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Graduate School
The University of Mississippi

Financial Aid Information

The Graduate School administers graduate recruiting fellowships and scholarships, dissertation fellowships and Summer Graduate Research assistantships.

The largest source of funds for graduate support is from teaching, research and graduate assistantships offered by academic departments, along with accompanying partial or full tuition scholarships and nonresident fee scholarships. More information about assistantships is given below; contact your prospective department regarding the availability of such assistantships.

What is the cost of attendance?

  • To view the Estimated Cost of Attendance for Graduate Students, please click HERE. Note that there are separate costs of attendance for the following graduate student categories at University of Mississippi: Accountancy, MBA, PMBA, and Online, all listed in detail here by the Office of Financial Aid.
  • To view the Tuition Estimator, please click HERE

Online programs are NOT eligible for fellowships, scholarships or assistantships at this time.

Graduate students can also apply for external grants, awards and fellowships. These funds can be obtained from national, state and local organizations, foundations and agencies. A few links are provided below.

The last option is obtaining a loan. To apply for federal loans, you must complete a FAFSA form online. For information on student loans, please click HERE.  If you have questions pertaining to loans and other forms of financial assistance not noted above, please contact the Financial Aid Office:

The University of Mississippi
P.O. Box 1848
University, MS 38677-1848
Phone: 800-891-4596
Email: finaid@olemiss.edu

 

Elite Scholars Program

Updated 1/29/2024

To recruit highly competitive graduate students who are positioned to advance the research mission of the University of Mississippi, the Provost’s Office in partnership with the Graduate School will provide funding for a limited number of Elite Scholars. The Elite Scholars Program is a tool to further elevate our excellent academic programs as they recruit the next generation of leading researchers and professionals to pursue terminal-degrees at UM.

The Elite Scholars Program recognizes outstanding graduate student researchers and increases the value of the stipend associated with a qualifying assistantship for a highly selective group of students. It is expected that Elite Scholars will be students who bring a record of excellence in research and innovation such that they are poised to engage in transformative work while completing their studies at UM.

To be considered, admitted students must be nominated by their department chair or graduate program coordinator.

  • Provost’s Elite Scholars
    • Annual $10,000 increase in stipend for up to three years
    • Three awards available
  • Dean’s Elite Scholars
    • Annual $5,000 increase in stipend for up to three years
    • Four awards available

Please see the Program Announcement, Nomination Form, and Chair & Dean Recommendation Form linked below for full details. Nominations for the Elite Scholars Program Fall 2024 admissions term are due February 16th, 2024. Online programs are NOT eligible at this time.

Elite_Scholars_Program_Fall_2024.pdf

Elite_Scholars_Nomination_Fillable_Form_2024.docx

Elite_Scholars_Nomination_Chair_and_Dean_Recommendation_Fillable_Form_2024.docx

 

Scholarship for Advancements in STEM

The Scholarship for Advancements in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) supports recruitment and retention of doctoral students whose background, achievements, and expertise demonstrate a commitment to contributing to the advancement of women in STEM, regardless of the recipient’s gender identity. The recipient is provided with a scholarship of $500 per year for 3 years. Information about application for this scholarship is sent to the departments in early spring. The nomination deadline for 2024 is February 16, 2024. Online programs are NOT eligible at this time.

 

Dissertation Fellowship Program

This non-service award is designed to assist doctoral students who are in the final stages of the dissertation process. Beginning with nominations for Spring, 2023, only doctoral students who have participated in UM’s Three Minute Thesis (R) Competition are eligible. The award is competitive, and the Graduate School has a limited number of Dissertation Fellowships available in any given term. Thus, receipt of this award is not guaranteed.

The intent of the Dissertation Fellowship Program is to provide financial assistance to relieve candidates of current service-type responsibilities (teaching, research and/or other related obligations to the university), thereby enabling them to focus on their research analysis and writing. The amount of the award is $8,000 plus a tuition reduction. The time period is one semester and cannot be renewed. Full-time enrollment is required. Any student nominated must be in candidacy and must have a copy of his or her prospectus on file at the Graduate School. Students should be within one year of the completion of their Dissertation. Students are nominated by their department chair who submits a letter of support. Online programs are NOT eligible at this time.

 

University of Mississippi Recruiting Fellowship and Scholarship Program

The University of Mississippi Graduate School seeks to recruit an outstanding and inclusive student body. To that end, we have established a program to help departments and programs recruit such students to University of Mississippi graduate programs.

To be considered for the funding program, admitted students must not be enrolled in an on-line program. There are three categories of funding, two of which provide a fellowship.

Recruiting Fellowships

Academic Excellence Fellowship

Overview:

Requires nomination by the nominee’s graduate program. Nominees must demonstrate superior academic achievement by having at least one of the criteria given below. Preference will be given to students who will also be receiving an assistantship from another University source of at least $2500/semester.

