USM Launches 2022 Freshman Admissions Application with New Scholarship Offerings
Wed, 07/28/2021 - 12:47pm | By: Carlee Causey
The University of Southern Mississippi’s application for summer 2022 and fall 2022 undergraduate admission officially opens at 12:01 a.m. on August 1. For the class of 2022 and students that plan to attend USM next fall, this is the first opportunity to join the Golden Eagle family.
“This is the most exciting time of the year as students begin taking the next steps toward their future beyond high school,” said Kate Howard, Associate Vice President Student Affairs and Dean of Admissions. “The earlier students apply, the more they benefit - knowing the resources, meeting deadlines, visiting campus, and hopefully being eligible for our generous scholarships.”
To apply, students must submit the online application, an official high school transcript, standardized test scores, and the application fee. First-time freshman for fall 2022 will also have new scholarship opportunities to garner.
Already one of the most affordable Carnegie R1 research institutions in the country, USM is expanding freshman scholarship offerings to continue to ensure the transformative experience of a USM education remains accessible to prospective students and their families.
The Freshman Academic Excellence Scholarship, USM’s most popular scholarship, is awarded based on GPA and standardized test scores. For incoming freshman in fall 2022, USM will now be using ACT superscores, the average of the best scores from each subject area from multiple test attempts, for scholarship awarding purposes.
Beginning with a core GPA of 3.0 and a 21 superscore on the ACT, students who meet these requirements and appropriate deadlines earn $3,000 annually in scholarships. As academic merit increases so do scholarship amounts up to the total cost of tuition for students with a 30 or higher ACT superscore.
Additionally, a new Academic Housing Scholarship equal to the full value of a double occupancy room will be available for students with a 3.0 or higher high school core GPA and 33 or higher ACT superscore. This award can be combined with the Academic Excellence Scholarship.
“Our office strives to keep Southern Miss an affordable option for students as the world of higher education changes,” said Dannetta Winter, Assistant Director of the Office of Undergraduate Scholarships. “We hope the combination of our new scholarship model and the additional financial literacy support our office provides will help students and families reduce their financial stress as they prepare for their collegiate journeys."
High school seniors are encouraged to apply for admission to USM early, as students must be admitted by December 1 to receive consideration for all freshman scholarships. Eligibility for federal grants and loans (including the Pell Grant) is determined through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
High school seniors can access the freshman application for admission at usm.edu/apply. For more information about freshman scholarships, visit usm.edu/scholarships.