Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 10 - Education Institutions and Agencies › Part 615 - Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students Grant (HELP) Rules and Regulations › Chapter 1 - Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students Grant (HELP) Rules and Regulations › Rule 10-615-1.1 - Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students Grant (HELP) Rules and Regulations

Current through June 25, 2024
These Rules and Regulations are subject to change by the
				  Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board. All eligible
				  students shall receive a Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students
				  (HELP) award; however, the amount of each award depends upon the availability
				  of funds as authorized by the State Legislature.
I.
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY
A. The applicant must be a United States
				citizen or eligible non-citizen and registered with the Selective Service, if
				required.
B. The applicant must be
				a current legal resident of Mississippi. Resident status for purposes of
				receiving HELP under this act shall be determined in the same manner as
				resident status for tuition purposes as set forth in Sections  37-103-1 through
				 37-103-29, of Ms. Code Ann., with the exception of Section  37-103-17.
C. The applicant must have no criminal
				record, except for misdemeanor traffic violations.
D. The applicant must be enrolled or accepted
				for enrollment as a full-time undergraduate student at an eligible Mississippi
				postsecondary institution, pursuing a first associate or baccalaureate
				degree.
E. The applicant must
				complete an online application on or before March 31 during the spring prior to
				the aid year for which the student is seeking assistance and submit all
				required supporting documents by April 30 of the same year.
F. The applicant must meet the following
				academic requirements:
1. The applicant must
				have graduated from high school within the two (2) years preceding the
				application, as verified by the institution before disbursement of awards, with
				a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 calculated on a 4.0
				scale, as certified by the high school counselor or other school
				official.
2. The applicant must
				have successfully completed a high school curriculum that includes the College
				Preparatory Curriculum approved by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions
				of Higher Learning and required for admission into a state
				university.
3. The applicant must
				have a composite score on the American College Test (ACT) of at least twenty
				(20) from a national test or tests. In lieu of ACT scores, students may submit
				equivalent SAT scores according to the official ACT/SAT concordance tables in
				publication at the time of the test in question.
G. The applicant must demonstrate financial
				need. For the purposes of this program, the term "family" for a dependent
				applicant includes the applicant's parents and other children under age
				twenty-one (21) of the applicant's parents. The term "family" for an
				independent applicant includes the applicant, the applicant's spouse, and any
				children under age twenty-one (21) of the applicant and spouse.
1. To demonstrate financial need for the
				2015-16 aid year, the applicant's family must have an annual adjusted gross
				income of Thirty-nine Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($39,500.00) or less for a
				family with only one dependent child under the age of twenty-one (21) or an
				annual adjusted gross income of Thirty-nine Thousand Five Hundred Dollars
				($39,500.00) or less plus Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) for each additional
				dependent child under the age of twenty-one (21). Unless specified otherwise by
				the Mississippi Legislature, to demonstrate financial need for the 2016-17 and
				subsequent aid years, the applicant's family must have an annual adjusted gross
				income of Forty-two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($42,500.00) or less for a
				family with only one dependent child under the age of twenty-one (21) or an
				annual adjusted gross income of Forty-two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars
				($42,500.00) or less plus Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) for each additional
				dependent child under the age of twenty-one (21).
2. The applicant must file the Free
				Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and be found to be
				Pelleligible.
H. The
				applicant must not currently be in default on a Federal or State educational
				loan or owe a repayment on a Federal or State grant.
I. The applicant must meet any other general
				requirements for admission and student financial aid at the student's eligible
				institution of choice.
J. The
				applicant must be in compliance with the terms of federal and other state aid
				programs.