Do you want to pursue a degree program that is not available in your state? Have you
found a degree program at an institution that is located outside your home state,
but out-of-state tuition is a hindrance? If so, Academic Common Market could be for
you.
The SREB Academic Common Market has enabled students to pursue out-of-state college degrees
at discounted tuition rates, through agreements among the states and colleges and
universities.
The Academic Common Market (ACM) is a tuition scholarship program allowing residents
of a participating state to pursue specific academic degree programs not offered in
their home states without having to pay non-resident tuition charges. The Southern
Regional Education Board (SREB) coordinates the ACM program for the sixteen participating
states, which include Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia and West Virginia.
To be eligible for the Academic Common Market, the student must be a legal resident
of that state and be approved for an academic program that has already been approved
for ACM. Both Undergraduate and Graduate students may be eligible to apply.
Search from more than 1,900 undergraduate and graduate degree programs available in
the 16 SREB states. It's quick and easy. For more information on Academic Common
Market, visit SREB.ORG.
To qualify you must:
To be eligible for the ACM non-resident out-of-state fee waiver, certification letters
for the student from the ACM state coordinator must be submitted and approved by The
University of Southern Mississippi by the first day of classes of the term in which
the student enrolls. Questions regarding submission or deadlines should be directed
to 601-266-4774.
- Be a resident of one of the 16 SREB states.
- Select a program eligible for residents of your home state.
- Complete the admission process at the institution offering the eligible Academic Common
Market program.
- Be certified as a resident of your home state by contacting the ACM coordinator for
your state of residence.
To retain your ACM waiver, you must:
The ACM Non-resident Tuition Remission is 100 percent and will remain at the 100 percent
level as long as the student meets the following criteria.
- The student must remain a legal resident of the state from which the student received
ACM certification.
- The student must remain in the approved academic degree program which the student
was certified. If a student changes his or her academic degree program (major) from
the approved ACM academic degree program, then the student must inform the financial
aid office of said change. Effective the date of the major change, the student will
be responsible for the non-resident tuition which will be pro-rated for the current
semester and for any remaining semesters at USM and will no longer be eligible for
the ACM non-resident tuition waiver.
- The student must remain enrolled as a full-time student each semester. For undergraduates,
the minimum requirement is 12 semester hours for the fall and spring semesters. For
graduate students, the minimum requirement is 9 hours for the fall and spring semesters.
- The student must remain in academic good standing and comply with all the requirements
of the approved academic program (requirements may be program specific) for which
the student was certified for ACM. To be in good standing the student must be making
satisfactory academic progress towards the academic degree program, such as taking
the appropriate courses as approved by the academic advisor each semester. The student
must also maintain the appropriate GPA (2.0 GPA for undergraduates and 3.0 GPA for
graduates). Progress and course requirements will be determined by the financial aid
office at the end of each semester to determine eligibility for the next term.
- If a student remains out of school from USM for one calendar year or more, then the
student must obtain recertification from their ACM state coordinator. Continuance
in the ACM program after a one year absence is not automatic.
At the end of each semester grades will be checked and you must:
- Be in academic good standing with a USM overall GPA of 2.00 (undergraduate) or a USM
overall GPA of 3.00 (graduate).
- Comply with all the requirements of the approved academic program (requirements may
be program specific and require a higher GPA) for which you were certified for ACM.
- If at the end of the semester you do not have the required GPA, you will be placed
on ACM probation. Students will have one term to raise their overall GPA to the required
minimum.
- If at the end of the ACM probation semester you do not have the required overall GPA,
you will no longer be eligible for the ACM non-resident tuition remission until you
are back in academic good standing.
- There is only one ACM probation semester for ACM recipients for which the tuition
remission will be covered.
Questions concerning ACM for USM should be directed to Financial Aid at 601-266-4774.