Tuition increase approved by IHL

[615dawg]

2026-27 Tuition Rates (just for perspective, auto scholarship $ for 25 ACT)

Mississippi State $10,845 ($3000)
Southern Miss $10,684 ($5250)
Ole Miss $10,278 ($3500)
Jackson State $9,408 (100%)
Alcorn State $8,785 ($15,000 minus Pell Grant)
Delta State $8,605 (100%)
MUW $8,492 ($5500)
Mississippi Valley $7,912 (Tuition, Room, Board and Books)

 

[Maroon Eagle]

How is Southern Miss offering that much more scholarship money than State and Ole Miss?

 

[615dawg]

How is Southern Miss offering that much more scholarship money than State and Ole Miss?

They don't get as many 30+ as State and Ole Miss so they can give more money to the mid-20s. My issue with State's scholarship matrix is we give too much money to 20-22 ACTs when Ole Miss gives no scholarship money until 23+, which allows them to kick our *** with the high achievers.

Its fascinating to me that all three HBCUs and Delta State give a full scholarship for a 25 ACT. Gotta give to Alcorn for squeezing out that sweet Pell Grant money.

 

[8dog]

How is Southern Miss offering that much more scholarship money than State and Ole Miss?

If you read their site, its not clear that its automatic

 

[615dawg]

If you read their site, its not clear that its automatic

You have to have a 3.25 GPA and apply by the deadline, but those Academic Excellence scholarships are otherwise automatic. One of the biggest differences in Southern schools and the rest of the country is the existence of these automatic scholarships. Its a foreign concept in the Big Ten and one of the things that makes the SEC schools attractive.

 

[TheBannerM]

You have to have a 3.25 GPA and apply by the deadline, but those Academic Excellence scholarships are otherwise automatic. One of the biggest differences in Southern schools and the rest of the country is the existence of these automatic scholarships. Its a foreign concept in the Big Ten and one of the things that makes the SEC schools attractive.

My daughter got a 34 put her grades are bad. USM said nah we good, but LSU offered a decent package for her. She was never really interested in State or OM. She'll probably end up at Southeastern La - we're not footing the bill for a better school just so she can goof off like she did in HS. Hopefully my younger kids will figure it out in HS and go to a decent school after graduation.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

My daughter got a 34 put her grades are bad. USM said nah we good, but LSU offered a decent package for her. She was never really interested in State or OM. She'll probably end up at Southeastern La - we're not footing the bill for a better school just so she can goof off like she did in HS. Hopefully my younger kids will figure it out in HS and go to a decent school after graduation.

No JUCO route?

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

No JUCO route?

 

[TroyMcClure2025]

They don't get as many 30+ as State and Ole Miss so they can give more money to the mid-20s. My issue with State's scholarship matrix is we give too much money to 20-22 ACTs when Ole Miss gives no scholarship money until 23+, which allows them to kick our *** with the high achievers.

Its fascinating to me that all three HBCUs and Delta State give a full scholarship for a 25 ACT. Gotta give to Alcorn for squeezing out that sweet Pell Grant money.

The bottom 5 shouldn’t exist.

 

[The Cooterpoot]

How is Southern Miss offering that much more scholarship money than State and Ole Miss?

Because Botox Bob sucks as President! The 17er needs to go be the area development guy, not a university president.

 

[RocketDawg]

2026-27 Tuition Rates (just for perspective, auto scholarship $ for 25 ACT)

Mississippi State $10,845 ($3000)
Southern Miss $10,684 ($5250)
Ole Miss $10,278 ($3500)
Jackson State $9,408 (100%)
Alcorn State $8,785 ($15,000 minus Pell Grant)
Delta State $8,605 (100%)
MUW $8,492 ($5500)
Mississippi Valley $7,912 (Tuition, Room, Board and Books)

I've been away from college for a while, but a 25 ACT isn't all that great is it?

 

[615dawg]

I've been away from college for a while, but a 25 ACT isn't all that great is it?

The national average is 19.4, in Mississippi its a 17.7.

Some people will argue with me, but a 25 is in the top 15 percent nationally - it's not a bad score.

 

[FormerBully]

My daughter got a 34 put her grades are bad. USM said nah we good, but LSU offered a decent package for her. She was never really interested in State or OM. She'll probably end up at Southeastern La - we're not footing the bill for a better school just so she can goof off like she did in HS. Hopefully my younger kids will figure it out in HS and go to a decent school after graduation.

Southeastern LA is a great school. When I lived in Baton Rouge I knew a bunch of people that graduated from there. She will get a great education, but not worry about getting lost in the crowds. Teachers get to spend more time with students. Hammond is a cool town too.

 

[WrightGuy821]

I've been away from college for a while, but a 25 ACT isn't all that great is it?

