Mississippi State University

Lee Blvd. Mississippi State, MS

• Rating: A-
• 16,621 Students
• Public

Description

Mississippi State University, founded in 1878 as a land-grant institution, is a comprehensive public research university located in Starkville, Mississippi. With a strong emphasis on its land-grant mission of learning, research, and service, MSU offers a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across diverse fields, including agriculture, engineering, business, arts and sciences, and veterinary medicine. Recognized for its high research activity, particularly in science and engineering, the university is a major contributor to the state’s economic development and is committed to providing access and opportunity to a diverse student body while instilling ideals of citizenship and leadership.

National Merit

National Merit Semi-Finalist Scholarship 

Approximately $48,000 over four years for Residents and Approximately $117,000 over 4 years for Non-Residents.

• Approximately $48,000 over four years for Residents and Approximately $117,000 over 4 years for Non-Residents.
• National Merit Semi-finalist Scholarships are awarded in lieu of Freshman Academic and Colvard Future Leader Scholarship(s).
• Awarded to students who have been named semi-finalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation
• The scholarship is worth approximately $48,000 over four years
• Non-resident students may also receive approximately $17,435 annually to cover 100% of the out-of-state portion of tuition

National Merit Finalist Scholarship 

• In addition to the base scholarship value, finalists who list MSU as their first choice will also be awarded a Housing Scholarship to cover the cost of on-campus, double-occupancy housing for the first through the fourth year, with an option to live in College View, the university housing apartment community, for the third and fourth year. More details regarding the housing scholarship can be found here: Housing Scholarship (Scroll to bottom of webpage for more information.)
• Non-resident students may also receive approximately $17,435 annually to cover 100% of the out-of-state portion of tuition
• National Merit Scholarships are awarded in lieu of Freshman Academic and Colvard Future Leader Scholarship(s)
• National Merit Scholars enrolled in the Shackouls Honors College may be eligible for a $2,000 Stewart Bridgforth Honors Scholarship, which may be used for study abroad, internships, or faculty-sponsored undergraduate research support after a student’s freshman year. To be considered for this scholarship, students must be active participants in the Shackouls Honors College, maintain a minimum 3.4 GPA, and participate in the Stewart Bridgforth Honors Scholars Program.

**Fully covers cost of double-occupancy on-campus residence hall space for up to four years.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

Freshman Mississippi Resident Academic Scholarship Package

Automatically awarded upon MSU admission based on 9th-11th grade high school GPA and test scores. Mississippi State accepts the SAT/ACT through the February test date of a student’s senior year of high school. Renewable annually up to 8 semesters at MSU based on overall college GPA.

Award amount	ACT	GPA
$4,000 over four years, $1,000 per year	21-24	3.00-3.29
$6,000 over four years, $1,500 per year	21-24	3.30-3.59
$14,000 over four years, $3,500 per year	21-24	3.60+
$8,000 over four years, $2,000 per year	25-29	3.00-3.29
$10,000 over four years, $2,500 per year	25-29	3.30-3.59
$20,000 over four years, $5,000 per year	25-29	3.60+
$12,000 over four years, $3,000 per year	30-32	3.00-3.29
$20,000 over four years, $5,000 per year	30-32	3.30-3.59
$32,000 over four years, $8,000 per year	30-32	3.60+
$16,000 over four years, $4,000 per year	33-36	3.00-3.29
$24,000 over four years, $6,000 per year	33-36	3.30-3.59
$42,000 over four years, $10,500 per year	33-36	3.60+

Freshman Non-Resident Academic Scholarship

Automatically awarded upon MSU admission based on 9th – 11th grade high school GPA and test scores. Mississippi State accepts the SAT/ACT through the February test date of a student’s senior year of high school. Renewable annually up to 8 semesters at MSU based on overall college GPA. 

You must be assessed non-resident tuition in order to receive the Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship. The Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship may not be combined with any programs that waive the non-resident charges, such as: Academic Common Market; Veteran, Service-Member, Dependent or Spouse Non-Resident Tuition Waiver; etc.

Award amount	ACT/SAT	GPA
$48,000 over four years, $12,000 per year		3.30-3.59
$64,000 over four years, $16,000 per year		3.60-4.09
$72,000 over four years, $18,000 per year		4.10+
$80,000 over four years, $20,000 per year	31+/1390+	3.60-4.09
$88,000 over four years, $22,000 per year	31+/1390+	4.10+

Last Updated: April 2025