Nonprofit Mississippi News Ainsley Ash was almost fortunate to have received the grant that made it possible for her to go to Ole Miss. She was not told she would be eligible for the only state-based financial aid for students with limited need. It didn’t even exist. It was just something I found on the (student financial assistance) website. When I saw that I could qualify, it was a moment I was thrilled. She recalls thinking, “I have a single mother, of course I would.” Ash, a honors college sophomore majoring in psychology and public policy, recalls that difficult experience. She said that she actually told her counselor, “I’m so thrilled I found this tuition grants and I get it just because I’m low income.”… Now, I’m thinking back and wondering, “Why wasn’t she telling me?” The Office of Student Financial Aid is working to close the information gap for students who may be eligible for the Higher Education Legislative Plan grant. The number of grants granted has increased from 918 in FY 2013, to 2,912 FY 2017. HELP is the only state-based grant that covers tuition costs. Jennifer Rogers, director for student financial aid, said that the growth of HELP grants is only one factor that has brought state aid to a “tipping tip”. “Unfortunately, there hasn’t been an overall strategy to create state aid programs in the State. We have programs that were established 20 years ago and have not been updated in 20 years. Rogers stated that there are programs that have been developed in the past four to five years and that don’t interplay or interact well with programs that were established a long while ago. The legislature has created 25 forgivable loan programs over the past 20-years, often in an effort to attract people into jobs like teaching, which is a job that is currently in shortage. The loan would typically cover part or all tuition for students if they agreed to work in a low-income area for a specified number of years after graduation. However, until recently, it was unknown if these loans were even effective. These loans are also not funded. Five of the 22 state-granted forgivable loans were funded in fiscal 2019. The state administers three major grants, HELP being the only need-based grant and Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant(MESG) being the merit-based grant. Students must have a 3.5 grade point average and a 29 score on the ACT to be eligible for it. Its purpose is to keep Mississippi’s brightest and best in mind. The state’s primary grant is the Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant, which awards the largest amount of grants each year. Some believe this grant is no longer effective due to the fact that the state’s current budget makes it difficult for recipients to receive the grants they need. This is because college costs are so high, many people feel it has lost its effectiveness. Freshmen and sophomores can receive up $500 per academic calendar through MTAG, while juniors and senior students can receive up to $1,000. The University of Mississippi tuition alone costs $8,550.00. Total estimated costs for residents of the state are $19,286.00. Rogers stated that although there are many programs that are funded each fiscal year, the program’s growth has made it impossible to sustain the current budget. Rogers asked nSparc (a Mississippi State University data research center) to create a comprehensive report on the effectiveness of state financial assistance. Three main questions were the focus of the first ever state aid study. These were the main questions: * Are students who are eligible for state aid more likely to succeed in college than those who are not? Yes. * Does the state’s merit based grant increase state enrollment of students who are highly achieving? No. * Will those who are granted forgivable loans to solve shortages stay in the field they chose after they have completed the service agreements? Yes. Rogers and the State Aid Redesign Study Committee (led By Sen. Briggs Hopson, R-Vicksburg), will now decide what to do about these findings. Although the committee met four times since October, they have not reached an agreement on any major changes to state aid. Jim McHale (study committee member) and CEO of Woodward Hines Education Foundation, which assists students in achieving higher learning credentials, praised Rogers and Hopson as they led this review of state aid. “It’s been more than 20 years since the last review of state financial aid. McHale stated that while we are the poorest state in America, students graduate with an average student debt of $29 384 and one of the highest rates of student loan default in the United States. McHale stated that it was crucial to consider state aid reform in the context of workforce development.