Nissan Scholarship
Scholarship Sponsored by Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid
Introduction
Nissan North America, Inc. offers scholarship support to students planning to attend a public college or university in Mississippi — either a two-year community college or a four-year institution.
Important dates
- Application open: October 1 – March 1
- All required documents must be submitted by: March 1
Eligibility criteria
Applicants must meet all of the following:
- Be a current-year graduating high school student in Mississippi.
- Have a cumulative high school GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, calculated after a minimum of seven semesters.
- Earn a minimum ACT score of 20 (or SAT equivalent 940) on a national administration of the test. Residual test scores will not be accepted. ACT superscoring is allowed.
- Have been a legal resident of Mississippi for at least one year prior to the application date.
- Plan to enroll full time at a Mississippi public community college or university in a program that leads to a first associate’s or first bachelor’s degree.
- Demonstrate leadership through participation in extracurricular activities.
- Show financial need by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- Submit and sign a concise essay (maximum 200 words) addressing: “How do my plans for the future and my college major support the automotive industry in Mississippi?”
Application requirements
In addition to meeting the eligibility items above, applicants must submit all application materials by the March 1 deadline (materials submitted after that date will not be considered).
Selection process
Each year a Nissan Scholarship Selection Committee will be named to evaluate applications. Candidates are scored using the following weighted criteria:
- Academic achievement: 50%
- Extracurricular activities, work, leadership, and community involvement: 15%
- Quality of the signed 200-word essay: 15%
- Demonstrated financial need: 20%
Number and value of awards
- The number of scholarships awarded annually depends on available funding; typically one or two recipients are selected in most years.
- Each award covers full tuition, required fees, and a book allowance.
Duration of the award and enrollment limits
- The Nissan Scholarship may be awarded for up to four years total. This can be used as two years at a two-year college followed by two years at a four-year university, or for up to four years at a four-year institution.
- Note: A student cannot receive undergraduate grant aid from more than one state-supported undergraduate grant program during the same term. If eligible for multiple programs, the student will receive funding from the program that provides the larger award. Additionally, no student may receive undergraduate grant aid from any combination of programs for more than eight semesters.