Scholarships and Education Grants for Single Mothers in Mississippi

Where to start

Know what each type of aid means

Grants and scholarships usually do not have to be repaid, but they can have enrollment, grade, attendance, or program rules. Loans are debt. Work-study is a job. Training aid is often tied to an approved program and a case plan.

For a wider list of options, use ASMOM’s scholarship and grant guide. It explains how to check offers without paying a search company.

Current status for 2026–27 aid

Mississippi says 2026–27 state award offers are being processed. Use the state aid website and your dashboard for the status of your own file. Do not treat a submitted application as an approved award.

Federal aid comes first

FAFSA and Pell Grants

FAFSA is free. For 2026–27, the maximum Federal Pell Grant is $7,395. Your amount depends on your FAFSA information, school cost, enrollment level, and remaining Pell eligibility. The official Pell Grant page explains the current award year and basic rules.

File even if a Mississippi state deadline has passed. You may still qualify for federal aid or school aid. Check the FAFSA deadline page and ask each school for its own priority date.

ASMOM’s Pell and FAFSA guide can help you plan the federal steps before you accept loans.

FSEOG and work-study

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant is campus-based aid for undergraduates with very high financial need. Not every school has the same funds. File FAFSA early and ask whether the school offers FSEOG. The official FSEOG details explain how schools award it.

Federal Work-Study gives eligible students part-time jobs. It is not a cash grant paid before you work. Use the work-study guide to understand how wages are earned, then ask the school whether jobs are still available.

Mississippi state grants and scholarships

MAAPP is separate from FAFSA. Mississippi requires a new MAAPP each academic year, and the dashboard may ask for residency, income, grade, or test documents. Upload only what the state requests and keep a copy.

HELP Grant

The Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students can cover tuition and required fees at a Mississippi public school for qualified students. At eligible private schools, the award is tied to an average public-university amount. The program is mainly for eligible recent high school graduates and renewals, not a general grant for every adult returning to school.

Published rules include Mississippi residency, Pell eligibility, income limits, academic rules, and full-time enrollment. The 2026–27 application deadline has passed. Check the HELP Grant page for your aid year, because state law and program details can change.

MTAG

The Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant may pay up to $500 per academic year for freshmen and sophomores and up to $1,000 for juniors and seniors. It is for eligible Mississippi residents at approved in-state schools who are not eligible for the maximum Pell Grant. Full-time enrollment and academic rules apply.

The 2026–27 MAAPP deadline is September 15, and supporting documents are due October 15. Review the MTAG rules before changing your class load.

MESG

The Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant is merit aid. It can provide up to $2,500 per academic year, but it cannot be more than tuition and required fees. Initial rules include a 3.5 GPA, a qualifying ACT or SAT score, Mississippi residency, and full-time enrollment.

The 2026–27 MAAPP deadline is September 15, with documents due October 15. The MESG program page lists current academic and renewal rules.

FAITH Scholarship

The Fostering Access and Inspiring True Hope Scholarship can help eligible current or former foster youth and certain young people from approved residential care settings. It may cover up to the cost of attendance after other aid is counted. Applicants generally must be younger than 25, meet a listed foster-care condition, file FAFSA and MAAPP, and meet school progress rules.

There is no separate FAITH deadline, but MAAPP is not open all year. Read the FAITH requirements and ask what proof is needed before the state application period closes.

Child care while you study

Mississippi’s Child Care Payment Program can help some parents and guardians pay approved child care costs. You must choose a provider before applying, and not every provider accepts CCPP. The state also uses priority groups, income rules, and work or activity rules.

As of July 14, 2026, families can submit applications, but a family outside an exception group may be placed on a waitlist if no certificate is available. Check current CCPP updates before building a class schedule around this help, then use the CCPP application steps if the path fits your family.

The ASMOM Mississippi child care guide lists related steps. Also ask your school whether it has campus child care, CCAMPIS support, emergency funds, or a student-parent office.

Short-term training and workforce help

A certificate, apprenticeship, high school equivalency program, or community-college course may be a better fit when time and child care are tight. Mississippi has 15 community colleges, and adult education programs can offer reading, math, digital skills, high school equivalency preparation, and links to career training.

Use the Mississippi Community College Board’s adult education page to find a starting point. Ask the school what the full cost includes, such as tools, uniforms, tests, books, and travel.

WIOA may help eligible adults, dislocated workers, or young adults enter approved training. A program appearing on the training provider list does not guarantee funding. Contact a WIN Job Center for an eligibility review before enrolling.

Skills2Work serves some Mississippi SNAP recipients ages 18 to 59 who meet program rules. It may provide training, a support specialist, and help with costs such as transportation, child care, books, supplies, or equipment. The official Skills2Work page says to start with your SNAP caseworker.

For more work and training ideas, read ASMOM’s job training guide. Funding depends on the program, local office, and your case.

Private scholarships worth checking

Private awards are competitive. Apply, but do not build your whole budget around winning one. Start with your school foundation, department, employer, union, church, county groups, and local civic clubs because smaller awards may have fewer applicants.

• Live Your Dream Awards: Women who are the main financial support for their families and are in an undergraduate or skills program may qualify. The next application period runs August 1 through November 15. Review the award application rules before preparing references.
• Jeannette Rankin National Scholar Grant: This grant supports women and nonbinary students age 35 or older with financial need who are pursuing a first degree or career program. The 2025–26 cycle is closed, and the site says the next cycle opens in November 2026. Check the Rankin grant status before applying.
• Doris Buffett Independence Scholar Grant: WISP serves some survivors of intimate partner abuse who meet detailed separation, residency, school, and other rules. Application cycles are August 1 to October 1 and January 1 to March 1. Use the WISP application page when a cycle is open.
• Mississippi Choctaw scholarships: Eligible Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians members can apply for tribal education support. Fall applications and documents are due May 31, winter or spring materials are due October 31, and summer materials are due March 31. Confirm the tribal scholarship deadlines before sending documents.

How to apply without missing steps

1. Choose the correct school year. The 2026–27 form covers July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
2. Create required accounts. Set up StudentAid.gov access and a MAAPP account. A spouse or parent contributor may need a separate StudentAid.gov account.
3. Submit FAFSA. List every school you are seriously considering so each school can receive your information.
4. Submit MAAPP. Do not assume FAFSA completed the Mississippi application.
5. Check both portals. Look for missing documents, identity checks, residency proof, or school verification.
6. Read the aid offer. Mark which items are grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans.
7. Ask for a review. If income fell, your household changed, or child care costs rose, ask the school about a special-circumstances review. The school decides whether an adjustment is allowed.

Get2College offers free help with FAFSA, MAAPP, and scholarship planning. You can book a Get2College appointment for in-person, virtual, or Spanish-language help.

Documents and details to gather

Use ASMOM’s documents checklist to organize copies, dates, names, and confirmation numbers in one place.

If aid is denied, delayed, or missing

First, ask for the exact reason in writing. Find out whether the problem is a missing document, wrong school year, residency issue, enrollment level, grade report, deadline, or program rule. Write down the name of the person you spoke with and the date.

Mississippi allows some state-aid appeals for full-time or continuous-enrollment problems caused by certain serious personal events, or when a student is near degree completion. The state does not accept appeals for missed application deadlines, residency, GPA, or test scores. Read the state appeal rules before sending a request.

Your school may have a separate process for federal aid, satisfactory academic progress, or unusual financial changes. Ask which office handles your problem. ASMOM’s denied benefits guide can help you track notices and follow-up steps, even though school-aid rules are separate.

If a delay leaves you without food, transport, or child care, use the local help guide and the Mississippi transport guide while the aid office reviews your file.