Alcorn State University Scholarships (2026–2027)

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Last Updated on August 2, 2026
What This Page Covers:
  • Tuition, housing, and average family net price
  • Automatic merit ranges and qualifier benchmarks
  • Flagship and hidden-gem awards
  • Honors and stacking strategy

📊 Admissions Snapshot

  • Acceptance Rate: ~25%
  • Middle 50% ACT: 17
  • Middle 50% SAT: 920
  • Average GPA: 3.0

Here is the thing most families miss about Alcorn State: it charges the exact same tuition to every undergraduate, whether you live in Port Gibson or Portland. There is no out-of-state surcharge. At most public universities a non-resident pays $10,000 to $20,000 more per year than a neighbor with an in-state driver’s license. At Alcorn, both families get the same bill.

The second thing worth knowing is where the merit money actually starts. Alcorn’s typical admitted student lands around a 17 on the ACT, but the automatic scholarship ladder does not begin until a 22. That gap is the whole story of this page. A student with a 24 or a 28 is not just a little above average here, they are well outside the normal range, and Alcorn pays accordingly. This is a school where a few extra ACT points translate directly into thousands of dollars a year.

Comparing multiple schools? Try the Scholarship Tool to search by GPA, test scores, and state →

📌 Alcorn State University at a Glance

🏆 Full tuition available (President's Excellence)
Average Net Price
$13,155/year (in-state estimate)
Average paid for residents.
Automatic Merit
$5,000–$18,000/yr
No separate application.
Scholarships Tracked
12 opportunities
3 automatic · 9 hidden gem
Typical Qualifiers
GPA 3+; ACT 22+ / SAT 1100+
Benchmarks for top-tier awards.
Testing Policy
Test-required
No superscore.
Key Deadlines
Priority: Apr 1 • FAFSA: TBD
Full-Tuition / Full-Ride
President's Excellence
Honors College
Honors Program Available
Residency & Waivers
ACM
🚨 Easy-to-Miss “Gotchas” at Alcorn State (Read This First)

  • A Pell Grant does not add to your scholarship. It replaces part of it. This is the single most misunderstood rule at Alcorn. If your student earns the $18,000 President’s Excellence award and also qualifies for $3,000 in Pell, the university reduces the scholarship to $15,000. The total stays $18,000. Alcorn publishes this example on its own scholarship page.
  • April 1 is a wall, not a suggestion. Your application has to be on file by April 1 of the year you plan to enroll or the academic scholarship simply is not awarded. There is no late window.
  • You get one academic scholarship, not three. President’s Excellence, Provost Scholar, and University Scholar are tiers of the same ladder. Your student receives the single one they qualify for.
  • No superscoring. Alcorn uses your best single ACT composite as reported. Mixing your best math from one date with your best English from another does not work here.
  • You can get admitted without a test score, but you cannot get merit money without one. Alcorn has an admissions path for a 3.2 GPA with no ACT. That path leads to zero automatic scholarship dollars.
  • Moving off campus can shrink your award. Alcorn’s financial aid office lists “no longer living on campus” as a reason scholarships get reduced, because the room and board portion comes off. Check before you sign a lease.

FAQ

Is this college test-optional? No — Alcorn State University is test-required.

What is the middle 50% ACT/SAT? ACT: 17; SAT: 920.

Average net price? About $13,155/year after aid.

Does this school use waivers/reciprocity? Yes — participates in ACM.

Sources:
Alcorn State University Office of Admissions and Recruiting - Scholarship Requirements: https://www.alcorn.edu/admissions/scholarship-requirements/
NRCS Scholars Scholarship Program page: https://www.alcorn.edu/academics/schools-and-departments/caas/nrcs-scholarship-program/
CAAS Scholarship Program page: https://www.alcorn.edu/academics/schools-and-departments/caas/saas-scholar/
Corporate Scholars Programs page: https://www.alcorn.edu/academics/university-college/corporate-scholars-programs/
ASU Foundation Scholarship Phase I page: https://www.alcorn.edu/giving-back/scholarships-phase-i/
Band and Fine Arts scholarship page: https://www.alcorn.edu/academics/undergraduate-studies/fine-arts
ASU Foundation Scholarship Phase II page: https://www.alcorn.edu/giving-back/scholarships-phase-ii/
CollegeScorecard / Admissions: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/

💰 Cost of Attendance at Alcorn State University 2026-2027

📅 2027–2028 Planning Note: The costs below reflect the most recently published figures (2026–2027). Universities typically finalize the next year’s rates in the spring, and we’ll update this page once official 2027–2028 numbers are released.

Planning tip: At large public universities, tuition, fees, and housing usually increase modestly each year (often in the 2–5% range). For early budgeting, families may want to plan for roughly $1,000–$1,500 more in-state or $2,000–$3,000 more out-of-state in total direct costs once new rates are published.

Category (2026–2027) In-State Out-of-State
Tuition & Mandatory Fees (2 semesters) $8,785 $8,785
Housing & Meals (typical) $10,310 $10,310
Total (Direct Costs) $19,095 $19,095

Average Federal Net Price: $13,155 — this is what families actually paid after grants and scholarships (no loans), based on the most recent federal data. Your specific cost could be significantly lower or higher depending on your financial aid eligibility and merit scholarships. New to Net Price & SAI? Read our guide.

📌 Regional Tuition & Waiver Options

Alcorn charges every undergraduate the same tuition rate, whether you live in Mississippi or not. There is no non-resident surcharge to waive, so out-of-state families do not need to chase a tuition waiver here the way they would at most public universities.

Mississippi does participate in the Academic Common Market through SREB, but because Alcorn has no in-state versus out-of-state price gap, ACM certification will not lower your bill at this school. Where it can still matter is if you are comparing Alcorn against other SREB institutions that do charge a non-resident premium.

📌 A note on which year these numbers are:

As of this update, Alcorn’s Bursar’s Office has published tuition rates through 2025–2026 only. The figures above reflect the most recent official rates. Alcorn has historically raised tuition very slowly compared to the national average, so we would expect the 2026–2027 bill to land within a few hundred dollars of what you see here. We will update this page the moment the university posts new rates.