Depends on your standards/test-taking skills. With a 36 being a perfect score, it roughly translates to a 78% which is a high C. But it's not an easy exam and it's not an easy environment either. For a majority of people a 25 would be a fantastic score and it guarantees acceptance into most colleges and universities. For higher achievers/better test takers a 25 may be looked down upon as a "being a high C"

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

The bottom 5 shouldn’t exist.

I'll go even further and say that only two of the top four should exist. MSU as the land grant and then we should have a state university system with the lead institution and a board in Jackson.

We should also do away with the IHL completely. They are a 17n joke.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

The national average is 19.4, in Mississippi its a 17.7.

Some people will argue with me, but a 25 is in the top 15 percent nationally - it's not a bad score.

I think the best I made was a 25 or 26. I just never did well on the ACT. I finished high school with a 3.4 and graduated from State with a 3.85. ACT gets you the attention but you can make up for it with good grades. I applied and received a lot of scholarships after my freshmen year so it’s very attainable.

ETA: I went to a school where 95 was an A and 86-94 was a B.

 

[L4Dawg]

They don't get as many 30+ as State and Ole Miss so they can give more money to the mid-20s. My issue with State's scholarship matrix is we give too much money to 20-22 ACTs when Ole Miss gives no scholarship money until 23+, which allows them to kick our *** with the high achievers.

Its fascinating to me that all three HBCUs and Delta State give a full scholarship for a 25 ACT. Gotta give to Alcorn for squeezing out that sweet Pell Grant money.

Our?

 

[mstateglfr]

I've been away from college for a while, but a 25 ACT isn't all that great is it?

That score is in the 80th percentile. Only 20% of test takers scored better. I guess each of us can conclude what we want from that, but hopefully nobody would every view a 25 as 'average' or 'just OK'.

Depends on your standards/test-taking skills. With a 36 being a perfect score, it roughly translates to a 78% which is a high C. But it's not an easy exam and it's not an easy environment either. For a majority of people a 25 would be a fantastic score and it guarantees acceptance into most colleges and universities. For higher achievers/better test takers a 25 may be looked down upon as a "being a high C"

I dont think I have ever seen someone compare an ACT score to a letter grade.
Now that it has happened, I have to say your comparison is crazy. Scoring in the 80th percentile on a test is not equal to a 'high C' letter grade. That would mean higher achievers view someone's score that is in the 55th percentile is an F.

I guess I will rephrase and say that if any high achievers think that, they need a strong and consistent correction from their parents. That would be a really 17ed up way to frame ACT scores.

 

[scdog1]

Depends on your standards/test-taking skills. With a 36 being a perfect score, it roughly translates to a 78% which is a high C. But it's not an easy exam and it's not an easy environment either. For a majority of people a 25 would be a fantastic score and it guarantees acceptance into most colleges and universities. For higher achievers/better test takers a 25 may be looked down upon as a "being a high C"

That is not even close to being true. My son took the SAT and made 34 ACT equivalent score, with a 4.5 GPA, and didn't get in half of the schools he applied.

 

[615dawg]

I think the best I made was a 25 or 26. I just never did well on the ACT. I finished high school with a 3.4 and graduated from State with a 3.85. ACT gets you the attention but you can make up for it with good grades. I applied and received a lot of scholarships after my freshmen year so it’s very attainable.

I always tell families that the difference between a 25 and a 30 is test taking skills. Many times students with a 25 go on and have very successful (3.5+ GPA) college careers. Also, its harder to go from a 25 to a 27 than a 21 to a 23.

We're talking about a test with a statewide average of 17.7. Comparing raw 25/36 as a C is not correct or fair. A 25 ACT is in the top quintile of test takers nationwide.

The new enhanced ACT and science not counting toward composite scores is interesting. I actually took it last weekend to help better advise families. If you have a student in the college admission season of life, tell them to understand all of the grammar rules, make sure you pace accordingly on the reading (36 questions in 40 minutes is tight, and 9 of them do not count). The best way to tackle the math is to make sure you know DESMOS or your TI-84 and try to go 95% on math up to Algebra II. The 10 or so questions above Algebra II are highly difficult and most students will not see that math in a high school classroom.

I expect you will see a lot more high achievers' scores that look like this with the math seemingly lower than past years:

 

[FormerBully]

I shared this with my wife last night, and we both agreed college is so overpriced for what you get. To become a teacher, for example (my wife’s degree before she moved on to another career), you are looking at $31,380 in debt just for tuition with a 25 ACT. With the rise of AI the job market is being reshaped. I love State, but students need to be careful with the degree they pick and the debt. Delta State looks like the best spot to me with 100% covered.

 

[615dawg]

That is not even close to being true. My son took the SAT and made 34 ACT equivalent score, with a 4.5 GPA, and didn't get in half of the schools he applied.

