. Students who skip the fall semester and only enroll in the spring are not eligible. Students enrolled in an approved Cooperative Education Program on alternate semesters are considered continuously enrolled.
  • Cost of Attendance (COA) – I think this is also too wordy. Suggestion: “The total estimated price of one year of college. This includes “direct costs” (tuition and fees) and “indirect costs” (books, transportation, and food).

D

  • Dependent Student – A student who is required to provide parental information on the financial aid application because the student does not meet the criteria for independent student in the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended.
  • Disbursement to the Student – The state aid funds are considered disbursed to the student at the point the institution makes the funds unconditionally available to the student for use in payment of fees, expenses or other eligible expenses associated with the cost of attendance.
  • Dual Credit – These courses count for both high school and college credit.  This can save time and money in pursuing a college degree.  Students who have not yet graduated from high school but are taking college coursework are not eligible for state aid programs unless fully admitted as a regular student and qualifies for federal student aid.

E

  • Earned Credit Hours – The hours used in the calculation of the grade point average.  State aid recipients must complete credit hours the equivalent of full-time status each semester or trimester unless otherwise noted by their program.  (See definition of Full-time Status and the definition of Satisfactory Academic Progress in this Glossary.)
  • Entering Freshman – First time never attended college. High School graduates who have earned less than twelve (12) college credits who meet the requirements for state aid.

F

  • Family (Immediate) – The term “family” for a dependent recipient means the recipient, the applicant’s parents, and other children under the age of twenty-one (21) of the recipient’s parents.  The term “family” for an emancipated (independent) recipient means the recipient, the recipient’s spouse, and any children under the age of twenty-one (21) of the recipient and spouse.
  • Financial Aid Package – The total financial aid awarded to a student from a combination of two or more forms of financial aid (grants, scholarships, employment, and/or loans).  The student’s financial need, availability of funds, school aid policies, and the number of students who need financial assistance all influence the financial aid package.
  • Financial Need – The demonstrated need (must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for demonstrated need to be determined) of the applicant for financial assistance to meet the actual costs of attending the eligible institution of choice as determined from financial information on the applicant and, if required,  on the applicant’s parents under the federal need analysis formula.
  • Fostering Access and Inspiring True Hope Scholarship (FAITH) – this program awards scholarships up to the full cost of attendance for current and former foster youth to attend college in Mississippi.
  • Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – The federally-approved application completed by the student that collects household and financial information necessary to calculate the Student Aid Index (SAI), for federal and some state financial aid programs.  The completion of additional forms may also be required before eligibility is determined.
  • Full Federal Pell Grant Eligibility and MTAG  – If a student is eligible to receive the maximum (full) Federal Pell Grant as indicated in the Federal Regulations, he/she will not be eligible to receive an MTAG award.
  • Full Time for State Aid Purposes – An enrolled student who is carrying a full-time academic workload (other than audits/ correspondence courses) as determined by the institution and which is applicable to all students enrolled in a particular program.  The institution’s full-time definition for a program must be used for all students enrolled in that program; however, for the purpose of receiving state aid, the students must meet the following minimum requirements: twelve (12) semester hours per academic term.  State aid recipients must complete the appropriate number of semester hours unless granted an Exception With Cause or unless their program permits less than full-time enrollment.  Attendance at an intersession or mini-term may not be combined with an adjacent regular term to achieve full-time status.

G

  • General Education Development Test (GED) – For initial eligibility purposes, if the MTAG applicant has satisfactorily completed the General Education Development (GED) Test and is pursuing an academic program of study, he/she must have scored a minimum of 15 on the ACT or the equivalent SAT score.
  • Grade Point Average (GPA) – Students applying for state aid after earning at least 12 semester hours of college coursework must meet the minimum cumulative or semester GPA requirement for the specific program and must maintain progress toward and maintain the minimum cumulative or semester GPA required for continuation on the program.  See Program Description.

H

  • HELP Core Curriculum – The HELP Curriculum is eighteen (18) units of high school coursework that mirrors the required IHL College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC).
  • Higher Education Legislative Plan (HELP) – HELP is designed to provide tuition assistance to qualified students whose financial need, as demonstrated by federal student aid eligibility, will not be met with gift aid from other sources.

