Admissions Requirements

In Mississippi, all eight universities have the same common admission policy.

Follow this link to view Board Policy Section 600 in its entirety.

A student 21 years of age or over who does not meet admission requirements as defined under Board Policy Section 601 Admission Standards et seq, may apply for admission as a nondegree-seeking student. Admission may be granted for such programs or courses as he or she may be prepared to enter. Degree-seeking student status may be achieved by completing a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours with a “C” average or over (those twelve hours will count toward an academic degree) or by meeting admission standards as set forth under Section 601 Admission Standards et seq.

Applicants under age 21 who have not graduated from a regionally accredited high school must submit qualifying scores on the General Education Development Test (GED) or be home-schooled. Submission of scores on the ACT or SAT is strongly encouraged. Home-schooled students must present portfolios which summarize their educational experiences and other applicants must submit transcripts reflecting academic performance in courses taken.

Any transfer student who was not eligible for regular admission and who has not successfully completed the Summer Developmental Program must attend an accredited institution of higher learning other than those under the governance of the Board of Trustees and must attain a "C" average (2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale) in the following 24 transferable semester credit hours to be eligible to transfer to an IHL institution:

• 6 semester hours English Composition
• 3 semester hours College Algebra or above
• 6 semester hours Laboratory Science
• 9 semester hours Transferable Electives

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS (THE FOLLOWING DEFINITIONS ARE APPLIED AS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW IN THE CLASSIFICATION OF STUDENTS AS RESIDENTS OR NONRESIDENTS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF FEES)

No student may be admitted to any community/junior college or institution of higher learning as a resident of Mississippi unless his/her residence, as defined below, has been in the state of Mississippi for a continuous period of at least 12 months immediately preceding his/her admission.

The legal residence of a person 21 years of age or over is the place where s/he is domiciled, that is, the place where s/he actually physically resides with the intention of remaining there indefinitely or of returning there permanently when temporarily absent.

Members of the United States Armed Forces on extended active duty and stationed within the state of Mississippi may be classified as residents, without regard to the residence requirement of 12 months, for the purpose of attendance at state-supported institutions of higher learning and community/junior colleges of the state of Mississippi. This status terminates upon their reassignment for duty in the continental United States outside the state of Mississippi.

The legal residence of a person less than 21 years of age is that of the father, the mother or a general guardian duly appointed by a proper court in Mississippi. If a court has granted custody of the minor to one parent, the residence of the minor is that of the parent who has granted custody by the court. If both parents are dead, the residence of the minor is that of the last surviving parent at the time of that parent’s death, unless the minor lives with a general guardian duly appointed by a proper court of Mississippi, in which case his/her residence becomes that of the guardian.