-Undergraduate GPA of 3.5

-Master’s degree GPA of 3.75

-Other measure of potential for excellence in graduate study

Selection process:

Department chairs or graduate program coordinators should submit nominations for the Academic Excellence Fellowship using a Qualtrics form available from the Graduate School (email gradfa@olemiss.edu for further information) as soon as possible and no later than a month prior to the first semester for which the student plans to enroll. The nominations should include information about how the nominee fits the selection criteria as well as what financial support, if any, the department is providing to the student.  Nominations will be reviewed by a faculty committee and funding recommendations will be made on a rolling basis.

Graduate School Access Fellowship

Overview:

The University of Mississippi is interested in enhancing access to graduate education.

Selection process:

The Graduate School Access Fellowship awards are based upon review of application materials by a faculty and staff committee. Those who are selected for these awards will be notified by the Graduate School of their selection and the specific funding offer.

Fellowship Funding Terms

    • The fellowship is $1,000/semester for 4 semesters for master’s students and $1,500/semester for 8 semesters for MFA and doctoral students. The fellowships are paid during the Fall and Spring Semesters only.  To receive this award, the student must be admitted into a degree program, must be enrolled on the Oxford campus for at least 9 hours of graduate coursework each semester, must not have a full-time job and the fellowship must not result in an over-award of financial aid.  Requests to extend the award beyond 4 or 8 semesters will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Online programs are NOT eligible at this time.
    • Effective for new students commencing Fall 2022 or later, continued receipt of the fellowship after the first year requires that the student participate in certain professional development and networking events:
      1. During the first year of the fellowship, the student must participate in
        • Orientation
        • At least one professional development session per term (for fall and spring terms); the Graduate School will provide a list of the opportunities for the term
        • At least one professional development event focused on increasing their cultural competence as it relates to their career. Cultural competence is the ability to effectively interact with people from cultures or belief systems different from our own and draws upon the institutional values of diversity, inclusion, and equity. The Graduate School will provide a list of the opportunities for the term.
      2. During the second year of the fellowship and all years thereafter when a student receives funds associated with the recruiting fellowship, the student must participate in
        • At least three professional development sessions per year. The Graduate School will provide a list of the opportunities each term.
        • At least one networking event per year. The Graduate School will provide a list of the opportunities each term.

Recruiting Scholarship

Graduate School Access Tuition Scholarship

Overview:

The University of Mississippi is interested in enhancing access to graduate education.

Selection process:

The Graduate School Access Scholarship awards are based upon review of application materials by a faculty and staff committee. Those who are selected for these awards will be notified by the Graduate School of their selection and the specific funding offer.

Scholarship Funding Terms

The tuition scholarship for full-time students (those registered for at least 9 hours of graduate coursework) without a qualifying graduate assistantship is valued at 75 percent of regular graduate tuition and 44 percent of the non-resident fee.  The tuition scholarship is available for Fall, Spring and Summer Sessions and not applicable for any intersessions.

The tuition scholarship for part-time students (those registered for fewer than 9 hours of graduate coursework) is valued at 50 percent of regular graduate tuition and 44 percent of the non-resident fee.  The tuition scholarship is available for Fall, Spring and Summer Sessions and not applicable for any intersessions.

Only applicable during Fall, Spring and Summer Sessions. Not applicable to any intersessions. Online programs are NOT eligible at this time.

 

Summer Graduate Research Assistantship Program

The Summer Graduate Research Assistantship Program provides $3,000 for doctoral and MFA students and $2,500 for master’s students in departments that do not offer a doctoral degree. The Summer Graduate Research Assistantship Program is competitive and awarding of the funding is not guaranteed. The funding is offered during the summer (minimum of 10 weeks of research). The goal is to provide funds to enable promising graduate students to remain on task and on campus in their pursuit of a degree. Students cannot obtain additional university employment during this period. Funds are not renewable.

To be eligible, the student must be a full-time, full-standing student at any stage and in any discipline and should have participated in UM’s Three Minute Thesis (R) Competition. Preference will be given to doctoral students who have completed their prospectus. A limited number of assistantships will also be reserved for master’s (thesis option) track students. Online programs are NOT eligible at this time.

 

Graduate Assistantships or Instructorships

Application for a graduate assistantship/instructorship should be made directly to the academic department in which the applicant will pursue a degree. International students who attain graduate assistantships that involve any teaching or instruction activities are subject to the Policy on Language Assessment for International Graduate Students. Graduate assistantships open to degree-seeking graduate students from any discipline are advertised on the webpage for Open Graduate Assistantship Opportunities.

Graduate assistantships that require part-time teaching, laboratory assistance, research or other assistance are available in a number of fields and from grant and contracts. Certain academic departments offer graduate instructorships, which involves direct responsibility for teaching one or more courses.

Stipends for graduate assistantships/instructorships vary, depending on the level of the graduate student, the service to be rendered and the time commitment (typically ¼- or ½-time appointments are made). Academic excellence, maturity and teaching or research experience are the main qualifications considered in the appointment of assistants/instructors. In addition to the stipend, graduate assistants/instructors also receive a partial tuition scholarship (75% of regular graduate tuition** for ¼-time appointments and 100% of regular graduate tuition** for ½-time appointments) and receive a full nonresident fee scholarship during regular (i.e., fall and spring) academic terms. Online programs are NOT eligible for the tuition or fee scholarships at this time.

