Financial Aid and Scholarships for the Winter Session

December 15, 2025 - January 10, 2026

Classes will not meet on December 25 and January 1

For a full listing of important dates, please see the Academic Calendar

Any hours taken during the winter session are counted as part of your overall spring semester hours. However, the winter session is billed separately from the spring semester. Winter session tuition is charged on a per-credit-hour basis in addition to regular spring tuition. 

To review the per credit hour rates for the winter session, please visit the Office of the Controller and Treasurer's website - Click Here

Students will begin to see winter session charges when December 15th billing statements go out. Payment for all winter session and spring charges are due on January 1. 

Financial aid and scholarships will be disbursed for the winter session and spring semester during the disbursement period for the spring semester. Please view the Financial Aid calendar to review the disbursement period - Click Here

For the winter session 2025, students must complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA to be considered for federal student aid.

For financial aid purposes, the winter session will be merged with the regular spring semester. Therefore, winter session credit hours will be combined with the spring term credit hours for financial aid awarding.

Winter session students who are also enrolled in 12 or more credit hours for the spring term may not have additional federal financial aid available for the winter session. 

Students who are enrolled in the winter session only may be eligible for federal financial aid if they apply and meet all other eligibility requirements, including taking the minimum number of credit hours. 

Enrollment for the winter session and the spring semester combine to determine a student's Pell Grant eligibility.

If a student is enrolled in only the winter session, those hours will be used to determine the Pell Grant award.

Students who drop a winter session class will not receive Pell Grant for that class.

Students who receive an "F" grade for a winter session class they completed and have attended the class until the end of the winter session can receive Pell Grant for that class. 

Students who receive an "F" grade for a winter session class that they never attended or stopped attending cannot receive Pell Grant for that class. These students may owe a balance to the university if they are not enrolled in 12 or more credit hours by the Pell Census Date.

Student enrollment for the combined winter session and spring semester and for the winter session only will be rechecked on the Pell Census Date. The final Pell Grant award will be based on the combined enrolled checked hours for the winter and spring semesters, but we will exclude any withdrawn hours for the winter session or any "F" grades for the winter session where the student stopped attending. 
 

Students who drop a winter session class and receive a "W" grade because they never attended or stopped attending a class during the winter session will not receive federal grants for that class. These students may owe a balance to the university if the federal grant is reduced.

Students who drop a winter session class and receive a "W" grade will not receive loans for that class.

Students who receive an "F" grade for a winter session class they completed and have attended the class until the end of the winter session can receive Pell Grant for that class. 

Students who receive an "F" grade for a winter session class that they never attended or stopped attending cannot receive federal grants for that class. These students may owe a balance to the university if they are not enrolled in 12 or more credit hours by the Pell Census Date.

State of Mississippi financial aid is not available to students enrolled only for winter session. However, a student’s credit hours for winter session will be combined with their spring semester credit hours to determine eligibility for state aid. If a student withdraws from a winter session class, those hours will not count towards the required 12 credit hours.

Winter session students who are also enrolled in 12 or more credit hours for the spring semester will have incurred the full amount of their scholarships during the spring semester. Scholarships will not be adjusted for the additional winter session charges.

If a student is enrolled for the winter session only, they cannot receive scholarships for the winter session.

No. A semester of scholarship eligibility cannot be moved to the winter session since it is part of the overall spring semester.

Yes. A student may combine the winter session with the spring semester credit hours to reach the required minimum of 12 hours.