He must have applied to all top 20 schools. That's getting significant money at almost every school. However, I advised a girl a few years ago that had similar stats that got waitlisted at her dream school - UNC Chapel Hill while getting into 3 Ivies. Its a crapshoot at some of the popular state schools if you are an OOS student.

 

[615dawg]

I shared this with my wife last night, and we both agreed college is so overpriced for what you get. To become a teacher, for example (my wife’s degree before she moved on to another career), you are looking at $31,380 in debt just for tuition with a 25 ACT. With the rise of AI the job market is being reshaped. I love State, but students need to be careful with the degree they pick and the debt. Delta State looks like the best spot to me with 100% covered.

I think families should consider ROI more than they do. If I had a child who wanted to be a teacher you have to consider that it doesn't matter if they go to Dartmouth or Delta State, the pay is going to be the same.

 

[FormerBully]

I think families should consider ROI more than they do. If I had a child who wanted to be a teacher you have to consider that it doesn't matter if they go to Dartmouth or Delta State, the pay is going to be the same.

Bingo. ROI is huge, if you got the family support, cool, but these Universities promise these students the world, and they would have been better off at HVAC school at JUCO.

 

[johnson86-1]

They don't get as many 30+ as State and Ole Miss so they can give more money to the mid-20s. My issue with State's scholarship matrix is we give too much money to 20-22 ACTs when Ole Miss gives no scholarship money until 23+, which allows them to kick our *** with the high achievers.

Its fascinating to me that all three HBCUs and Delta State give a full scholarship for a 25 ACT. Gotta give to Alcorn for squeezing out that sweet Pell Grant money.

We give money to people that make 20-22? That seems crazy to me. I'm not sure you should be at a university with less than that.

 

[8dog]

I always tell families that the difference between a 25 and a 30 is test taking skills. Many times students with a 25 go on and have very successful (3.5+ GPA) college careers. Also, its harder to go from a 25 to a 27 than a 21 to a 23.

We're talking about a test with a statewide average of 17.7. Comparing raw 25/36 as a C is not correct or fair. A 25 ACT is in the top quintile of test takers nationwide.

The new enhanced ACT and science not counting toward composite scores is interesting. I actually took it last weekend to help better advise families. If you have a student in the college admission season of life, tell them to understand all of the grammar rules, make sure you pace accordingly on the reading (36 questions in 40 minutes is tight, and 9 of them do not count). The best way to tackle the math is to make sure you know DESMOS or your TI-84 and try to go 95% on math up to Algebra II. The 10 or so questions above Algebra II are highly difficult and most students will not see that math in a high school classroom.

I expect you will see a lot more high achievers' scores that look like this with the math seemingly lower than past years:

My child’s highest score is science so it’s going to cost him scholarship money since there are those that won’t recognize it at all. I’m thrilled.

 

[mstateglfr]

That is not even close to being true. My son took the SAT and made 34 ACT equivalent score, with a 4.5 GPA, and didn't get in half of the schools he applied.

The comment you responded to is 100% true. It is absolutely accurate. Your son clearly didnt apply to almost any of the colleges that would have accepted him immediately.

I mean, come on now. How is this even an argument?

 

[mstateglfr]

My child’s highest score is science so it’s going to cost him scholarship money since there are those that won’t recognize it at all. I’m thrilled.

The Science section can still be taken and scored. It doesnt count towards the composite score, but it would be a standalone score that could still be considered by colleges when they 'perform a holistic approach' to merit based aid.

 

[FreeDawg]

Hot take: there isn't a school on that list worth the full price of tuition for 90% of graduating degrees. Outside of the big 3, none are worth it period.

 

[8dog]

The Science section can still be taken and scored. It doesnt count towards the composite score, but it would be a standalone score that could still be considered by colleges when they 'perform a holistic approach' to merit based aid.

Yes. MS State will consider it. The State of MS will not

 

[8dog]

Hot take: there isn't a school on that list worth the full price of tuition for 90% of graduating degrees. Outside of the big 3, none are worth it period.

Hotter take. There aren’t many in this country that are. And even those depend on where you want to live and what you want to do.

 

[eckie1]

Bingo. ROI is huge, if you got the family support, cool, but these Universities promise these students the world, and they would have been better off at HVAC school at JUCO.

Agreed. My son is going into Chem E, so I’m good with him going to State. He got his OOS waived, and hopefully we’ll get more scholarships along the way. But, if he was going into accounting or something you can get literally anywhere, I’d have been much more hesitant to send him there when there are closer, way cheaper options.

 

[WrightGuy821]

That score is in the 80th percentile. Only 20% of test takers scored better. I guess each of us can conclude what we want from that, but hopefully nobody would every view a 25 as 'average' or 'just OK'.