See Financial Aid FAQs for additional details on tuition and fees.

Tuition Scholarships and Nonresident Fee Scholarships

Graduate students who are enrolled full-time and who receive an assistantship are eligible for tuition scholarships according to the following schedule:

75% Tuition Scholarship**
100% Tuition Scholarship**
Work Load10 hours of work per week (¼-time)20 hours of work per week (½-time)
Minimum Annual Stipenda,b$2,875 per semester$5,750 per semester
Enrollment Max  (as current policy)13 hrs13 hrs
**Accountancy and MBA students need to confer with your program regarding fee differential.

a The minimum stipends are calculated using the following specific dates:

  • Fall semester begins the Thursday before the start of classes and ends the last day of finals.
  • Spring semester begins the first day of classes and ends the last day of finals.

b Effective July, 2023, units that hire a graduate assistant from the start of the Fall term through the end of the Spring term will be expected to meet the per term minimums without counting the pay between terms (the same is true for other appointments with work extending beyond the single term). To do so with a single appointment running across the two regular terms, the unit will pay a stipend of the same rate for the weeks between the terms as they pay during the regular term.

  • Graduate assistants with an appointment that extends across the regular academic year (which would run from the Thursday before the start of the fall term through the last day of finals in the spring) will require a minimum of $12,938 for a ½-time appointment and $6,469 for a ¼-time appointment.
  • Assistantships that run from August 1 through May 31 must have a minimum stipend of $14,735 for a ½-time appointment and $7,367 for a ¼-time appointment.
  • The minimum 12-month stipend translates to $18,689 for a ½-time appointment and $9,344 for a ¼-time appointment.
  • The rate of $5,750 for a 16-week term translates to a minimum stipend of $359.38 per week (for a ½-time appointment) for weeks where the graduate assistant works outside the dates of the Fall or Spring terms (graduate students are not expected to work when the university is closed; if they have to work when the university is closed, the hiring unit shall follow the policy that outlines credit for hours worked while the university is closed).

Any unit wishing to pay only the per term assistantship rates should hire graduate assistants separately per term and cannot require the graduate assistant to work between the terms unless the unit completes a separate e-form to address the pay between the terms. Graduate assistants hired for the regular academic year should be aware that they are paid on a schedule that includes work between regular terms. Units should be aware that hiring graduate students on a semester by semester basis results in 2 missed pay periods.

Both the 75% and 100% scholarships include a full non-resident fee scholarship.  Online programs are NOT eligible for graduate assistantships at this time.

The UM Institutional SREB Doctoral Fellowship Program

The Graduate School and academic departments at the University of Mississippi (UM) sponsor up to seven “Institutional SREB Fellowships” per academic year for doctoral students (scholars) through a combination of Doctoral and Dissertation Scholar Fellowships. The Southern Regional Education Educational Board (SREB) administers this fellowship opportunity through its Doctoral Scholars Program (http://www.sreb.org/page/1074/doctoral_scholars.html).

Departments providing assistantships may nominate scholars to receive one of the awards. If selected for the SREB Doctoral Scholar Fellowship, the scholar will be eligible for three (3) years of support under this program. Individuals selected for SREB Dissertation Scholar Fellowships receive one year of support. The criteria and specific levels of financial support differ for the two types of awards and serve different student groups. Online programs are NOT eligible at this time.

Click here to view the announcement for Fall 2024 UM Institutional SREB Doctoral Fellowship Nominations

Click here to view the announcement for Fall 2024 UM Institutional SREB Dissertation Fellowship Nominations

 

MBA-Diversity Scholarship

In the spring of 2021, Robert C. Pozen, of Boston, Massachusetts, established the Robert C. Pozen Scholars MBA Diversity Fund. This scholarship is available to two students each year who meet the requirements established by Pozen when scholarship was finalized. The scholars will receive $30,000 toward their enrollment and efforts in the University of Mississippi MBA degree program.

Eligible candidates shall be Mississippi residents admitted to the campus MBA program and meet the following criteria:

  • Demonstrated commitment to a diverse MBA student body
  • Commitment to better communications across racial, ethnic and/or cultural lines
  • Ability to overcome educational, social or family disadvantages
  • Academic merit and leadership potential on equity and inclusion issues

For more information, please contact MBA Director, Ashley McGee at amcgee@bus.olemiss.edu. Online programs are NOT eligible at this time.

 

NSF GRFP

Information about the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) and how it is administered at the University of Mississippi is available on our website https://gradschool.olemiss.edu/nsf-grfp/.

 

Sumners Grant

A graduate student who is a resident of Attala, Carroll, Choctaw, Montgomery or Webster County in Mississippi may qualify for the Sumners Grant. The application and eligibility requirements can be found on this page: https://finaid.olemiss.edu/ms-fresh-merit  Online programs are NOT eligible at this time.

 

Other Sources

The University of Mississippi’s Office of Research & Sponsored Programs subscribes to many databases to assist in grant searching.

Other listings:

Federal Grants- all areas available

30 Dissertation Research Fellowships for Doctoral Students

   
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