3-2-1-College: The Countdown Has Begun
The final countdown to college has begun for your seniors. As the new school year gets underway, check out the College Countdown MS (www.collegecountdownms.com) website to find resources to help your students get ready for education beyond high school. Visit the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid (www.mississippi.edu/financialaid) website to learn more about state financial aid.
- Apply for admission. Now is the time for students to complete those college applications. Encourage students to apply to more than one college to ensure the right fit and match. Research shows that increasing college applications from one to three increases the chance for college enrollment by 50%. Visit www.collegecountdownms.com to learn more about College Application Days. October is College Application Month in Mississippi.
- Apply for financial aid. Encourage all students (rich or poor, A-student or C-student) to complete both the FAFSA (www.fafsa.gov) and the State Aid Application (www.mississippi.edu/financialaid) to ensure that students have applied for all student aid they might be eligible for. Both the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and the State Aid Application will be available on October 1. While there is no deadline for completing the FAFSA, some schools have a FAFSA priority deadline for consideration of institutional aid. Some private scholarships and state aid (the HELP Scholarship) also use the results of the FAFSA and have early deadlines. As a reminder, the HELP Scholarship awards up to full tuition to MS residents with at least a 20 ACT and 2.5 GPA who have completed the HELP Core Curriculum and meet certain income qualifications. Learn more about HELP (www.mississippi.edu/help). The online application deadline for HELP is March 31, 2018. The deadline for supporting documents for HELP is April 30, 2018. The online application deadline for MTAG and MESG is September 15, 2018. Visit www.collegecountdownms.com to learn more about FAFSA Days. Visit www.mississippi.edu/financialaid to learn more about state aid and HELP.
- Celebrate success. Society frequently celebrates the success of high school athletes during signing days. Celebrate the academic success of your students by hosting a college signing event to recognize the achievements of students as they commit to the college of their choice. Visit www.collegecountdownms.com to learn more about Signing Days.
College!
College Countdown MS Mississippi Department of Education Webinar
All Mississippi high schools are invited to participate in College Countdown MS. An informational webinar will be offered on September 5 at 3:30 p.m. The registration link is: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3934002411370420483
College Countdown MS High School Registration
Please also register your school for College Countdown MS events by September 25 at
www.surveymonkey.com/r/collegecountdownms.
If you would like additional information or training for your school/district, please contact Heather Morrison at (601) 432-6626 or hmorrision@mississippi.edu.