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Office of Financial Aid
University of Mississippi

Confirmation of HS diploma (or the equivalent)

To qualify to receive Federal Student Aid (FSA) funds, students must have: 1) a high school diploma, 2) a General Educational Development (GED) certificate, 3) completed a high school education in a home school setting approved under state law, OR 4) completed secondary school education in a home school setting which qualifies for an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law (if state law does not require a home schooled student to receive a credential for their education).

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) allows a student to “self-certify” receipt of a high school diploma or its equivalent, so the question that reads “What will your high school completion status be when you begin college in the 20XX-XX school year?” must be answered.

If a student answers “High school diploma” to this question, he/she must then confirm the name, city, and state of the high school.  If a student answers “none of the above” to this question, he/she must provide the Office of Admissions with actual documentation of a “recognized equivalent” of a high school diploma.

Recognized equivalents of a high school diploma (by the Department of Education):

  • A GED certificate;
  • A certificate or other official completion documentation demonstrating that the student has passed a state-authorized examination (such as the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), or, in California, the California High School Proficiency Exam) that the state recognizes as the equivalent of a high school diploma (note that certificates of attendance and/or completion are not included in this qualifying category);
  • An academic transcript of a student who has successfully completed at least a two-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor’s degree; or
  • For a student who enrolls before completing high school, a transcript indicating the student has excelled in high school. The student must no longer be enrolled in high school, must satisfy your school’s written policy for admitting such students, and must be starting a program that leads at least to an associate’s degree or its equivalent.

If you have a high school diploma, GED, or successfully completed a home schooling program, please correct the responses for question “What will your high school completion status be when you begin college in the 20XX-20XX school year?“ on your FAFSA at fafsa.gov.

If none of the above applies, or if you have questions, please contact our office at finaid@olemiss.edu or 1-800-891-4596.