Graduate Aid & Assistantships

Learn how much you can expect to pay for a graduate education at Ole Miss — and find ways to bring that cost down with scholarships, aid, and other funding.

Two graduate students speaking in a library.

Types of Graduate Financial Aid

An Ole Miss graduate education is many things — including affordable. Scholarships, grants, and assistantships can bring a degree closer than you may think.

Scholarships

If you’re an excellent student, have pushed toward inclusivity, or overcome significant adversity, you may qualify for a scholarship. These awards reduce your tuition and do not need to be repaid.

You may qualify for the following campus scholarships:

  • Advancing STEM Scholarship
  • Elite Scholars Program
  • MBA-Diversity Scholarship
  • McNair Scholars
  • Tuition Scholarships and Nonresident Fee Scholarships

View Our Scholarships

Grants

Like scholarships, you do not need to repay grants and fellowships. While some take financial need into account, others award students who show their potential to advance in their chosen fields.

Review Available Grants

Assistantships

A visible number of Ole Miss graduate students receive teaching and research assistantships. You earn a tuition scholarship and receive funds to cover your living expenses in exchange for serving as a TA, researcher, part-time instructor, or lab assistant.

The following departments and offices open these positions to graduate students:

  • William Magee Center
  • Center for Mathematics & Science Education
  • Department of Writing & Rhetoric
  • Small Business Development Center
  • School of Education
  • Archives & Special Collections — University Libraries

Explore Graduate Assistantships

Loans

To close the gap between the amount of funding you receive and the amount you can afford, consider taking out a loan. You must complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) to qualify for federal student loans.

Learn More About Loans

  • Important Financial Aid & Assistantships Deadlines

    Deadlines count — and to get the most aid possible, make sure you meet them. (You may need to submit multiple applications, each with different due dates.)

    Aid & Assistantships Deadlines
  • Estimate Your Graduate Tuition Before Financial Aid

    Mississippi resident? Out-of-state resident? Part-time student? Online only? Our tuition calculator can tell you the cost of an Ole Miss graduate education before aid.

    Estimate Tuition

Resources and Advising

A student wearing an Ole Miss cap sits outside and looks at a laptop

Apply for Financial Aid

The first step to receiving aid is applying. For the fullest consideration, submit your Ole Miss graduate application and fill out the FAFSA® before the deadline.

A student speaks with an adviser.

Our Financial Aid Team Can Help!

Chances are, you have all the info you need to apply for aid. We’re here to help you sift through your questions as you go through the process. Call or email us today!

Frequently Asked Questions

If a student expects a student loan that has not been awarded, the student should contact the Financial Aid Office (Help Line 800-891-4596). If a student has been awarded a departmental assistantship, they should first contact the academic department awarding the assistantship to verify that the paperwork has been submitted to the Graduate School. Similarly, students who have been awarded a fellowship that has yet to be posted should also contact the Graduate School.
Ole Miss also awards graduate assistants who receive a 0.5-time assistantship appointment (determined as an assistantship of $5,000 or more per semester) for the fall or spring semester and who register for nine hours or more of graduate courses a full tuition scholarship, including a nonresident fee scholarship. Ole Miss awards graduate assistants who receive a 0.25-time appointment (determined as an assistantship of $2,500 per semester) for the fall or spring semester and who register for nine or more hours of graduate courses a 75 percent tuition scholarship and a full nonresident fee scholarship.
For any inquiries about tuition refunds, contact the Graduate School. However, if a tuition scholarship requires a student to be enrolled full-time, then dropping below full-time status triggers a payback of the tuition scholarship.
Ole Miss may apply a financial penalty, depending on the circumstances leading to the breaking of continuous enrollment. Contact the Graduate School for more information.
Yes, graduate assistants pay a small fee each term (in addition to the costs of health insurance if the student does not already have coverage with an equal or superior plan). Ole Miss charges $55 per term — an amount substantially less than what many peer institutions require. The University of Mississippi intentionally keeps the fees low to avoid the sticker shock that can occur when graduate assistants discover a good deal of their monthly stipend must go toward paying fees during the first month of every term.

In order to receive a graduate assistantship, a student must be enrolled full-time in full standing status and must maintain a 3.00 grade-point average. Graduate instructors must have completed 18 previous hours of graduate coursework in the teaching area. Details about our policies related to the administration of graduate assistantships can be found on the Graduate School website.

Learn More

Yes, Ole Miss requires graduate assistants with appointments of 0.25 time or higher to participate in a health insurance program. Automatic enrollment and payroll deduction of premiums begin each fall and spring term. The university subsidizes all premiums.

Ole Miss also offers insurance on a voluntary basis to full-time students who are not on an assistantship. Students interested in the voluntary plan should contact the VB Harrison Student Health Center for more information or visit Wellfleet Student to view plan details and enroll. Please note: voluntarily enrolled students must pay premiums directly to Wellfleet. Ole Miss does not subsidize premiums for voluntary plans.

Student Health Center  Wellfleet Student

Yes, the Graduate School provides funding to support graduate students when traveling to present at professional meetings. These funds generally require a match from the academic department.

The University of Mississippi
Office of the Graduate School
P.O. Box 1848
University, MS 38677-1848

If you are using a courier service such as UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc., please send to:

The University of Mississippi
Office of the Graduate School
54 Galtney-Lott Plaza
University, MS 38677