Current through September 24, 2024
These Rules and Regulations are subject to change by the
Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board (Postsecondary
Board).
I.
GENERAL
ELIGIBILITY
Only first-time entering freshmen are eligible for the
Nissan scholarship.
II.
INITIAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
A student is eligible to be selected as a Nissan scholar if
he or she:
A. Is a legal resident of
the State of Mississippi;
B. Will
be graduating from a Mississippi high school;
C. Will be enrolling as a full-time student
at a public two-year college or four-year university in Mississippi;
D. Has a high school grade point average of
2.5 or higher on a 4.0 grading scale and a minimum score of 20 on the national
ACT. In lieu of ACT scores, students may submit equivalent SAT scores according
to the official ACT/SAT concordance tables in publication at the time of the
test in question;
E. Submits an
essay which demonstrates a desire to incorporate their career goal to support
the automotive industry;
F.
Demonstrates financial need as determined by the Mississippi Office of Student
of Financial Aid; and
G.
Demonstrates leadership abilities through extracurricular participation in 3 or
more activities during the 9 th - 12
th grades as outlined in the student's resume and
transcript.
III.
NUMBER AND AMOUNT OF AWARDS
A.
The Nissan Scholarship Selection Committee will determine the number of Nissan
scholarships to be awarded annually.
B. Each scholarship will be in an amount that
pays full tuition (and required fees) and a book allowance to be determined by
the Nissan Scholarship Selection Committee, contingent upon the availability of
funds.
IV.
DISBURSEMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP
A.
The college or university shall certify that the student has met the general
requirements for initial student eligibility and continuing eligibility.
B. For each scholar who meets the
requirements for initial eligibility under Section 2 and continuing eligibility
under Section 10, the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid shall
disburse one-half of the annual award for each semester (one-fourth for a
quarter or one-third for each trimester) to the educational institution with
each scholar designated as the recipient of a specified amount.
C. Funds will be mailed directly to the
institution, to be applied first to tuition.
V.
SCHOLARSHIP LENGTH
A. The length of the scholarship will vary
depending upon the certificate or degree the student pursues.
B. This scholarship will provide support for
up to a maximum of four years of undergraduate work at a public four-year
university (up to a maximum of two years of undergraduate work at a public
four-year university if the scholar first completes two years of undergraduate
work at a public two-year college).
C. This scholarship will provide support for
up to a maximum of two years of undergraduate work at a public two-year
college.
VI.
SELECTION PROCESS
A. Upon
recommendation by the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid, the Nissan
Scholarship Selection Committee will determine the number of Nissan
scholarships to be awarded annually.
B. There will be a Nissan Scholarship
Selection Committee appointed each year. The committee shall consist of the
following seven members: one member from Nissan North America, Inc. who will
review and approve the list of recipients, two educator representatives
appointed by the Mississippi Community College Board from within all community
and junior college faculties, two educator representatives appointed by the
Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning from within the
university faculties, one representative from the Office of Academic Affairs of
the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the Director
of Mississippi Student Financial Aid who shall act as coordinator of the
selection committee.
C. Selection
of scholarship recipients will be based on the following criteria and scoring
percentages:
1. Academic achievement (50%)
2. Extracurricular
activities/work/leadership/community involvement (15%)
3. Quality of applicant's signed maximum
200-word essay described in Section 7 below (15%); and
4. Demonstrated financial need (20%)
D. If the selection
committee must select recipients from applicants with similarly scored
applications, selection preference should go to applicant(s) from the Hinds,
Madison, Rankin tri-county area.
VII.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Submission of the following on or before the deadline will
constitute a "COMPLETE" application:
A. Online application
B. Resume
C. Two documents verifying Mississippi
residency
D. Completed needs
analysis form (Free Application for Federal Student Aid ? FAFSA)
E. High school transcript showing national
ACT score and seven semester grades (through December). The GPA must be
calculated on a 4.0 scale. Also, send a college transcript, if taking advanced
placement courses.
F. Signed
maximum 200-word essay describing the applicant's plans for the future and
reasons for choosing his/her particular field of study as it relates to the
automotive industry.
VIII.
APPLICATIONS
The application will be available October 1 each year on the
Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid's website at
www.mississippi.edu/financialaid [File Link Not Available] or you may contact:
Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid
3825 Ridgewood Road
Jackson, MS 39211-6453
1-800-327-2980 or (601) 432-6997
IX.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Complete applications must be received in the office of
Mississippi Student Financial Aid by March 1 each year.
X.
CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY
CRITERIA
A Nissan scholar is eligible to continue on the program if
he or she:
A. Attains a cumulative
grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale at the end of each semester or
quarter or trimester.
1. The award may be
renewed upon certification by the eligible institutions that the recipient
meets the necessary qualifications.
2. If any recipient transfers from one
college or university to another, his or her award will be transferable,
provided that he or she is otherwise eligible for the award;
B. Demonstrates satisfactory
academic progress toward the completion of a degree including continuous
full-time enrollment; and
C.
Maintains good standing at the college or university.
XI.
CONSEQUENCES OF A SCHOLAR'S
FAILURE TO MEET THE CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
A. If a scholar loses eligibility due to
having less than the required cumulative grade point average, the scholar shall
receive no subsequent awards until the student regains eligibility. The scholar
will regain eligibility when the cumulative grade point average is improved to
the required minimum for the program.
B. If a scholar fails to maintain continuous
enrollment, he/she may submit a request for "exception for cause" to the
Coordinator of the Nissan Scholarship Selection Committee. If the request is
denied, the scholar shall receive no subsequent awards.
C. A scholar, who receives an award for a
period for which the Coordinator of the Nissan Scholarship Selection Committee
subsequently determines the scholar was ineligible under the requirements in
Section 10, shall, at the discretion of the Selection Committee, return all or
a portion of the total amount of the scholarship funds received for the period
during which he or she was ineligible.
Miss. Code Ann. §
37-106-11.