💚 The Out-of-State Story at Alcorn (It Is Different Here)

Look at the two columns above. They are identical. That is not a typo and it is not an error in our data. Alcorn State charges every undergraduate the same tuition rate regardless of where you live.

For a family outside Mississippi, this is worth doing the math on. At a typical public flagship, a non-resident pays somewhere between $25,000 and $40,000 a year in tuition alone. At Alcorn, an out-of-state student pays under $9,000. Add housing and meals and the whole year of direct costs still comes in under $20,000 before a single dollar of scholarship money.

About the Academic Common Market: Mississippi does participate in the ACM through SREB, and you may see it referenced on this page. Be aware that ACM certification will not lower your bill at Alcorn, because there is no non-resident premium to waive in the first place. ACM matters when you are comparing Alcorn against other Southern schools that do charge extra for out-of-state students.

FAQ — Cost of Attendance at Alcorn State University

Does Alcorn State charge out-of-state tuition?
No. Alcorn charges the same undergraduate tuition rate to residents and non-residents alike. A student from Texas, Illinois, or California pays what a student from Vicksburg pays. This is unusual among public universities and it is the biggest financial advantage Alcorn offers to families outside the state.

Why are the in-state and out-of-state columns identical?
Because they genuinely are the same number. Most public universities charge non-residents more to make up for the fact that their families do not pay Mississippi state taxes. Alcorn has chosen not to do that at the undergraduate level.

Is the average net price around $13,155 realistic?
That is the federal average of what families actually paid after grants and scholarships were applied, with no loans counted. Roughly nine out of ten Alcorn students receive some form of financial aid, so most families land well below the published sticker total. A student who qualifies for both Pell and one of the academic scholarship tiers can end up paying very little out of pocket.

Are housing and meal costs the same for every student?
No. Alcorn bills housing and meals together as one per-semester rate, and the rate depends on where your student lives. A traditional residence hall runs noticeably less than the apartment-style Heritage Village complexes, and a single room costs more than a double. Honors housing carries a small premium of its own. The figure above reflects a standard traditional hall.

Why are books and transportation not in this table?
Because Alcorn does not bill you for them. The university invoices tuition, fees, and your housing and meal plan. Books, travel home, and personal spending vary enormously from one student to the next, so we keep them separate. Budget roughly $1,500 to $1,700 a year for books and supplies, and more if your student is flying in from out of state, since Lorman is rural and the nearest airports are a drive away.

Does the price go up each year?
Usually a little. Alcorn’s tuition has climbed more slowly than the national average over the past several years. Plan for modest annual increases in tuition and housing. Your scholarship amount, meanwhile, stays fixed at the awarded dollar figure as long as you meet the renewal GPA, which means the scholarship covers a slightly smaller share of the bill each year.

Is there a payment plan if we cannot pay it all at once?
Yes. Alcorn offers a semester-by-semester payment plan through Banner Online Services, split into four monthly installments with payments due on the 10th of each month once classes start. There is a $35 enrollment fee per semester. Payment plans are not offered during summer terms and you have to clear any prior balance first.

Sources:
https://www.alcorn.edu/offices/finance-and-administration/fiscal-affairs/bursars-office/
https://www.alcorn.edu/students/living-options/housing-meal-rates/
https://www.alcorn.edu/financial-aid/

📅 Alcorn Scholarship Timeline (Simple Version)

  • October 1 (senior year): FAFSA opens and Alcorn’s scholarship application opens the same day. Alcorn’s federal school code is 002396.
  • Fall through early spring: Get the ACT retaken if your student is sitting at a 21, a 23, or a 27. Each of those is one point below a scholarship tier.
  • March 15 to May 15: ASU Foundation Phase I scholarship window, the main donor-funded cycle, through Scholarship Universe.
  • April 1: Hard deadline. Your admission application must be on file by this date or the academic scholarship will not be awarded.
  • Within 15 days of high school graduation: Final transcript due. Miss this and the award is voided even after it was offered.

Parent rule of thumb: at Alcorn the money is decided by a number on a page, not by an essay. Your job is to get the number as high as possible and the paperwork in before April 1.

