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Office of Financial Aid
University of Mississippi

COVID-19 Info

Financial Aid Office Hours: In an effort to protect our community and slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), our office is practicing social distancing and is not currently open to the public. We are happy to assist you by phone (1-800-891-4596) or email (finaid@olemiss.edu). Please be patient as we are working with a remote staff and will answer your questions as quickly as possible.

Our office continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and we are taking direction from our administration and the U.S. Department of Education. We understand that there are still many questions so we are watching for new guidance daily. For additional information regarding the University’s response please go to https://coronavirus.olemiss.edu/.

In the meantime, here are some recent frequently asked questions:

I have a Work-Study job on campus (including Graduate Work-Study and Family Literacy Project Tutor). Can I come to work?

  • Students working in “mission critical” departments and who have the permission of their supervisor can return to work.
  • Unfortunately, Family Literacy students will not be able to continue working because we cannot send tutors into the schools and community agencies – for everyone’s safety. Please contact us if you have financial concerns as a result of this job loss.
  • Please know that students who are not able to continue working cannot be paid through Work-Study.

What happens if I want to withdraw this semester (Spring 2020)?

  • If you are considering withdrawing from one of your semester courses and wonder how that may affect your financial aid, please contact our office to discuss your individual situation.
  • If you email us about this, write “Withdrawal Question” in the email subject line so that we may identify it and respond quickly.
  • Title IV Federal Financial Aid (such as Federal Pell Grant, SEOG, Federal Student and Parent Loans):
    • If you withdraw from all courses, our office will run a calculation to determine if return of Federal funds is required, based on the number of days you attended in the semester.
  • Institutional Scholarships (such as Academic Merit, Student Body President, and Eagle Scout):
    • If your scholarship has disbursed to your bursar account, a payback will not be processed if you withdraw. However, this term is counted towards the maximum number of terms you can receive the scholarship.
    • If you are withdrawing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you will need to submit a scholarship appeal through your MyOleMiss portal for the upcoming Fall term for review.
    • If you are withdrawing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and you want to request an additional semester of eligibility, you will also need to appeal.
  • State of Mississippi Aid (MTAG, MESG, HELP)
    • At this point in the semester, if you withdraw and your state grants have already disbursed to your bursar account, we will not pay back your awards.
    • The 15-hour rule is still required and if you do not meet it, you can appeal. GPAs are still not subject to appeal, so you should take note that you should NOT change all your Spring classes to Z and P grades only, because then you will not have a semester GPA.
    • This term will, however, still count towards the maximum number of terms you can receive the award.

What happens if I change a class to a pass/fail class?

  • Students currently on Financial Aid Probation or Scholarship Probation should first review their probation terms. Your terms may include a specific GPA and a specific number of graded hours that must be earned to meet your probation requirements. A “Pass” counts as earned hours but not graded hours. Please contact our office if you are considering this option.
  • If you are not currently on probation, changing to a pass/fail course should not be a problem unless you do not successfully complete the course. See above for the effect on state aid.

We know that during these uncertain times you may be feeling stressed or anxious about your future financial plan. If you are struggling to make decisions regarding your financial aid, please contact our office and talk with an advisor to see if there are any financial aid options available to you.

Other resources in our University community that can assist you (select below).

For a full list of support services, please visit https://coronavirus.olemiss.edu/keep-learning/find-support/#health.

To speak with a caseworker about any problems and concerns you may have, please visit:   https://umatter.olemiss.edu/