I

  • Incomplete Grades – In the case of a student who is awarded state aid during any semester or trimester and the student receives one or more incomplete grades for the term, the institution should not disburse the award for the next period of enrollment until the incomplete grades are successfully removed and the student is otherwise eligible.
  • Independent Student – A student who is not required to provide parent information when applying for financial aid because they meet federal criteria, such as being age 24 or older, married, a veteran, an active-duty service member, or having dependents of their own.

K

L

  • Law Enforcement Officers & Firefighters Scholarship (LAW) – LAW offers financial assistance to dependent children and spouses of any Mississippi law enforcement officer, full-time firefighter, or volunteer firefighter who has suffered fatal injuries or wounds or become permanently and totally disabled as a result of injuries or wounds which occurred in the performance of the official and appointed duties of his or her office.
  • Leave of Absence (LOA) – A leave of absence is a period of time approved by the school during which the student is not in attendance but is considered to be enrolled. Each school is required to have a formal leave of absence policy. The student must follow the policy when requesting a leave of absence. The school must approve the student’s request in accordance with the policy. The student’s request must be in writing.

M

  • Merit Based Aid – Is financial aid distributed on the basis of high academic achievement or outstanding talent, regardless of the student’s or family’s financial need.
  • Mississippi Aid Application (MAAPP) – MAAPP is the required online application for state financial aid from the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid. The MAAPP must be submitted by the program’s published deadline.
  • Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant (MESG) – MESG is a merit-based state grant for high-achieving Mississippi students who meet specific academic requirements, including a minimum ACT score, and enroll at an eligible Mississippi college or university.
  • Mississippi Resident – An applicant who meets the state’s legal residency requirements. Applicants must be a Mississippi resident to qualify for most state financial aid programs. Residency requirements are different for dependent students (based on parent’s residency) and independent students.
  • Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant (MTAG) – MTAG is designed to provide financial assistance to Mississippi residents attending an approved Mississippi college or university and who are not eligible for a full Pell Grant.

N

  • Need-Based Aid – Financial aid that is awarded because a financial need has been demonstrated.  A standardized process using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used to apply for virtually all forms of financial aid that give consideration to family income and need.  The Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students (HELP) requires the recipient to demonstrate financial need.
  • Nissan Scholarship (NISS) – Nissan North America, Inc. provides scholarship funds for applicants who will attend a Mississippi public two-year or four-year college.

P

  • Postsecondary – This term means “after high school”.  A Postsecondary education can be received through study at a college, university, community college, technical college or trade school, on or off campus.
  • Prorating – When your state aid award is reduced from the full award amount. This can happen for several reasons, including: when there are more eligible students than available funding or when your total financial aid would exceed your cost of attendance.

R

  • Regaining Eligibility after Suspension – A student must attend, without benefit of funds, one full-time semester or trimester during the regular academic year, before he/she may regain eligibility. An exception may be granted through the appeal process.

S

  • SAT – Standardized test used for college admissions, awarding scholarships, and class placement including honors programs. The Office will accept an official SAT score report in place of the ACT.
  • Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) – State aid recipients must make steady academic progress towards a certificate or degree, as outlined in the school’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards and certified by the institution’s registrar.  Students must maintain the appropriate enrollment status and GPA, as it relates to their state aid program, to continue receiving funds.
  • Suspension of payments to the student – Payment shall be suspended should a recipient:
    • Fail to maintain the minimum grade point average (GPA) required by the program per the period of enrollment; OR,
    • Fail to maintain continuous enrollment; OR,
    • Fail to complete the minimum credit hour equivalent to full-time or part-time enrollment; OR
    • Fail to maintain Mississippi residency as either a dependent or independent student, OR
    • Fail to complete the online application and provide any required documentation necessary to determine eligibility by the deadline date.

T

  • Transcript – An academic record that lists the courses taken, grades received, and credits or credit hours received.

U

  • Undergraduate – A college student who has not yet earned a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent.

W

X

Y

Z