Automatic Merit Scholarships — Alcorn State University

Alcorn publishes a straightforward grid. Hit the ACT and GPA numbers, get your application in by April 1, and the award follows. There is no separate scholarship essay, no interview, and no committee. Every tier requires a 3.0 high school GPA, and every tier renews for up to eight semesters as long as your student holds a 3.0 cumulative GPA at Alcorn. Alcorn does not superscore the ACT or SAT.
Full TuitionAutomatic
President's Excellence
📅 Deadline: April 1
✓ Renews (3 GPA, 4 yrs)
Full Tuition
Full academic scholarship covering tuition, room and board, a book allowance, and a stipend
✘ Not stackable
🏫 3.0+ GPA✎ ~28 ACT✎ ~1310 SAT
✚
Stacking & Combining
Only one automatic academic scholarship is awarded per student — you cannot stack the President's Excellence with the Provost Scholar or University Scholar. All institutional scholarships combined (including any Pell amount reduction associated with full academic scholarships) cannot exceed the cost of tuition, room, and board. Outside private scholarships can still layer on top of this package.
💡
Strategic Detail
Alcorn's official scholarship requirements page states that the President's Excellence scholarship goes to enrolling first-time freshmen with a composite ACT of 28 or above (or the SAT equivalent, reading and math only) and a 3.0 or better high school cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale at graduation. The award covers up to $18,000 per year and renews across eight semesters as long as the student holds a 3.0 or above cumulative GPA. It is a capped dollar award, not a full ride: there is no separate book allowance or stipend attached. Because $18,000 runs against roughly $19,100 in tuition, fees, housing and meals, it covers close to all direct costs in practice. Important: Alcorn reduces the institutional award dollar for dollar by any Federal Pell Grant eligibility, and their own published example shows a $3,000 Pell award dropping the scholarship to $15,000. Pell does not add on top. FAFSA is required. ACT and SAT are not superscored. The application must be on file by April 1, final transcripts are due within 15 days of high school graduation, and awards depend on available funding.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students who post a 28 or higher ACT composite (or the SAT equivalent) with at least a 3.0 high school GPA. Test prep pays for itself here: moving from a 27 to a 28 is worth $3,000 a year, or $12,000 across four years. Families should go in knowing that Pell eligibility reduces the institutional portion rather than stacking with it, so a Pell-eligible student and a full-pay student generally see the same $18,000 total.
Automatic
Provost Scholar
📅 Deadline: April 1
✓ Renews (3 GPA, 4 yrs)
$15,000/yr
✘ Not stackable
🏫 3.0+ GPA✎ ~24 ACT✎ ~1160 SAT
✚
Stacking & Combining
Only one automatic academic scholarship is awarded per student — the Provost Scholar cannot be combined with the President's Excellence or University Scholar. All institutional scholarships combined cannot exceed the cost of tuition, room, and board. Outside and private scholarships can still layer on top of this award.
💡
Strategic Detail
Alcorn's official scholarship requirements page confirms the Provost Scholar scholarship is awarded to enrolling first-time freshmen with a composite ACT score of 24–27 (or SAT equivalent, reading and math only) and a 3.0 or better high school GPA on a 4.0 scale. The award covers up to $15,000 per year and is renewable for up to eight semesters (four years) provided the student maintains at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Institutional policy states that institutional scholarships, along with any Pell adjustments applied to academic scholarships, cannot exceed the cost of tuition, room, and board; in practice, the institutional portion may be adjusted so total institutional aid stays within the posted maximum. ACT and SAT scores are not superscored; Alcorn uses only the officially reported composite. Application must be on file by April 1.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students who score between a 24 and 27 on the ACT (or the equivalent SAT composite) with a 3.0+ high school GPA are the core recipients here. This is a genuinely strong award for solid students in the mid-ACT range — up to $15,000 per year is real money, and it renews for four years if the 3.0 GPA is maintained.
Automatic
University Scholar
📅 Deadline: April 1
✓ Renews (3 GPA, 4 yrs)
$5,000/yr
✘ Not stackable
🏫 3.0+ GPA✎ ~22 ACT✎ ~1100 SAT
✚
Stacking & Combining
Only one automatic academic scholarship is awarded per student — the University Scholar cannot be combined with the President's Excellence or Provost Scholar. All institutional scholarships combined cannot exceed the cost of tuition, room, and board. Outside and private scholarships can still layer on top of this award.
💡
Strategic Detail
Alcorn's official scholarship requirements page confirms the University Scholar scholarship is awarded to first-time freshmen with an ACT score of 22 or 23 (or SAT equivalent, reading and math only) and a 3.0 or better high school GPA on a 4.0 scale. The award is a flat $5,000 per year and is renewable for up to eight semesters (four years) as long as the student maintains a 3.0 or above cumulative GPA. While the grid does not specify Pell reduction language for this tier, institutional policy still limits the total of all institutional scholarships to the cost of tuition, room, and board. ACT and SAT scores are not superscored; Alcorn uses only the officially reported composite. Application must be on file by April 1.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students who score a 22 or 23 on the ACT (or the SAT equivalent) with at least a 3.0 high school GPA are the typical recipients. At Alcorn's flat tuition rate, $5,000 per year offsets a meaningful chunk of tuition costs, and when paired with Pell and other state aid, families often find the net price extremely manageable.
* GPA/test bands are estimates based on official selectivity and prior cohort profiles. "Who Actually Wins" insights are pulled from external peer-sourced data where students and parents have reported real-world award results. Because colleges can change funding thresholds and deadlines at any time, always verify these details with the institution before finalizing your application strategy.

⚠️ The Pell Grant Rule Every Alcorn Family Needs to Understand

At most colleges, a Pell Grant and a merit scholarship stack. Your student gets both. Alcorn does not work that way.

Alcorn reduces the institutional scholarship dollar for dollar by your Pell eligibility. Here is the university’s own published example, using the President’s Excellence award:

  • Scholarship offered: $18,000
  • Pell eligibility: $3,000
  • Adjusted institutional scholarship: $15,000
  • Total the student actually receives: $18,000

Parent translation: a lower-income family and a higher-income family with the same ACT score walk away with the same $18,000. That is disappointing if you were counting on Pell to close the last mile. It is worth knowing before you build your budget, not after you get the award letter.

Still file the FAFSA. It is required to receive the scholarship at all, and it opens the door to state aid like MTAG and MESG plus work-study, which do not follow this rule.

Note: Your student receives the single highest tier they qualify for. These tiers do not stack with each other. Alcorn also caps total institutional aid at the cost of tuition, room, and board, so band, music, and diversity awards all count against the same ceiling. Outside private scholarships from your church, employer, or community foundation are a different category and can still layer on top.

Automatic Merit — FAQs (Alcorn State University)

When does my student have to apply?
The application must be on file by April 1 of the year they plan to enroll. Alcorn is clear that a late application means no scholarship. Earlier is better because awards also depend on available funding.

Does Alcorn superscore the ACT or SAT?
No. Alcorn uses the officially reported composite from a single test date. If your student scored a 27 in October and a 24 in December, the 27 is what counts, but you cannot combine section scores across dates to manufacture a 28.

Can my student receive more than one of these?
No. Alcorn states plainly that qualified applicants may receive only one of the academic scholarships. President’s Excellence, Provost Scholar, and University Scholar are rungs on a ladder, not building blocks.

Does a Pell Grant add on top of these awards?
No, and this catches families off guard every year. Alcorn reduces the institutional scholarship by the amount of your Pell award. See the callout above for the university’s own worked example.

