Several students also receive large scholarships from other special programs, such as:

Several students also receive large scholarships from other special programs, such as:

• Honors College
• Croft Institute for International Studies
• CME – for Business / Engineering / Accounting Majors
• METP – Full Cost of Attendance Schols for Future K-12 Teachers
• Lott Institute for Public Policy Leadership
• UM Chinese Flagship 4-yr Scholarship

Most, but not all, Special Program Scholarships are for $8k/year and stack with the Academic Merit scholarships listed in the tables above.

These scholarships are highly competitive. Even students with very high grades and test scores are not guaranteed to be selected.  Each program’s criteria are different, but overall, the most weight is given to students’…

academic performance

academic curiosity

genuine and demonstrated interest in related careers and endeavors

accomplishments outside of the classroom

(often in addition to leadership positions within established high school clubs, teams, music ensembles, etc.)

contribution to the community

These 4-year scholarship can also stack with Academic Merit scholarships.

Make sure that you have applied to any/all that interest you by their deadlines.

Also, make sure that your intended major on file is in line with the one(s) you are most interested in.

These scholarships stack with those listed above

Nat’l Merit Finalist : $1,000/year

Nat’l Merit Finalist  w/ 3.0+ GPA: $5k/year (Barnard Schol.)

Valedictorian/Salutatorian : $1,500/year

Mississippi Star Student Awardee : $2k/year

Mississippi All-Star Awardee : $1k/year

Student Body President : $1,500/year

Eagle Scout / Gold Award : $1,500/year

Boys/Girls State Governor or Nation Delegate : $1k / year

MS Boys/Girls State Participant : $1k for single year

Check UM Financial Aid Scholarships Page for any additional eligibility requirements for the above scholarships

These scholarships stack with those listed above

Technology-Related Majors with a 33+ ACT & 3.0+ GPA : $1,000 for single year (Nat’l Merit/Achievement awardees are not eligible) (non-residents only)

Engineering Majors – $2k to $6k/year

Accounting Majors – $3k/year

Business Majors – $10k/year

Army / Air Force ROTC

Forensic Chemistry Majors from ACM States*

Geological Engineering Majors from ACM States*

Check UM Financial Aid Scholarships Page for any additional eligibility requirements for the above scholarships

*ACM (Academic Common Market) States include: AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA and WV

These scholarships stack with those listed above

Nonresident Alumni Scholarship – $6k or $8k/yr

Non-Res Title 38 Veteran Benefits Recipients* – Full Non-Res Fee

Resident Pell Grant Recipient** – Remaining Tuition, Housing & Meals

Residents with Financial Need*** – $2k to $5k/year

Residents with Demonstrated Leadership^† – $10k/yr to COA^††

Non-Res with Demonstrated Leadership^‡ – COA^††

Child of Faculty & Staff – ½ tuition / semester

TN Residents of Shelby, Tipton, or Fayette Counties – $4k or $5k/year for non-res tuition

Check UM Financial Aid Scholarships Page for any additional eligibility requirements for the above scholarships

*See “Military Benefits Non-Resident Scholarship” section on UM FA Schol Website.

**See “Ole Miss Opportunity Program” section on UM FA Schol Website.

***See “Luckyday Scholarship” section on UM FA Schol Website.

†See “Stamps”, “Carrier” & “Newman” scholarship sections on UM FA Schol Website.

‡See “Stamps Scholarship” section on UM FA Schol Website.

††COA = “full Cost of Attendance”

If you are a high-achieving student, these are the best reasons to come to Ole Miss:

#1 modular special programs that can be combined according to your interests

#2 very low tuition, even for non-residents

Here is more info on special programs.

Unless you already have a 33+ on the ACT or a 1440+ on the SAT, or you are a national merit (semi-)finalist, you can increase your Academic Merit Scholarship by raising your score.

Raising your ACT by a single point can increase your yearly scholarship by hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

Advice

Practice often and get help

You probably will do significantly better if you have a coach of some kind who can time you and point out improvements to your current strategies.  These exams are designed to test your natural abilities and acquired knowledge, but you will very likely improve your score by learning strategies specific to the exams themselves.

Do not take the exams too personally

Is math “not your thing”?

Are you a “bad test-taker”?

Have you had “bad teachers” in some important areas?

Have you not had a chance to take certain subjects (yet or at all)?

The questions on these exams are often more of a logical puzzle than a test of your knowledge and abilities.  You can often find the right answer through a process of elimination rather than through trying to solve each one.  Using test prep curricula can often help you get over any anxiety or inadequacy you might feel.

Yes, some people are better test-takers than others, and unfortunately, these tests do provide one of very few numerical metrics by which an institution can systematically grant merit-based scholarships.  That being said, you should not allow your score to define you or hold you back.  Divorcing yourself mentally from your score may actually take away some of your anxiety and allow you to perform better.

Take both exams multiple times

Most students’ scores will go up as they get more familiar with the exams.  Even if you are a junior (or even an underclassman) and do not feel fully prepared academically to hit your max score, taking the exam early and often will help you get more comfortable.  It will also help you to approach your coursework with the exams in mind – an approach that is often substantially different from how you study for your high school quizzes and exams.

Many students report that they score significantly higher on either the ACT or SAT.  Make sure to try both, and again, to take each multiple times.  We have cases in our own program where a selected student was only able to afford our school and join Flagship because they took additional exams and found themselves in a higher AM scholarship echelon.