I dont think I have ever seen someone compare an ACT score to a letter grade.
Now that it has happened, I have to say your comparison is crazy. Scoring in the 80th percentile on a test is not equal to a 'high C' letter grade. That would mean higher achievers view someone's score that is in the 55th percentile is an F.

I guess I will rephrase and say that if any high achievers think that, they need a strong and consistent correction from their parents. That would be a really 17ed up way to frame ACT scores.

The letter grade may not be a wholly accurate judge of perception, but the idea remains the same. Most High-Achievers are intelligent enough (thanks to AP classes or accelerated courses) to know how to solve or know the answer to most every question, the difference between a 28 and a 32 for the most part boils down to test taking skills. I would agree that for most students a 25 is an excellent score, for the High-Achievers, the "20th percentile" if you will, a 25 on the ACT would be framed similarly to a high C. Passing, but not enough for the better schools.

 

[mstateglfr]

Yes. MS State will consider it. The State of MS will not

Can you explain why it matters if the State of MS considers it? Like is that for some state funded scholarships or something?
...my state doesnt care what my kid scored on her ACT(college freshman now), much less how she did on any one specific section of the ACT, so its kinda interesting why another state would.

I do think my state has a couple scholarships funded through the state, but they were for a few very very specific instances...like children of fallen officers, graduates of a wilderness school, etc. Like really specific and odd.

 

[WrightGuy821]

That is not even close to being true. My son took the SAT and made 34 ACT equivalent score, with a 4.5 GPA, and didn't get in half of the schools he applied.

Judging by your son's ACT/SAT scores, I'm assuming he mainly applied for prestigious schools. Most college and universities, or at least the ones not considered in the academically elite, a 25 would fall within their acceptance requirements. Every college in MS would have not only granted your son acceptance but would also have given him pretty substantial scholarships.

 

[615dawg]

Can you explain why it matters if the State of MS considers it? Like is that for some state funded scholarships or something?
...my state doesnt care what my kid scored on her ACT(college freshman now), much less how she did on any one specific section of the ACT, so its kinda interesting why another state would.

I do think my state has a couple scholarships funded through the state, but they were for a few very very specific instances...like children of fallen officers, graduates of a wilderness school, etc. Like really specific and odd.

The state of Mississippi gives $10,000 to students who make a 29 composite or superscore , but they do not consider science.

Its called the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant. When combined with the merit scholarships, it more than covers all tuition and fees at Ole Miss, but only cover 3/4 at State. I have bitched about this for years.

 

[scdog1]

Judging by your son's ACT/SAT scores, I'm assuming he mainly applied for prestigious schools. Most college and universities, or at least the ones not considered in the academically elite, a 25 would fall within their acceptance requirements. Every college in MS would have not only granted your son acceptance but would also have given him pretty substantial scholarships.

Yeah I tried to get him to State, no luck!

 

[mstateglfr]

The state of Mississippi gives $10,000 to students who make a 29 composite, not super score and they do not consider science.

Its called the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant. When combined with the merit scholarships, it more than covers all tuition and fees at State and Ole Miss.

Wow, thanks for the info- that is interesting.
Does a student have to stay in state? And do they have to attend a public institution?


ETA- I decided to not be lazy and look- its for MS institutions only, but can be used at public or private. Very interesting.

 

[615dawg]

Wow, thanks for the info- that is interesting.
Does a student have to stay in state? And do they have to attend a public institution?


ETA- I decided to not be lazy and look- its for MS institutions only, but can be used at public or private. Very interesting.

Nailed it. Has to be an in-state school but MC, Belhaven, Millsaps, etc. are eligible. The goal is to help alleviate the brain drain that has hurt Mississippi for decades, but in all reality, many students are leaving the state after college anyway. What I would like to see is a higher amount in a forgivable loan instead of a grant.

Instead of $2500 a year grant, give a $5000 a year loan that is forgiven by three years post grad being a MS taxpayer.

 

[johnson86-1]

I always tell families that the difference between a 25 and a 30 is test taking skills.

Test taking skills are at play at all levels in my experience. I've known people that scored a 32 and the difference between a 32 and a 36 was test taking skills. I've known people that scored 32 and that was just what they were. They were plenty smart, but not quite the same level. I can think of two people I knew well that scored a 25 and one was a bad test taker and could have probably done more or less any typical career (i.e., could have been a doctor, but not a high level engineer or theoretical physicist) if he could get into school for it. The other was a pretty decent test taker and 25 probably overstated what he was capable of doing.

Many times students with a 25 go on and have very successful (3.5+ GPA) college careers.

I would agree that 25 seems to be a good cutoff for where it really becomes more about conscientiousness, personality, soft skills, etc. Certainly helps to be smarter for some jobs, but that seems to be the level where you can do more or less any common job. A lot of the people that thrive with lesser scores seem to be in jobs that rely more heavily on soft skills.