Missouri State University - West Plains

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Financial Aid 

State Financial Aid Programs

Access Missouri Financial Assistance Program:

This state student need-based aid program is designed to provide students with a simplified financial aid process, provide predictable, portable awards, and increase access to a student's school of choice. The student's need is determined by the students expected family contribution (EFC) as calculated through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To be eligible, students must file their FAFSA by  April 1 of each year, be enrolled full time, maintain a 2.5 or better cumulative g.p.a. and have an EFC of $12,000 or less. Awards vary from $300 to $1,000 a year at a public two-year school.

Higher Education Academic Scholarship (Bright Flight):

These $2,000 scholarships are awarded to qualified Missouri residents attending a participating Missouri college or university on a full-time basis. To be eligible, high school graduates must have a composite score on the ACT or SAT in the top three percent of all Missouri students taking those tests. The Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) will obtain a student's approved Missouri school choice and their ACT or SAT composite scores from the student's ACT or SAT assessment record. Eligible students will receive an approval letter from MDHE. The scholarship is renewable if the student maintains a 2.5 or better cumulative g.p.a.

Marguerite Ross Barnett Scholarship:

These scholarships are awarded to Missouri residents who are enrolled part time and are employed at least 20 hours per week. Financial need is required. To apply, complete the FAFSA and contact the Financial Aid Office by April 1.  Renewals require reapplication on the next year's FAFSA by April 1 and maintaining a 2.5 or better cumulative g.pa.

Missouri Returning Heroes Education Act

In support of our student veterans, Missouri State University is implementing the Missouri Returning Heroes Education Act effective with the Fall 2008 semester. The act provides that institutions of higher education that receive any state funds, here too shall limit the tuition charged to combat veterans to fifty dollars per credit hour, as eligibility is determined, for any program leading to an undergraduate certificate, or an associate or baccalaureate degree. A "combat veteran" is any person who served in armed combat after September 11, 2001, who was a Missouri resident when first entering the military, and who was discharged from military service under honorable conditions.

Please see our Missouri Returning Heroes Education Act page for more detailed information.

If you would like to apply, please submit a copy of your most recent DD-214 (long form) and the Returning Heroes Education Act Application to the Financial Aid Office, Looney Hall 210. The Financial Aid Office  will determine if you meet the criteria to be considered for reduced tuition.