Mississippi student and vocational grants: HELP, MTAG, UPSKILL and WIOA (2026-27)

HELP: full tuition for recent graduates under the income line

The Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students (HELP) Grant pays the actual tuition and required fees charged at a Mississippi public community college or university. At a private nonprofit four-year college, it pays up to the average tuition and fees of the public universities. At a private two-year college, it pays up to the average of the public two-year colleges ⁠². It lasts 8 semesters (12 trimesters) and does not cover summer school ⁠². For fall 2026 and spring 2027, combined in-state tuition at the public universities ranges from $7,492 at Mississippi Valley State to $10,845 at Mississippi State, plus each campus’s required fees ⁠⁴.

Source: IHL approved rates ⁠⁴. Campus fees such as capital improvement, activity and technology fees are extra.

To qualify, your family must meet an income test based on adjusted gross income (AGI). For a dependent student, the parents’ AGI must be $42,500 or less, and the limit rises by $5,000 for each other child of the parents under age 21 ⁠³. That gives $47,500 with one sibling under 21, $52,500 with two and $57,500 with three ⁠³. You must also qualify for at least a minimum Pell Grant on the FAFSA ⁠². The academic rules are strict. You need a 2.5 high school GPA, an ACT composite of 20 or the SAT equivalent (superscores accepted), and graduation within the two years before you apply ⁠¹⁠². Other rules: you must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, a Mississippi resident for one year, and have no criminal record other than misdemeanor traffic violations. You must also enroll full time (12 semester hours) in a first associate or bachelor’s degree ⁠¹⁠².

To renew, you must keep a 2.5 cumulative college GPA and stay enrolled full time every fall and spring. Losing the grant for low grades has no exception for cause. You can appeal a break in full-time enrollment, and a student who stops showing financial need for a year can ask to be reinstated later ⁠².

MTAG for students just above the Pell line

The Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant (MTAG) is for students whose families earn too much for a maximum Pell Grant. If the FAFSA shows you are eligible for the full Pell award, you cannot get MTAG ⁠⁵⁠⁶. The grant pays up to $500 a year for freshmen and sophomores and up to $1,000 a year for juniors and seniors. It is split between fall and spring and is subject to proration if funds run short ⁠⁶. You must enroll full time at an approved Mississippi public or private nonprofit college in a first certificate, associate or bachelor’s program ⁠⁵. MTAG lasts up to 8 semesters ⁠⁵.

New students need a 2.5 high school GPA (or a GED or homeschool transcript) and an ACT of 15 ⁠⁵⁠⁶. Students entering a vocational or technical certificate or Associate of Applied Science program at a community college do not need the ACT unless the college requires it. A letter from the college confirming your enrollment can take its place ⁠⁶. Continuing college students qualify instead with a 2.5 GPA on at least 12 college hours ⁠⁵. For 2026-27 the MAAPP deadline was September 15, 2026, and supporting documents were due October 15 ⁠⁵.

UPSKILL: Mississippi’s 2026 pilot for adults 24 and older

The Legislature created the UPSKILL Mississippi Grant in 2026 with House Bill 562. It is the state’s first grant built for working-age adults. It pays the tuition and required fees left after all other grant aid, plus a $500 yearly stipend for books and materials, prorated for part-time students ⁠⁷⁠⁸. Unlike HELP and MTAG, it allows half-time enrollment and has no ACT or GPA entry test. You must be at least 24 by January 1 of the aid year (born on or before January 1, 2003 for 2026-27). You must also be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, have lived in Mississippi for two years, and have a high school diploma or GED ⁠⁷⁠⁸.

The money only works at a public community college, and only for a program on the list approved by the State Workforce Investment Board. The June 2026 list has 30 program types, mostly skilled trades and industrial technology ⁠⁹. Examples include diesel technology, plumbing, pipefitting, masonry, mechatronics, precision machining, instrumentation, heavy equipment maintenance, marine maintenance, EMT-paramedic and massage therapy ⁠⁹. Colleges must assign each recipient a success coach who checks in three times a term. They must also enroll recipients in Mississippi Works and look for WIOA or TANF money to cover up to $250 a term in emergency, child care or transportation help ⁠⁸.

Funding is the catch. The Legislature did not appropriate money for UPSKILL in 2026-27, so AccelerateMS supplied money from another source for the pilot year ⁠¹⁰. Awards go first-come, first-served, and returning recipients get priority ⁠⁸. The 2026-27 deadlines were September 15 for the MAAPP and October 15 for the FAFSA and documents ⁠⁷. UPSKILL cannot be combined with another state aid award in the same year ⁠⁷.

