USM to Offer New Dual Enrollment Scholarships for Students
Tue, 04/25/2023 - 12:22pm | By: Gabriela Shinskie
By taking advantage of new and increased dual enrollment scholarship funds, incoming students at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) can get a significant jump on their college careers.
Dual enrollment is defined as a student who is currently enrolled in high school and is taking collegiate courses. Regardless of academic level, graduating high school seniors accepted and entering USM in the upcoming fall semester with dual enrollment are considered freshmen.
Dr. Randall Langston, Senior Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, said USM is committed to assisting students in lowering incurred debt due to their college enrollment.
“We are excited to offer these new scholarships for freshmen dual enrolled students,” said Langston.
USM offers scholarships for designated students who display academic achievement at a college level before their first semester at the university. These awards can also be combined with other freshmen scholarships offered.
“These scholarships are specifically designed to assist high achieving dual enrolled students realize their opportunity to attend Southern Miss at a much lower cost of attendance as well as shorten the time required to complete a bachelor's degree,” said Langston. “Further, these scholarships are “stackable” which means that students are permitted to combine this award with others received.”
The new eligible scholarships are as follows:
- Incoming Freshmen Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship
- $12,000 total ($3,000 for 4 years)
- Students need to apply in the GO System for this scholarship.
- Graduating high school senior from December 2022 or May 2023
- Current members with a transfer cumulative GP of 3.5 or higher
- Final college transcript should be submitted by June 15 to the Office of Admissions.
- Applications should be completed by July 1 in the GO System. Please upload proof of membership to the online application.
- Incoming Freshmen Associate Achievement Scholarship
- $12,000 total ($3,000 for 4 years)
- Immediate consideration determined through final college transcript. Please submit to the Office of Admissions before the published deadline.
- Graduating high school senior from December 2022 or May 2023
- Earned associate’s degree with a transfer cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Final college transcript should be submitted by June 15 to the Office of Admissions verifying degree completion.
- Applications should be completed by July 1.
Students need to maintain a 2.5 USM cumulative GPA to keep their scholarships. An advisor or authorized state organization can submit documentation of organized status.
According to the Department of Education, from the recent College in High School Alliance publication, about 88 percent of high schools offer dual enrollment with about 34 percent of students taking these courses.
Danetta Winters, Director of Undergraduate Scholarships, emphasizes the importance of supporting the growing partnership between high schools and Mississippi community colleges to enhance college completion rates which directly impacts the local, growing economy. In the state of Mississippi, dual enrollment supports graduation rates. Once at the collegiate level, students can have the opportunity for a smoother transition to a college environment.
“Southern Miss has a high population of first-generation and Pell-eligible students. For the 2022 academic year, we had 439 incoming freshmen students enroll with dual enrolled credits; 47% were Pell-eligible, 21% were first-generation, and 14% were both first-generation and Pell-eligible,” said Winters. “These dual enrollment opportunities not only support all dual-enrolled students but will also support retention initiatives for our most underserved populations. We believe that dual enrollment allows us to support student initiatives, the local community, and the state further holistically.”
To learn more about dual enrollment student opportunities, please visit the Undergraduate Scholarships website.