Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid reports that while $38 million was awarded to Mississippi non-profit Mississippi News Mississippi, more than half of the state-funded financial assistance went to students. People from low-income households are often denied one of the state’s primary grants, the Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant. This is because Mississippi law forbids students who are eligible for a full Pell grant to also receive MTAG. Jennifer Rogers, Director of Student Financial Aid said that MTAG is not available to the state’s most needy students. Pell grants, federally funded money that is awarded to students who are financially needy for an undergraduate degree, are given to those who apply. Students must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which will determine how much aid they are eligible for. In Mississippi, for example, 42,000 students filled out the FAFSA during academic year 2015-16. They reported that they were from a household with no income. Rogers stated that they are 100% guaranteed to be fully eligible for Pell. The remaining 94,000 were from households earning between $0 to $30,000 per year. These students would likely have been eligible for a full Pell grant. These students made up 66% of the students who completed a FAFSA during academic year 2015-16. These 66 percent are likely to have received federal aid. However, they are not eligible for MTAG. In contrast, 56 percent of state aid for fiscal 2017 was given to students from households earning between $48,001 and $999,999. 37 percent of this went to households making more than $75,000 per year. The 44 percent remaining was allotted to a state grant called the Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students (the HELP Grant). The Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid report says that this is the only state aid grant which “considers financial need a factor in eligibility.” Rogers stated that Mississippi is the poorest state in America and is trying to help its most vulnerable citizens. Rogers also said that half of the funds go to families whose children will most likely be attending college or are most likely to succeed at college. State financial aid recipients’ racial characteristics don’t match the state’s racial composition nor state university student body. 2017 saw African-Americans receive 19% of state aid grants, while whites received 73 percent. U.S. Census data indicates that 37% of Mississippians are African-American. Data from the Institute of Higher Learning also shows that African-Americans make up 37% of Mississippi’s 8 public universities. Another prominent grant is the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant. This grants goes only to students who have attained a 29 percent on the ACT and maintained a 3.5 GPA. It cost $6,395,750 to fund last year. Rogers asked, “Well, where [are those students] coming from]?” They are at a private school. They come from wealthy families. They are in Madison schools and DeSoto County schools. Look at the school list for MESG recipients… 75% of them come from private schools.” Nearly all students who are eligible to receive a full Pell grant are granted it. Rogers stated that the money doesn’t cover the total cost of college. Stephen Brown, of Get2College Mississippi, stated that a full Pell grant covers approximately 75 percent of tuition at public universities. This is according to Brown, who works with students looking for funding. This does not include housing, meals plans or textbooks. According to the financial aid website, tuition for an academic year at the University of Mississippi was $8,190.00. According to its financial aid website, the total cost of an annual year, including books, meals and other expenses, was $24,812.00. The maximum Pell grant a student could get during the academic year 2017-2018 was $5,920 per year. Despite the fact that almost 44 percent state student financial aid was used for HELP in 2017, the amount of HELP grants granted pales in comparison with MTAG. While 22,629 students received MTAG grants, HELP grants were granted to 2,912 students. In 2017, HELP grants accounted for 10% of all state-funded student aid grants. The program has seen significant growth in funding and awards since its application requirements were updated to be compatible with other state grants. To be eligible for the HELP grant, students had to take courses not in line with the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning recommendations. “Some of these courses were not offered by the Mississippi Department of Education anymore. We went to the Legislature to say, “You have to do something.” This curriculum is not working. Rogers stated that they modified the curriculum to align it with the requirements of the Institutes of Higher Learning (College Preparatory Curricula). The HELP application process required applicants to provide documentation of two years of residency and two years family income. This was unlike any other program. Rogers stated that it is very difficult to obtain this type of information for students with low incomes whose families are often unstable. Rogers said, “That’s a huge obstacle.” In 2014 Rogers’ office requested that the Legislature make HELP applications the same as all other programs. According to the State-Supported Student Financing Programs Report 2017, the number awarded HELP grants increased from 918 to 2912, in the fiscal year 2013. “The (HELP program) is very successful, I believe, so I want it to continue. It will be a huge benefit to the state. It only takes some planning as far as funding goes,” stated Jim Turcotte during a board meeting. The Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board is responsible for all state-funded student financial assistance programs. The office of financial aid isn’t new to the conversation about who state aid should serve, and whether it should change. Rogers stated that Rogers had brought the issue up numerous times over many years to the legislature. Rogers stated that although it has been brought up before many task teams, changing [MTAG eligibility criteria] would cost the state $76 million. This is because that’s how many students would be eligible for MTAG if that exclusion was removed. Current legislative guidelines state that any student who is eligible to receive state-funded student aid grants will be granted it. Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid has teamed up with nSPARC (a data research center at Mississippi State University) to create a comprehensive report on state-funded student aid. After the study is complete, stakeholders will be able to discuss comprehensive student financial aid reform with legislators, college presidents, and other stakeholders. Then, recommendations from these discussions will be made to the legislature for 2019. Some people see state aid’s objective as being two-fold. Others believe it should be primarily for the Mississippi poor. Al Rankins, president Alcorn State University, and member of the Postsecondary Board, stated that state financial aid programs serve two purposes. They are meant to help students in need and merit-based programs to retain the best and brightest talents within the state. Sen. David Blount (D-Hinds), said that financial aid should be changed to reflect the need and not the merit of recipients. He said that prioritizing the HELP grant funding is the best way to achieve that in the short-term. Blount stated that in the current budget climate, he doesn’t believe there will be a significant increase in funding. Blount stated that we must prioritize programs with the greatest impact. The HELP program is the best example of this. It is the program that can make a difference in whether students are able to afford college. It should be funded first and cut last.” The Senate and the state House education leaders could not be reached to comment on this story. To support this important work, you can make a regular donation to the Spring Member Drive today. Our reporters give a human face to policy’s impact on everyday Mississippians by listening more closely and understanding their communities. To ensure that our work is aligned with the priorities and needs of Mississippians, we are listening to you. Click the button below to let us know what you think. Republish this Story
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