A Southaven parent has published a free two-page reference sheet on Mississippi state financial aid, built for high school counselors to print and hand out to students and families.
The Mississippi Aid Application (MAAPP) opens Oct. 1, for the 2027–28 school year. The sheet covers all six state aid programs — HELP, MTAG, MESG, FAITH, the Nissan Scholarship and the new UPSKILL grant — with each program’s application and supporting-document deadlines, the HELP average AGI limits, the 18-unit HELP curriculum requirement, the 12-hour full-time enrollment rule, and a month-by-month counselor calendar.
Two dates on the sheet sit with counselors rather than families: the HELP application closes March 31, 2027, and the counselor-certified HELP curriculum is due April 30, 2027. Students must apply for HELP within one year of high school graduation, so a senior who misses the window has no later opportunity.
The sheet is free to download and requires no login, no email address and no student information. Counselors and district staff may print it in bulk, post it to a school or district website, or include it in a newsletter without permission or attribution.
Download the College Ready Parent Mississippi Cheat Sheet here.
CollegeReadyParent-Mississippi-Cheat-Sheet (2)
It was created by Leo Di Milo, a parent in Southaven, after going through the state aid process with his own child.
For more information, contact Leo Di Milo at leo@collegereadyparent.org or 901-355-1187.