Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 10 - Education Institutions and Agencies › Part 605 - General Administration Rules and Regulations › Chapter 1 - General Administration Rules and Regulations › Rule 10-605-1.1 - General Administration Rules and Regulations

Current through June 25, 2024
These Rules and Regulations apply to the general
				  administration of all student financial assistance programs administered by the
				  Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (hereafter referred
				  to as the "Agency") or the Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial
				  Assistance Board (hereafter referred to as the "Board" or "Postsecondary
				  Board") and are subject to change by the Board. These Rules and Regulations are
				  meant to provide additional guidance for, not supplant the approved Rules and
				  Regulations for each student financial assistance program. The Mississippi
				  Office of Student Financial Aid (hereinafter referred to as the "Office") will
				  act on behalf of the Board and/or Agency to administer the student financial
				  assistance programs.
I.
APPLICATION PROCESS
A. All
				students must complete the online application for state student financial aid.
				Paper applications are not accepted. The Office will consider only applications
				made by the published deadlines, unless an exception is granted for all
				applicants.
B. A student should
				complete the following steps to apply for state student financial aid:
1. Complete the online portion of the
				application, available at
www.msfinancialaid.org
by
				the published application deadline for the appropriate program(s). The
				application is available beginning October 1 each year. Students should
				complete an application EVERY year for which they wish to receive financial
				aid.
2. Print the confirmation page
				at the end of the online portion of the application and keep the confirmation
				page for record-keeping purposes.
3. Print and keep the confirmation email,
				which verifies successful completion of the online portion of the
				application.
4. Receive email
				notification from the Office with the information needed to access a student's
				secure online account.
5. Submit
				all supporting documents requested via the student account. Supporting
				documents are essential to the application and must be received by the Office
				(not postmarked) by the published deadline for the appropriate
				program(s).
6. Check the student
				account often for updates and/or requests for documentation. NOTE: In certain
				situations, the Office may become aware of student circumstances that require
				the Office to collect other or additional supporting documents from the
				student.
C. The following
				supporting documents may be requested to complete an application for state
				student financial aid. The documents are grouped according to the purpose for
				which they are requested.
1. Residency
				Documentation - The Office will collect two documents to determine whether or
				not a student is a Mississippi resident. Any combination of two of the
				following documents will be accepted.
a)
				Mississippi Driver's License Number - A student should submit the Mississippi
				Driver's License Number while completing the online application or make a color
				photocopy and send to the Office. Please do not fax a copy of the driver's
				license. Dependent students must submit a parent's Mississippi Driver's License
				Number. Independent students must submit his/her own Mississippi Driver's
				License Number.
b) Mississippi Tax
				Return (Current Year) - A student should submit the first three pages of the
				state tax return for the current tax year. The tax return must be signed,
				unless prepared by a tax preparation professional. Dependent students must
				submit a parent's tax return. Independent students must submit his/her own tax
				return.
c) Free Application for
				Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - The FAFSA is the application for federal student
				aid. It is available online at
www.fafsa.gov
. The student must complete the FAFSA
				by the document deadline specified by the program. The Office will
				automatically receive the applicant's FAFSA results if the applicant's official
				state of residency is Mississippi.
d) Motor Vehicle Registration in Mississippi
				- Registration of vehicle must have been completed at least 12 months prior to
				the start of the term for which the student is seeking financial aid.
e) Proof of Homestead Exemption - Homestead
				Exemption must have been filed at least 12 months prior to the start of the
				term for which the student is seeking financial aid.
f) Proof of Voter Registration in Mississippi
				- Voter registration must have been completed at least 12 months prior to the
				start of the term for which the student is seeking financial aid.
g) Other Documents for Students with Special
				Circumstances - Some students with special circumstances may be required to
				submit documents in addition to two from the preceding list.
(1) Military Personnel - Other residency
				documents may be required for students who are serving or have parents who are
				serving in the military.
(2)
				Part-Year Tax Filers - A residential lease agreement may be requested and
				accepted as residency documentation in combination with a part-year Mississippi
				tax return.
2.
				Dependency Documentation - Students with certain family circumstances may be
				considered "independent" for purposes of receiving financial aid. The student
				may be asked to verify such circumstances by providing documentation. In some
				cases, the Office may defer to the institution's decision concerning the
				student's dependency status.
a) Legal
				Guardianship or Custody - The student must provide court documents proving
				legal guardianship or legal custody of student by someone other than the
				student's parents.
b) Death
				Certificate - The student must provide a certificate of death for both
				parents.
c) Proof of Homelessness -
				A high school counselor, high school homeless liaison, or director of a youth
				center/transitional living program must provide certification that the student
				is homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.
d) Ward of the Court/Foster Care - The
				student must provide legal documentation proving that the student is under
				foster care or a ward of the court.
