Student financial aid could be cut

Student financial aid could be cut

Recipients of state scholarships could see their aid packages trimmed unless the Mississippi Legislature puts more money into financial aid.

That includes the more than 20,000 students who receive the Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant, annual scholarships of $500 or $1,000 awarded to full-time students with a minimum 2.5 grade-point average.

Gov. Phil Bryant proposed holding the amount the state puts into student aid level at $26.9 million. But Higher Education Commissioner Hank Bounds told lawmakers last week that won’t be enough to cover the costs of all the scholarships mandated by the Legislature.

Clarion Ledger
1/7/12