Is the President’s Excellence a full ride?
Not officially, though it comes close. It is a capped award of up to $18,000 per year. Direct costs at Alcorn run roughly $19,100 for tuition, fees, housing, and meals, so the award covers about 94 percent of the bill your student is charged. It does not include a book allowance or a spending stipend. Budget for books, travel, and personal expenses separately.

What happens if my student’s GPA slips?
Renewal requires a 3.0 cumulative GPA at Alcorn. The award runs for up to eight semesters, which is four years of full-time enrollment. Fall below the line and the scholarship is at risk.

Can my student lose the award for reasons other than grades?
Yes. Alcorn’s financial aid office lists several reasons a scholarship gets reduced, including moving off campus, which removes the room and board portion of the award. Failing to submit a final transcript within 15 days of high school graduation voids the scholarship entirely.

My student has a 21 ACT. Is there anything?
Not from the automatic grid, which starts at a 22. That one point is worth $5,000 a year, or $20,000 across four years, so a retake is almost certainly worth the registration fee. In the meantime, look hard at the Hidden Gems section below, especially the agriculture programs, which set their threshold at a 20.

Sources:
https://www.alcorn.edu/admissions/scholarship-requirements/
https://www.alcorn.edu/admissions/admissions-requirements/
https://www.alcorn.edu/financial-aid/faq/

🏆 Flagship Scholarships (Competitive Scholarships)

Alcorn does not run a competitive flagship scholarship program, and that is genuinely good news.
At most universities, the biggest award requires a separate application, essays, recommendation letters, an interview weekend, and a selection committee that turns down the overwhelming majority of applicants. At Alcorn, the largest institutional award is the one your student qualifies for automatically. There is no finalist competition to lose.

That changes what your student should spend their fall on. Instead of pouring 40 hours into scholarship essays, the highest-return activity at Alcorn is ACT prep and getting the application submitted early. The competitive money that does exist here sits in two places: corporate partner programs like Cargill, Strada, and Takeda, and the federally funded agriculture scholar programs. Both are covered in the Hidden Gems section below, because they are genuinely easy to miss.

✅ Can You Stack Scholarships at Alcorn?

Aid Type Stacks with Academic Merit? Alcorn Parent Translation
The academic tiers (President’s, Provost, University Scholar) No Your student receives one, the highest they qualify for. Alcorn says so in plain language on its scholarship page.
Federal Pell Grant No, it reduces This is the one that surprises people. Pell eligibility is subtracted from the institutional award rather than added to it. Your total does not change.
Band, music, and diversity awards Yes, up to a ceiling These are institutional aid, so they count toward the cap. All institutional scholarships combined cannot exceed tuition, room, and board.
ASU Foundation donor scholarships Yes, up to a ceiling Also institutional. Worth applying for anyway, because most students do not hit the ceiling.
Corporate partner awards (Cargill, Strada, Takeda) Generally yes Externally funded, so they behave more like outside scholarships. Confirm treatment with the Corporate Scholars office.
ROTC Usually yes Alcorn’s Army ROTC package centers on $10,000 in annual room and board, a $1,200 book allowance, and a $420 monthly stipend. Read the award letter carefully for replacement language.
Outside private scholarships Yes Church, employer, civic club, and community foundation awards are not institutional aid. This is where a family can genuinely add dollars rather than shuffle them.
Mississippi state aid (MTAG, MESG, HELP) Yes, for residents Mississippi families should apply separately through the state aid office. Deadlines are independent of Alcorn’s.

The practical takeaway: at Alcorn your ceiling is tuition, room, and board. Once institutional awards reach that number, additional institutional aid stops helping. The way to go past the ceiling is with outside scholarships and state grants, which is exactly where most families stop looking.

This institution does not offer designated Competitive scholarships at this time.

❓ Flagship / Competitive Scholarship FAQs

Is there really no competitive flagship scholarship at Alcorn?
Correct. Alcorn does not operate a named finalist-weekend program the way many larger universities do. The biggest award, President’s Excellence, is granted automatically on stats. Competitive opportunities here run through corporate partners and federally funded agriculture programs instead.

So where is the competitive money?
Three places, all covered in the next section: the Corporate Scholars programs (Cargill, Strada, Takeda), the USDA-funded CAAS and NRCS Scholars programs for agriculture and natural resources majors, and the ASU Foundation’s donor-funded scholarship pool.

Does Alcorn offer a National Merit package?
No. Alcorn is not a National Merit sponsor institution. A National Merit Finalist would still qualify for President’s Excellence on their test score, but there is no additional Alcorn-specific National Merit award layered on top.

Is Alcorn a Stamps Scholars partner?
No. Alcorn is not a current Stamps partner institution.

Can outside scholarships push us past the institutional cap?
Generally yes. The cap Alcorn describes applies to institutional scholarships. Outside private awards are treated differently, though federal rules still prevent total aid from exceeding your full cost of attendance. This is the most reliable way for an Alcorn family to add real dollars.

What should my student work on if there are no essays to write?
Test scores, and then outside scholarships. At Alcorn, an ACT retake has a clearer dollar payoff than almost any essay your student could write. Our Essay Toolkit and Brag Sheet Builder are still worth using for the corporate scholar programs and for outside applications.

Sources:
https://www.alcorn.edu/admissions/scholarship-requirements/
https://www.alcorn.edu/academics/university-college/corporate-scholars-programs/
https://www.alcorn.edu/financial-aid/faq/

🧠 Parent Strategy: Alcorn’s Two Doors

Getting admitted to Alcorn puts your student in line for the automatic academic scholarship. It does not put them in line for anything else. The rest of the money sits behind two separate doors, and neither one opens on its own.

  1. Door one is Scholarship Universe. After admission, log in at alcorn.scholarshipuniverse.com and complete the ASU Foundation application. The main cycle is Phase I, which opens in mid-March and closes May 15. You select up to five donor funds your student qualifies for. A FAFSA is required. Returning students have to reapply every single year.
  2. Door two is a phone call. The Corporate Scholars programs (Cargill, Strada, Takeda) do not publish award amounts or deadlines anywhere on Alcorn’s website. There is no application portal to find. You get in by contacting the Director of Corporate Scholars Programs directly at 601-877-6125. This is the single most overlooked opportunity at Alcorn.