Sign up for your (next) test(s):

SAT dates – official page

ACT dates – official page

Remember Ole Miss will raise your AM Scholarship based on your scores through the June test date (if you defer, to do a gap year, for example, the final test date will extend accordingly)

Can you talk at length about your college major(s) and future career plans?

Can you back up your thought process with arguments that ring true, not just logically, but also practically?

Can you show on paper substantive efforts on your part to familiarize yourself with your future field(s)?

When applying to any university and/or special program, you will often stand out if your intended major(s) correspond to special activities, work experience, and other related accomplishments.  It can be quite difficult for a high school student to gain substantial experience, and this may be especially true for high achievers, who often have little time in their schedules.  If you can be the exception, however, you will truly come off as an “exceptional” candidate to almost any selection committee.

Be sure to ask yourself:

“Have I really thought out all of my potential interests?”

“Am I planning to take the best courses available to help me add or remove the right fields from my short list?”

“Does my high school offer courses that expose me to the right fields (and with teachers who can do them justice)?”

“Are there offerings in my area (in a community college, perhaps) that could give me exposure to the things that may interest me?”

“Are there summer camps or leadership programs I could sign up for?”

“Do my current commitments to sports, part-time work, academic clubs, volunteer organizations match up with what I will write in my college essays and intended majors?”

“Should I be asking teachers, friends, parents of friends, or even professionals (local or otherwise) about getting more hands-on experience in areas that may interest me?”

There are a number of myths floating around about certain majors and professions

“I shouldn’t do accounting because I don’t like math”

“I should be a lawyer because I like to argue”

“I like the outdoors, so naturally, I should be a biologist”

“I should only major in business or a STEM field; otherwise I won’t earn a good living”

“Having two majors (or more) would prevent me from having a social life or being involved in extracurriculars that are important to me”

These are only examples of several we have heard over the years.  Make sure that, whatever principles you are operating by in narrowing down your college, major, and career choices, you get them checked with people who have actual experience in those areas (and that goes for both what you choose to pursue and what you immediately rule out).

The more you are able to back up your claims in your essays with substantive content, and the more you have proven that you are willing to go off the beaten path to get real experience, the more impressive you will appear.  Such students often float up to the top of candidate lists.  As long as their grades, test scores, and courseload (read “AP classes”) are reasonably good, they will usually outshine the mere “over-achievers” who seem “perfect” in all things academic.

The earlier you identify scholarships you could be eligible for, the more likely you are to take any necessary steps to make sure you actually are.

If you do find that you can comfortably afford Ole Miss, you will probably have a lot more confidence and motivation to apply.  Your essays may “write themselves,” as you’ll have a certain excitement and confidence about the content.

Remember, the sections above are there to point you in the right direction.  They do not list all scholarships offered by the university, nor do they necessarily contain all pertinent info about each.  If you are applying to a dozen or so institutions, reading through their Financial Aid sites can seem like an overwhelming chore.  We hope that the lists above will help get you started, with a strong sense that it will be more than worth the time and effort.

As you may have seen on our Chinese Flagship 4-year scholarship page, we prioritize our large scholarships for students with substantial background, especially those who have done a year-long program, often living with a Chinese-speaking host family and attending a Chinese-speaking high school.

Whether this is a possibility for you or not, it is still a great idea to get abroad for any length of time and for any purpose.  Obviously, the less time you spend on a beach, in a resort, or in a carefully guided tour, and the more your experience is tied to the academic interests and career goals you wish to pursue, the more it will stand out to any selection committee that may be considering you for admission or for additional scholarship funding.

It is important that you are able to be introspective about the experience.  Has the experience taught you something about the culture that didn’t come through in any courses, travel articles, or documentaries that might be readily available to the typical American?  Has the culture or the experience taught you more about yourself or about U.S. culture, politics, economics, etc.?  Has the experience given you any insight into what you want to do with your life, including, but not limited to, what you want to study, what you want to do professionally, or how you want to spend your free time?

If going abroad has always seemed like something that is beyond your grasp, financially, look around for scholarship opportunities specifically for those with financial need, or for any under-represented groups you might be a part of (ethnic minorities, families where no one has yet gone to college, etc.).  They definitely exist.

That’s right.  This is so important that we are listing it twice.  Be sure to sign up for additional exams, as per the instructions above. Consider printing out and posting the base tuition table above for motivation.

* For lowest pre-freshman summer costs, students are expected to apply for JumpStart.

Any national Flagship scholarships require annual approval and are subject to change. Amounts have remained nearly constant for many years, but they should never be viewed as a promise or entitlement.  Our $0 estimate for Capstone assumes federal funding remains relatively constant.  The University of Mississippi is committed to making up the difference in the official cost of attendance estimates generated by the Capstone programs themselves (there are multiple Capstone sites).

Unless students place out of it, all new Flagship students complete their first year of Chinese in June & July prior to Fall of Freshman Year. Some students place out with only two years of high school Chinese, while others with 4-6 years of Chinese may need to come from day 1. Some skip the first month only.

Applications are accepted later, but applicants only gain access to the Flagship application after their university application has been processed and accepted).
You are encouraged to start the process as soon as possible. The application requires two essays as well as recommendation letters from your teachers and counselor.
Applications are submitted online at Undergraduate Admissions. Once you have applied to the university and paid the application fee, apply to Chinese Flagship and any other special programs on the Supplemental Applications page. Students currently enrolled at the University or considering transferring from another university must contact the program directly at chinese@olemiss.edu to apply.

See visit page.

Please contact us immediately if you will be submitting your application late.

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