3. Merit Documentation - The Office will
				collect documents to determine a student's academic or merit eligibility for
				state student financial aid.
a) High School
				GPA - The high school grade point average (GPA) should be submitted either
				electronically by the high school through the approved grade file format or
				through the secure website. In limited cases, the Office will accept an
				official transcript. The GPA should be calculated on a 4.0 scale.
b) Official High School Transcript - The
				official high school transcript must include all courses attempted, completed,
				in progress, or to be completed; the GPA on a 4.0 scale; and the ACT/SAT score
				if available. A homeschool transcript must be signed and notarized. By
				submitting a signed and notarized transcript, applicants certify the transcript
				includes a complete and accurate list of the courses attempted, completed, in
				progress, or to be completed. A subsequent signed and notarized transcript may
				be submitted to report an improved GPA, but no course-related changes on the
				subsequent transcript will be considered.
c) Official College Transcript(s) or
				Electronic Grade Verification -The official college transcript should include
				all courses attempted, completed and in progress, and the overall cumulative
				GPA on a 4.0 scale.
d)
				Certification of HELP Core Curriculum by Counselor - Students applying for the
				Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students (HELP) Scholarship may
				request that their counselor certify the HELP Core Curriculum on the High
				School Grade File, online through the Counselor Web Application, or via file
				upload to the Secure Document Share Portal. The counselor certification will
				serve as documentation that a student has completed or will complete all
				courses required to be eligible for the HELP Scholarship.
e) Certification of GEAR UP Core Curriculum
				by Counselor -Students applying for the GEAR UP Mississippi Scholarship may
				request that their counselor certify the GEAR UP Core Curriculum on the High
				School Grade File, online through the Counselor Web Application, or via file
				upload to the Secure Document Share Portal. The counselor certification will
				serve as documentation that a student has completed or will complete all
				courses required to be eligible for the GEAR UP Mississippi
				Scholarship.
f) Official ACT/SAT
				Score Report on National Test - Students may submit a copy of the official
				ACT/SAT Score Report. The Office will accept ACT/SAT Superscores as calculated
				on the score report. The Office will not manually calculate Superscores. Scores
				from residual tests will NOT be accepted.
g) Passing Praxis Score Report - Students may
				submit a copy of the official Praxis Score Report.
h) Essay - Students should follow directions
				carefully for writing and submitting essays required for specific
				programs.
i) Resume - Students
				should follow directions carefully for drafting and submitting resumes required
				for specific programs.
4.
				Documentation of Financial Need - For some programs, the Office will collect
				documents to determine a student's financial need.
a) Free Application for Federal Student Aid
				(FAFSA) - The FAFSA is the application for federal student aid. It is available
				online at
www.fafsa.gov
. The student must
				complete the FAFSA by the document deadline specified by the program. The
				Office will automatically receive the applicant's FAFSA results.
b) Household Verification Worksheet (HELP
				Worksheet) - The household verification worksheet is used to determine the
				number of dependents who live in the home with the applicant.
(1) HELP Worksheet/FAFSA Conflict -
				Additional information will be required if conflicting information is reported
				from the applicant's FAFSA and household verification worksheet. The student is
				required to contact the Office to receive instructions to resolve the
				conflicting information.
(2)
				Marital Separation - The student must provide two forms of proof of separate
				addresses of each parent if a parent's residency was incorrectly reported on
				the household verification worksheet. Current year state tax returns, current
				rental/purchase agreements, or utility bills will be accepted for
				documentation. A cell phone bill will only be accepted as a second form of
				documentation if the other form is a rental/purchase agreement.
5. Licensing
				Documentation - For some graduate programs, the Office will collect documents
				to determine a student's licensure status.
a)
				Current Teacher's License - The student may submit a copy of a valid teacher's
				license.
b) Current Nursing License
				- The student should go online and print a copy of the online nursing license
				verification available from the Mississippi Board of Nursing.
c) Documentation of Student Preparation for
				Program - For some programs, the Office will collect documents to determine a
				student's level of preparation for receiving state student financial
				aid.
6. Entrance
				Counseling - Entrance counseling will be provided as part of the contract for
				forgivable loans. As with the Master Contract and Note, the Entrance Counseling
				document is first presented electronically for electronic signature. However,
				Entrance Counseling documents can be provided in paper format upon request. The
				entrance counseling document should be signed and returned by the
				deadline.
7. Letter of Acceptance -
				Letters of acceptance should be submitted as soon as they are received. Letters
				of acceptance should be submitted by the published deadline.
8. Letter of Recommendation - Letters of
				recommendation should be submitted by the document deadline.
D. A valid social security number
				shall be required from all students applying for state aid in order to create a
				permanent and lasting record and to facilitate student data sharing between the
				student's institution, the federal government, ACT, the Department of Revenue,
				the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Office. An alternative number will be
				assigned and used for all purposes which do not require the social security
				number. The Office is dedicated to ensuring the privacy and proper handling of
				confidential information pertaining to students.
E. Whoever, with intent to defraud the state
				or any department, agency, Board, Office, commission, county, municipality or
				other subdivision of state or local government, knowingly and willfully
				falsified, conceals or covers up by trick, scheme or device a material fact, or
				makes any false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or representations, or
				makes or uses any false writings or document knowing the same to contain any
				false, fictitious or fraudulent statement or entry, shall upon conviction, be
				punished by a fine of not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) or by
				imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or by both such fine and
				imprisonment.