Parent translation: the family that makes one phone call in the fall of senior year is competing against a very small field, because almost nobody calls.

💎 Hidden Gem Scholarships

These awards are not automatic, and most of them stack on top of academic merit up to Alcorn’s institutional ceiling. Several require a separate application, an audition, or a specific major. A few of the biggest ones are funded by the USDA rather than by Alcorn itself, which is why they fly under the radar.

App Required
NRCS Scholars Program
📅 Deadline: April 1 (main cycle); June 13 (second cycle)
✓ Renews (3 GPA, 4 yrs)
$10,000/yr
✔ Stackable
🏫 3.0+ GPA✎ ~20 ACT✎ ~1020 SAT👥 ~Limited; funded via USDA NRCS partnership and subject to annual allocations winners/yr
✚
Stacking & Combining
Awards may coordinate with other institutional and federal support but are intended to cover a substantial share of tuition, housing, and related costs; total aid limited by cost of attendance.
📄
How to Apply
Submit the NRCS Scholars Program application through the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences by the stated deadline, including required essays and documentation.
Selection criteria: Highly competitive; evaluates academic performance, leadership, community service, and commitment to food and agricultural careers.
✎ Essays
💡
Strategic Detail
The NRCS Scholars Scholarship Program offers up to $10,000 per academic year (up to $5,000 per semester) to support food and agricultural science majors, covering tuition, housing, and living expenses; eligibility includes U.S. citizenship, a minimum 3.0 GPA, and at least a 20 ACT or roughly 1020–1050 SAT, plus leadership and community service.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Strong CAAS majors in agriculture and natural resources fields with solid GPAs, qualifying test scores, leadership, and interest in USDA-related careers.
App Required
CAAS Scholars Program
📅 Deadline: April 1 (typical CAAS scholarship deadline for high school applicants)
✓ Renews (3 GPA, 4 yrs)
$10,000/yr
✔ Stackable
🏫 3.0+ GPA✎ ~20 ACT✎ ~1020 SAT👥 ~Limited; funded through USDA/NIFA grants and CAAS allocations winners/yr
✚
Stacking & Combining
Can coordinate with other aid but may be structured to cover major portions of tuition, housing, and living costs; total aid cannot exceed cost of attendance.
📄
How to Apply
Complete the CAAS Scholars Scholarship Program application for the 2025–2026 year through the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences and submit all required materials by the posted deadline.
Selection criteria: Highly competitive selection emphasizing academic achievement, leadership, community service, and commitment to agriculture and related fields.
✎ Essays
💡
Strategic Detail
The CAAS Scholars (sometimes referenced as CAAS or SAAS scholars) program provides up to $10,000 per academic year (up to $5,000 per semester) toward tuition, housing, and living expenses for selected students pursuing agriculture and related majors; eligibility requires U.S. citizenship, a minimum 3.0 GPA, and at least a 20 ACT or equivalent SAT, plus evidence of leadership and community service.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: High-achieving CAAS majors with leadership and community service who submit strong applications and meet GPA and test score thresholds.
App Required⚠ All Undergrad Only
Strada HBCU Scholars
📅 Deadline: January–February (varies by year)
✓ Renews
$7,000/yr
✔ Stackable
👥 ~Cohort-based; limited number of scholars selected each year winners/yr🎓 All Undergrad
✚
Stacking & Combining
Supports tuition and related costs in addition to providing leadership development and internship opportunities; can stack with institutional aid up to cost of attendance.
📄
How to Apply
Apply through Alcorn’s Corporate Scholars or Scholarship Universe portal for Strada HBCU Scholars during the posted application window and complete leadership program requirements if selected.
Selection criteria: Cohort selection focused on academic achievement, leadership potential, and engagement in campus and community activities.
✎ Essays
💡
Strategic Detail
Corporate Scholars and partner materials describe Strada HBCU Scholars awards around $7,000 per year with an emphasis on leadership training, internships, and persistence to graduation; CRP HTML notes renewability for selected cohorts and a variable January–February deadline.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: High-achieving undergraduates at HBCUs with strong GPAs, leadership potential, and campus involvement who complete program requirements.
App Required⚠ All Undergrad Only
Cargill Thrive Scholarship
📅 Deadline: January 16 (typical cycle; may vary by year)
✓ Renews
$5,000/yr
✔ Stackable
👥 ~Limited; determined by Cargill corporate partnership and cohort size winners/yr🎓 All Undergrad
✚
Stacking & Combining
Generally stacks with institutional aid and other scholarships subject to cost-of-attendance limits.
📄
How to Apply
Apply through Alcorn’s Corporate Scholars or Scholarship Universe portal for the Cargill Thrive or related Cargill corporate scholarship, following posted instructions and essay prompts.
Selection criteria: Holistic review emphasizing leadership, academic performance, and alignment with agriculture, food, STEM, or business careers.
✎ Essays
💡
Strategic Detail
Corporate Scholars information notes Cargill-related awards that provide up to about $5,000 per year along with mentoring and career development for students in food, agriculture, STEM, and business fields; CRP HTML references a January 16 deadline for the 2025–26 cycle.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students pursuing agriculture, food, STEM, or business pathways who demonstrate leadership, career focus, and strong academics.
App Required⚠ All Undergrad Only
ASU Foundation Scholarships
📅 Deadline: Phase I: opens mid-March, closes May 15 (main cycle); Phase II GAP window in mid-August
Non-Renewable
$500–$5,000/yr
✔ Stackable
👥 ~Varies by donor fund and annual funding levels winners/yr🎓 All Undergrad
✚
Stacking & Combining
Generally stack on top of institutional merit awards, subject to cost-of-attendance and donor rules.
📄
How to Apply
Submit a general application through the Alcorn Foundation portal or Scholarship Universe during the posted phase window to be matched to donor-funded scholarships.
Selection criteria: Selection is based on donor criteria, commonly including GPA, financial need, leadership, service, and sometimes major.
✎ Essays
💡
Strategic Detail
The ASU Foundation awards donor-funded scholarships annually based on academic achievement, financial need, major of study and donor-specific criteria, with individual awards commonly falling in the $500 to $5,000 range. The main cycle is Phase I, which opened in mid-March for 2026-2027 with a May 15 deadline and is open to both current and incoming students. Applications run through Scholarship Universe at alcorn.scholarshipuniverse.com. A FAFSA is required, students select up to five funds they qualify for, and returning students must reapply each year for renewal. A smaller Phase II window runs in mid-August.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students who complete the portal application, have FAFSA on file, and match specific donor criteria such as GPA, financial need, leadership, or major.
App Required
Takeda Scholars Program
📅 Deadline: January–February (varies by year)
✓ Renews
Varies
✔ Stackable
👥 ~Small, selective cohort determined by Takeda partnership winners/yr
✚
Stacking & Combining
Stacks with other scholarships while supporting STEM and health pathways through research and internship funding, subject to cost-of-attendance limits.
📄
How to Apply
Apply through Alcorn’s Corporate Scholars or Scholarship Universe portal for the Takeda Scholars Program and participate in research and internship activities if selected.
