Current USM Students Receiving Freshman or Transfer Scholarships: How do I keep the scholarship?

You should call your program’s office:

• Luckyday Foundation Citizenship Scholarship | Luckyday Scholars Program | 601-266-5981 
• Presidential, Discovery, or Honors Scholar Scholarships | Honors College | 601-266-4533
• Oseola McCarty Foundation Scholarships | Undergraduate Scholarships | 601-266-4540

All students are mailed a formal stipulation agreement regarding their scholarship stipulations.  We encourage you to keep a record of these stipulations until you graduate from USM.  These stipulation agreements can also be found in the GO System under “My Applications”. A third place to review your hour stipulation is in SOAR under “To Do Lists.”  This checklist will stay on your SOAR account until you graduate or your scholarship expires.  It explains the required number of hours needed to maintain your scholarship. 

• You must enroll in at least 15 credit hours per fall and spring semester. If you drop below 15 hours and the scholarship has already disbursed for the semester, it will be cancelled for the upcoming semester. This is also true for State of Mississippi financial aid awards (i.e. MTAG, MESG, HELP Grant).

As long as you are enrolled in the appropriate amount of USM credit hours (see the Q & A above), your scholarship will not be cancelled. If you fall below your enrollment requirement, your scholarship will be cancelled. You can appeal to the University Scholarship Appeals Committee for the semester you are returning to USM. It is recommended that you provide official documentation of your acceptance (including semesters of participation) and completion of the program. Visit “Appealing a Scholarship Status” at www.usm.edu/scholarships. This will provide details regarding the appeals process. You can also check out the FAQ section on the website.

If a student falls below a 2.5 USM cumulative GPA after any fall or spring semester, their scholarship will be cancelled. The Office of Undergraduate Scholarships does not round up during auditing processes or make any adjustments to your final cumulative GPA posted by the Registrar's Office. 

Scholarships coordinated by the Office of Undergraduate Scholarships are reviewed after final grades are posted for fall and spring semesters. This takes place in December and May after final grades are posted. It typically takes at least 10 business days for scholarship decisions to be made.  Students will be sent an email to the students USM email account if the scholarship is placed on probation or is expiring within the year. Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Undergraduate Scholarship staff will not give out decisions over the telephone.

• Additional Resources: Academic calendar provides details regarding when grades are available for students. If you need to updated contact information, contact the Office of the Registrar (usm.edu/registrar).

Visit “Appealing a Scholarship Status” at www.usm.edu/scholarships.  This website will provide details regarding the appeals process.  You can also check out the FAQ section on OUS website.

Once the official grade in SOAR has been updated, students should email scholars@usm.edu regarding details of their grade change including their name and student ID. Undergraduate Scholarship staff will review the information in SOAR and contact student regarding an update in their scholarship status.

The Office of Undergraduate Scholarships reviews cumulative USM GPA and enrollment after the fall and spring semesters. A separate audit will not be conducted after the summer semester.