One MAAPP, two deadline seasons, and what non-FAFSA filers can do

Mississippi’s deadlines split by program. For HELP, the MAAPP opens October 1 and is due March 31. The FAFSA and supporting documents are due April 30 ⁠¹. For MTAG and UPSKILL, the MAAPP is due September 15 of the school year itself, with documents due October 15 ⁠⁵⁠⁷. New applicants must send two residency documents. The FAFSA and a Mississippi driver’s license are preferred, and a state tax return is an alternate. A federal Form 1040 is not accepted ⁠⁵.

Mississippi has no state alternative to the FAFSA. HELP and UPSKILL require the FAFSA, so students who cannot file one cannot get those grants ⁠²⁠⁸. MTAG is the exception. Instead of a FAFSA, you can sign a Financial Certification Statement confirming that your family income rules out Pell and other need-based federal aid ⁠⁶. That route is mainly for higher-income families who do not want to file the FAFSA. You still have to meet MTAG’s residency rules ⁠⁶.

Pell and Workforce Pell at Mississippi colleges in 2026-27

The federal Pell Grant ranges from $740 to $7,395 for the July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 award year ⁠¹². Your Pell result also decides your state options. HELP needs at least a minimum Pell award, while MTAG needs less than the maximum ⁠²⁠⁶.

Workforce Pell extends Pell to programs of 150 to 599 clock hours lasting 8 to fewer than 15 weeks. These programs must show completion and job placement rates of at least 70% ⁠¹¹⁠¹³. People who already hold a bachelor’s degree can receive it, and WIOA funds can be added on top ⁠¹³. AccelerateMS, the state Office of Workforce Development, reviews college applications for the governor starting with the 2026-27 award year. A program the governor certifies still needs U.S. Department of Education approval before students can use Pell for it ⁠¹¹. Mississippi also requires a credit pathway into a certificate or degree. Its wage test for priority occupations is $20.75 an hour as of January 2026 ⁠¹¹. As of October 20, 2026, AccelerateMS posts a working list of programs that may qualify, but no programs listed as approved. Ask your college before counting on Workforce Pell for a 2026-27 term ⁠¹¹.

WIN Job Centers and WIOA Individual Training Accounts

The Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) contracts WIOA training with the state’s four workforce areas. Adults and dislocated workers apply at a WIN Job Center ⁠¹⁴. Adult training requires you to be 18 or older, a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, and registered with Selective Service if required. People who were laid off or have received a layoff notice may qualify as dislocated workers ⁠¹⁴. Training is paid through an Individual Training Account (ITA). The ITA covers only programs on the Mississippi Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL), which colleges and schools can join each year from April 1 to 15 ⁠¹⁴⁠¹⁵. Being on the list does not mean funds are available. Each area decides based on your assessment, and MDES notes that WIOA financial policies differ from area to area ⁠¹⁴⁠¹⁵. Ask your WIN Job Center for its current ITA limit. Ask too whether your program is also on the UPSKILL list, since UPSKILL colleges are told to look for WIOA money to support recipients ⁠⁸.

Applying for 2027-28 state aid in Mississippi, step by step

1. File the 2027-28 FAFSA early

   It is required for HELP and UPSKILL and gives the Pell result that decides HELP versus MTAG ⁠²⁠⁶. For HELP it must be complete by April 30, 2027 ⁠².

2. Submit the MAAPP

   Create or log in to your MAAPP account and submit one application. For HELP the deadline is March 31, 2027; for MTAG and UPSKILL it is September 15, 2027 ⁠¹⁠⁵⁠⁷.

3. Send residency and academic documents

   Upload two residency documents for your parents if you are dependent, or for yourself if you are independent ⁠⁵. For HELP, your high school counselor sends your GPA and ACT score, and you complete the Household Verification Worksheet in your account ⁠¹.

4. Watch the MAAPP dashboard

   Document requests and award status appear there, and once you qualify the office pays the grant straight to your college ⁠¹⁠².

5. For UPSKILL, confirm your program first

   Make sure your community college program is on the 2026-27 or 2027-28 eligible list, and apply early because awards are first-come, first-served ⁠⁸⁠⁹.

6. For short-term training, visit a WIN Job Center

   Bring ID, proof of income and layoff papers if you have them. Choose an ETPL program and ask whether it is approved for Workforce Pell ⁠¹¹⁠¹⁴⁠¹⁵.

7. Appeal or regain eligibility

   You can appeal a break in full-time enrollment for HELP or a drop below half time for UPSKILL to the Office of Student Financial Aid ⁠²⁠⁸. A HELP grant lost for low grades returns once your GPA is back at 2.5 ⁠². Families who need TANF cash help while a parent trains can see the Mississippi cash assistance guide, and the 50-state student grant comparison shows how HELP compares.