Selection criteria: Competitive selection focused on academic excellence, interest in STEM or health careers, and readiness for research and internship engagement.
✎ Essays
💡
Strategic Detail
Corporate Scholars information references a Takeda-supported scholars program as a competitive award for high-achieving freshmen on STEM or health pathways; award amounts are not publicly posted, but benefits include scholarship funding plus research and internship support.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: High-achieving freshmen interested in STEM or health-related majors who show strong academic potential and engagement in research or internship opportunities.
App Required⚠ Transfer Only
Mississippi Community College Transfer Graduates Scholarship
📅 Deadline: April 1
✓ Renews (3 GPA, 2 yrs)
$2,500/yr
✔ Stackable
🏫 3.3+ GPA👥 ~Awarded based on availability of funding. Alcorn does not publish a fixed number of awards. winners/yr🎓 Transfer
✚
Stacking & Combining
You can only hold one of Alcorn's four academic scholarships at a time, meaning this one, President's Excellence, Provost Scholar, or University Scholar. It can be combined with other institutional awards such as band, music, or diversity scholarships, but all institutional scholarships added together cannot exceed the cost of tuition, room and board.
📄
How to Apply
Apply for admission to Alcorn as a transfer student, then get the Mississippi Community College Transfer Graduates Scholarship application on file with the Office of Admissions and Recruiting by April 1 of the year you plan to enroll. Alcorn's own link to the application form is currently broken, so call Admissions at 601-877-6100 to request it directly. After you finish community college, send your final transcript within 15 days.
💡
Strategic Detail
$2,500 a year for students who finish a Mississippi community college with a 3.3 or better and come straight to Alcorn. It renews for a second year if you keep a 3.0. Two things trip people up. First, you have to have gone straight from high school to community college. If your student already spent a semester at a four-year school somewhere, they are out. Second, it only runs four semesters, half the eight-semester window the freshman scholarships get, so plan for the last two years to look different on paper. LPNs and RNs admitted to Alcorn's nursing programs qualify on that basis too. Application in by April 1, final transcript within 15 days of graduating.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
The 3.3 is the whole gate, and at a Mississippi community college that is a solid B student, not a valedictorian. There are a few thousand of them every May. So the people who miss this one almost never miss it on grades, they miss it on paperwork. The April 1 deadline lands months before most community college students start thinking about transfer money at all, and Alcorn's own link to the application form is currently dead, which means the students who get it are the ones who picked up the phone in February. If your student is finishing at Hinds or Co-Lin or Northwest with a 3.3, call Admissions and get the form in hand yourself. The quietest part of this award is the nursing carve-out. An LPN or RN admitted to Alcorn's AD or BS program qualifies on that basis, and almost nobody in that lane knows it exists.
App Required⚠ All Undergrad Only
Band / Music Performance Awards
📅 Deadline: March 23 (main audition date); additional auditions may be scheduled
✓ Renews
$1,000–$3,000/yr
✔ Stackable
👥 ~Limited to students selected through auditions each year winners/yr🎓 All Undergrad
✚
Stacking & Combining
Typically stacks with academic scholarships but total institutional aid may be limited by cost of attendance.
📄
How to Apply
Audition with the Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite Marching Band or music ensembles and complete any music scholarship forms by the posted audition date.
Selection criteria: Awards are primarily based on musical talent, audition performance, and ensemble needs; continued participation is required for renewal.
💡
Strategic Detail
Fine Arts/Band information notes performance-based awards tied to participation in the Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite Marching Band and other ensembles; CRP HTML indicates typical awards between $1,000 and $3,000 per year based on talent and need and emphasizes continued participation for renewal.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Talented instrumentalists and performers who successfully audition and commit to rehearsals, marching, and performances with Alcorn ensembles.
Full TuitionApp Required⚠ All Undergrad Only
Army ROTC Scholarships
📅 Deadline: Oct 14 and Jan 19 (national); campus-based deadlines vary; typical notification by May 1  ·  📢 Results: Around May 1 for national boards
✓ Renews (2.5 GPA, 4 yrs)
Full Tuition
tuition or housing, room and board support, book allowance, monthly stipend
✔ Stackable
🏫 2.5+ GPA👥 ~Varies by available ROTC funding and board selection each year winners/yr🎓 All Undergrad
✚
Stacking & Combining
ROTC scholarships generally cover full tuition and fees or room and board, plus a book allowance and monthly stipend; they may affect other institutional aid depending on total cost of attendance.
📄
How to Apply
Apply for national or campus-based Army ROTC scholarships via GoArmy/ROTC application and work with Alcorn ROTC to complete required documents and boards.
Selection criteria: Selection is merit-based with emphasis on academic performance, leadership, extracurricular involvement, and physical fitness.
✎ Essays🎤 Interview💌 Letters of Rec
💡
Strategic Detail
Alcorn’s Army ROTC site describes multiple 2–4 year scholarships that can cover either tuition and fees or room and board, plus approximately $10,000 room and board support, a yearly book allowance around $1,200, and a $420 monthly ROTC stipend; national Army ROTC guidance confirms all ROTC scholarships include a $420 monthly stipend and book allowance.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students who meet academic, fitness, and service requirements and commit to commissioning as Army officers; nursing and STEM majors often receive strong consideration.
App Required⚠ All Undergrad Only
ASU Foundation GAP Assistance
📅 Deadline: Aug 15–22 (Fall Phase II GAP window; subject to change by year)
Non-Renewable
$500–$1,000
✔ Stackable
👥 ~Limited; number of awards depends on ASU Foundation funding each term winners/yr🎓 All Undergrad
✚
Stacking & Combining
Intended to cover small remaining balances after other aid and can stack with scholarships up to cost of attendance.
📄
How to Apply
Apply through the ASU Foundation or Scholarship Universe portal during the short GAP Assistance application window, documenting unmet tuition or fee needs.
Selection criteria: Awards prioritize students with demonstrated unmet financial need and small but critical remaining balances.
💡
Strategic Detail
Foundation announcements describe GAP awards of roughly $500 to $1,000 as one-time assistance to help students cover remaining tuition and fee balances when other aid is insufficient; CRP HTML notes these are tied to a short application period in mid-August.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Enrolled students with small remaining gaps in tuition or fees who apply quickly during the limited application window and demonstrate unmet need.
* GPA/test bands are estimates based on official selectivity and prior cohort profiles. "Who Actually Wins" insights are pulled from external peer-sourced data where students and parents have reported real-world award results. Because colleges can change funding thresholds and deadlines at any time, always verify these details with the institution before finalizing your application strategy.
🌾 If your student is interested in agriculture, read this twice.

