Criteria
The State Rep. Bill Kinkade Fostering Access and Inspiring True Hope (FAITH) Scholarship was created by the 2022 Legislature to provide full COA scholarships to students who have interacted with the state’s foster care system. The Scholarship awards up to full COA after all other grant aid has been applied. To qualify, the student must have a FAFSA on file and self-identifies as a foster youth on the MAAPP, which sends a notice to the Dept. of Child Protection Services or one of three Qualifies Residential Living Facilities requesting certification of eligibility.
First-Time Applicants must:
Be a legal resident of the State of Mississippi.
Enroll at least part-time (minimum of 6 hours unless excepted by the institution) at an eligible Mississippi postsecondary institution and pursue an undergraduate certificate or degree within the allowable time period.
Be younger than 25 by October 1 of the aid year for which the applicant is applying. Proof of this application will be automatically supplied by CPS.
*If the applicant was on active-duty status in the U.S. Armed Forces for any time before the applicant reached age 25, the number of months served on active-duty status will be rounded up to the next higher year to determine the maximum extension of age eligibility allowed.
First-Time Applicants must meet one of the following criterias:
Have been placed in the legal custody of the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services by a youth court or through other legal means and who was in the legal custody of the department at any time on or after attaining thirteen (13) years of age.
Have lived in a qualified residential childcare agency (Mississippi Baptist Children's Village, Sunnybrook Children's Home, or Berean Children's Home) at any time since age 13. A qualified residential childcare facility is an entity that provides a home for children and was licensed by the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services at the time the applicant was housed by the agency.
Have been adopted from the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services' legal custody or adopted while residing at a qualified residential childcare facility at any time on or after attaining thirteen (13) years of age.
Renewal Applicants must:
Continue to be a legal resident of the State of Mississippi.
Make satisfactory academic progress toward a certificate or degree with a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.
Enroll at least part-time (minimum 6 hours) at an approved postsecondary institution in Mississippi in a program of study leading to an undergraduate certificate or degree.
Documentation Needed
First-Time Applicants:
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Complete the Mississippi Aid Application (MAAPP) by September 15 during the fall of the aid year for which the student is seeking aid.
Apply through CPS for an Educational and Training Voucher (ETV) if eligible to apply. Proof of this application will be automatically supplied by CPS.
Renewal Applicants:
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Complete the Mississippi Aid Application (MAAPP) by September 15 during the fall of the aid year for which the student is seeking aid.
Apply through CPS for an Educational and Training Voucher (ETV) if eligible to apply. Proof of this application will be automatically supplied by CPS.
Be younger than 30 by October 1 of the aid year for which the applicant is applying.*
*If the applicant was on active-duty status in the U.S. Armed Forces for any time before the applicant reached age 25, the number of months served on active-duty status will be rounded up to the next higher year to determine the maximum extension of age eligibility allowed.
Award
The annual award is equal to the student’s total Cost of Attendance (COA) less all other grant aid.
FAITH Scholarships will be paid for no more than one hundred forty-four (144) credit hours at Mississippi State University.
(Note: No student may receive undergraduate grant aid through more than one state-supported undergraduate grant program in the same term of enrollment. If a student is eligible for aid through multiple grant programs, the student shall be awarded from the program that awards the larger sum.)
To apply or learn more click the link to the FAITH program webpage: www.msfinancialaid.org/faith