Alcorn is an 1890 land-grant institution, which means it receives federal agriculture funding that most universities simply do not have access to. The CAAS Scholars and NRCS Scholars programs each pay up to $10,000 per academic year toward tuition, housing, and living expenses, funded through USDA grants.

The eligibility bar is a 3.0 GPA and a 20 ACT, which is meaningfully lower than the 22 needed for the automatic academic ladder. A student who does not qualify for any automatic merit at all can still land $10,000 a year here if they are pursuing agricultural science, agribusiness, agricultural economics, or a related field. Both programs also look for demonstrated leadership and community service, so those matter more here than anywhere else on this page.

❓ Hidden Gems FAQ

What is Scholarship Universe and do we have to use it?
It is the online portal Alcorn uses for ASU Foundation donor scholarships, at alcorn.scholarshipuniverse.com. Yes, you have to use it. There is no paper alternative and no way to be considered without applying. Your student needs an Alcorn ID number to log in, which means they have to be admitted first.

What is the difference between Phase I and Phase II?
Phase I is the main event. It runs from mid-March to May 15 and covers the bulk of donor-funded scholarships for the coming year. Phase II is a much smaller window in mid-August, roughly August 15 to 22, and it exists primarily for GAP Assistance awards of $500 to $1,000 that help students cover a small remaining balance right before the semester starts. Do not wait for Phase II hoping it will make up for missing Phase I.

Do we need a FAFSA for these?
Yes. The ASU Foundation requires every scholarship applicant to file a FAFSA, and awards are adjusted based on your verified account balance and other aid received. Alcorn’s federal school code is 002396.

Can current Alcorn students apply, or is this freshmen only?
Most of these are open to continuing students, and several are designed for them. Returning students must reapply to the ASU Foundation every year for renewal. To be eligible, your student generally needs to be currently enrolled and carrying a full load of 15 credit hours.

My student is transferring from a Mississippi community college. Anything for us?
Yes, and it is easy to miss. Alcorn offers a $2,500 per year scholarship for Mississippi community college graduates with a 3.3 cumulative GPA who have never attended a four-year college. It renews for four semesters with a 3.0. Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses accepted into Alcorn’s associate or BSN nursing programs also qualify. The same April 1 deadline applies.

How do band and music scholarships work?
By audition, and there is no way around it. Your student must perform an audition before an award is granted, and auditions for scholarships are open to students of any major, not just music majors. Prepare two to four minutes of music. These awards require continued participation in rehearsals and performances, and Alcorn’s financial aid office specifically lists lack of performance in band, music, or ROTC as a reason a scholarship gets reduced.

What if we miss a deadline?
For the April 1 academic scholarship deadline, there is no recovery. For departmental and Foundation awards, contact the department or the Institutional Advancement office directly, since some cycles run more than once a year. The NRCS program, for instance, has a second cycle in June.

Sources:
https://www.alcorn.edu/giving-back/scholarships-phase-i/
https://www.alcorn.edu/giving-back/scholarships-phase-ii/
https://www.alcorn.edu/academics/university-college/corporate-scholars-programs/
https://www.alcorn.edu/academics/schools-and-departments/caas/saas-scholar/
https://www.alcorn.edu/academics/schools-and-departments/caas/nrcs-scholarship-program/

The Myrlie Evers-Williams Honors Program at Alcorn State

Alcorn’s honors program carries a name with real weight. Myrlie Evers-Williams attended Alcorn, met Medgar Evers here, and went on to chair the national board of the NAACP. The program renamed in her honor is built around that legacy, and it shows in the curriculum: an interdisciplinary liberal arts sequence organized around civil rights, human rights, and justice advocacy, taught in smaller discussion-based classes.

💡 The part families miss: honors is where the corporate money lives.

Alcorn’s honors program lists prioritized access to special scholarship, internship, and study abroad opportunities among its core benefits. That is not boilerplate. The Assistant Director of the Myrlie Evers-Williams Honors Program also serves as Program Director for the Cargill and Strada Scholars Programs.

In other words, the same office that runs honors also runs two of the corporate scholarships covered in the Hidden Gems section. If your student is in honors, they are standing next to the people who select those scholars. That proximity is worth more than most families realize.

Honors Scholarships & Awards

This institution does not offer designated Honors College scholarships at this time.

Being straight with you about the honors scholarship question.

Alcorn does not publish a dedicated honors scholarship with a named dollar amount, and it does not publish an ACT or GPA cutoff for honors admission. We are not going to invent numbers to fill the space.

Here is how it actually works at Alcorn. The money comes from the automatic academic ladder, which is decided by your student’s ACT and GPA whether or not they ever apply to honors. Honors is a separate academic experience layered on top, and its financial value is indirect: better access to the scholarship, internship, and study abroad pipelines, and a direct line to the office running the Cargill and Strada programs.

Because the requirements are not posted publicly, call the honors office before you assume anything. Dr. Wandra Arrington, Director, 601-877-6138. Ask two questions: what are this year’s admission criteria, and which scholarship opportunities are reserved for honors students.

Honors Program — FAQs (Alcorn State University)

Is honors admission automatic?
No. The honors program is a separate application from general admission. Alcorn does not publish its cutoffs, so contact the honors office directly rather than guessing.

Does joining honors increase my student’s scholarship?
Not directly. Alcorn’s academic scholarship tiers are driven entirely by ACT and GPA, and honors participation does not change that number. What honors provides is priority access to scholarship, internship, and study abroad opportunities that are not visible from the outside.

What does the honors curriculum actually look like?
It is a liberal arts sequence centered on civil rights, human rights, and justice advocacy, delivered in smaller discussion-based classes that cross disciplines. The program is organized around six pillars drawn from Oakland Chapel: critical reasoning, creative problem solving, communication, character, collaboration, and compassionate service. It also builds in leadership and career development aimed at graduate school and job placement.

Is honors housing different?
Yes, Alcorn offers dedicated honors housing. It carries a small premium over standard traditional halls, roughly $128 more per semester. Factor that into your housing budget if honors is the plan.

Are honors classes harder?
They are more discussion-driven than lecture-driven, and they ask for depth rather than extra volume. Students who like to argue an idea out loud tend to thrive. Students who prefer to absorb quietly sometimes find the format demanding in a different way.

Can out-of-state students apply to honors?
Yes, and there is no financial penalty for doing so, since Alcorn charges everyone the same tuition rate regardless of residency.

Sources:
https://www.alcorn.edu/academics/mew-honors-program/
https://www.alcorn.edu/students/living-options/housing-meal-rates/
https://www.alcorn.edu/academics/university-college/corporate-scholars-programs/

⭐ College Specialty

Alcorn State opened in 1871 and became the first Black land-grant college in the United States. That is not just a plaque on a wall. Land-grant status is a funding designation, and it means Alcorn has been pulling federal agriculture and research dollars for over 150 years. It is the reason a small rural university outside Lorman can put $10,000 scholarships in front of agriculture students while much larger schools cannot.

What Alcorn Is Actually Known For:
Agriculture and Applied Sciences — This is the heart of the institution and where the most money sits. The College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences runs USDA-funded scholar programs through NIFA and NRCS partnerships, covers agricultural science, agribusiness management, agricultural economics, and food and natural resource sciences, and connects students directly into federal career pipelines. If your student is even mildly curious about agriculture, this is one of the strongest value propositions in the Southeast.
  • Nursing: One of Alcorn’s signature programs and a major reason families across Mississippi choose the school. Nursing runs out of the Natchez campus, and Alcorn offers both associate and BSN pathways. There is also a dedicated transfer scholarship for licensed LPNs and RNs entering those programs.
  • Education: Named in Alcorn’s own mission statement as one of its three historic strengths alongside agriculture and nursing. A steady producer of teachers for Mississippi school districts, with several donor scholarships earmarked specifically for teacher education majors.
  • Business: ACBSP-accredited, with pathways into accounting, finance, and management. Several Foundation scholarships are tied to specific business majors.
  • Biology and Computer Science: The science side benefits from Alcorn’s corporate research partnerships, including the Takeda program aimed at STEM and health-pathway students who want research and internship experience early.
  • Music and the Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite: Alcorn’s marching band is a genuine regional draw, and audition-based awards are open to students of any major, not just music majors. For a family whose student plays an instrument well, this is real money sitting on the table.

One practical thing to know about the campus itself: Alcorn sits on 1,756 rural acres near Lorman, with additional locations in Natchez and Vicksburg. It is genuinely rural. That works beautifully for students who want a tight-knit campus with a strong sense of place, and it is a real adjustment for students used to a city. Budget for travel home, especially if you are flying, because the nearest major airports are a drive away.

✅ Wrapping It Up

Alcorn State is one of the few schools where we can say something genuinely unusual: it does not punish you for living somewhere else. Same tuition for everybody, roughly $19,000 a year in total direct costs before any aid at all. For an out-of-state family staring down $45,000 sticker prices elsewhere, that number alone is worth a campus visit.

The merit math here is refreshingly honest. There is no essay to agonize over and no finalist weekend to lose. Your student’s ACT score and GPA determine the award, the grid is published, and the deadline is April 1. If your student is sitting at a 21, a 23, or a 27, one retake is worth thousands of dollars a year. That is the highest-return few hours available to you.

Two things we want you to walk away remembering. First, Pell does not stack at Alcorn. It reduces the institutional award rather than adding to it, so build your budget on the scholarship number, not on the scholarship plus Pell. Second, the money that most families never find is not hidden well. It is in Scholarship Universe during the March to May Phase I window, and it is behind a phone call to the Corporate Scholars office at 601-877-6125. Very few families make that call.

And if your student has any interest at all in agriculture, look closely. Alcorn’s status as the first Black land-grant college in the country means federal dollars flow here in a way they do not at most schools, and the CAAS and NRCS programs put $10,000 a year on the table at a 20 ACT. That is a lower bar than the academic ladder for a larger award. It is the best-kept secret on this entire page.

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