ole miss admissions essay

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UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

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Admission to the University

If you prefer, you may view the admission section on one page .

Freshman Admission

Standard test results.

Please note that standard test results (ACT or SAT) should be sent directly from the testing service to the admissions office.

College Preparatory Curriculum

Admission of entering freshmen is based on the completion of the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) specified below with either a specific minimum grade-point average (GPA) or both a specific GPA and minimum standard test score. Students must submit a high school transcript reflecting satisfactory completion of the following high school course requirements as well as an official graduation date. (Provisional admission may be granted after six semesters of high school provided the transcript indicates that courses to complete the CPC are under way; final admission will require a complete transcript.)

Mississippi Residents

Regular admission will be granted to the following high school graduates:

• All students completing the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) with a minimum 3.20 high school GPA on the CPC.
• All students completing the CPC with a minimum 2.50 high school GPA on the CPC and a minimum score of 16 on the composite ACT (or 770 on the old SAT critical reading/mathematics or 890 on the new SAT).
• All students completing the CPC with a class rank in the top 50 percent and a minimum score of 16 on the composite ACT (or 770 on the old SAT critical reading/mathematics or 890 on the new SAT).
• All students completing the CPC with a minimum 2.00 high school GPA on the CPC and a minimum composite score of 18 on the ACT (or 860 on the old SAT critical reading/mathematics or 970 on the new SAT).
• All students who meet certification requirements for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). This option is available to all freshman applicants.

In lieu of ACT scores, students may submit equivalent SAT scores. Students scoring below 16 on the ACT (Composite) or the equivalent old SAT/new SAT are encouraged to participate in the Year-Long Academic Support Program during their freshman year.

Required Admissions Documents for Applicants:

• Completed application
• Six-semester transcript
• Official standardized test scores (ACT or SAT)
• Senior course schedule

Nonresidents of Mississippi (High School Class of 2018)

Nonresident applicants who meet the Mississippi criteria are evaluated for admission based on the following:

• Standardized test score (ACT or SAT, both are acceptable)
• Core grade point average (GPA)
• Availability of seats in the incoming class
• Rigor of high school curriculum

Successful candidates apply early , as admission is granted on a rolling basis until the university reaches capacity. It is suggested that candidates apply early, and not later than April 1 of their senior year, for best consideration.

Minimum Test Scores

Students whose ACT subtest score in reading and/or English is less than 17 (or old SAT verbal score is less than 400 or less than 470 on the new SAT) are required to enroll in an appropriate developmental course during the first semester of enrollment and to remain in the course until receiving a passing grade. Additionally, students whose ACT subtest score in mathematics is less than 19 (or old SAT mathematics score is less than 450 or less than 510 on the new SAT) are required to enroll in an appropriate developmental course during the first semester of enrollment and to remain in the course until receiving a passing grade or until passing the placement exam administered by the Department of Mathematics. Students with ACT subtest scores of 17, 18, or 19 are encouraged to enroll in developmental courses. Those students who enroll in two or more developmental courses also are required to complete two semesters of Developmental Support Lab (see below). Enrollment in developmental courses is limited to students with subtest scores below 20 except with permission of the department. Developmental courses completed at other postsecondary institutions before enrolling at The University of Mississippi may be considered to meet developmental requirements.

Other Admission Criteria

Residents of Mississippi who apply and do not meet the admission requirements stated above may enter the comprehensive screening process (counseling and testing) held on campus and at other designated locations prior to the beginning of the first summer session. The comprehensive screening process will consider student interests, special skills, experiences, and other noncognitive factors. After counseling, students will take a computer-based examination (Accuplacer) to assist the University in the admission decision. Students who pass the Accuplacer will be admitted for the fall term and will be encouraged to participate in the Developmental Support Lab during the first two semesters of enrollment.

Admission of Visiting Students

A student who regularly attends another recognized institution and who plans to return to that institution may be admitted to the university as a visiting student. The applicant must comply with the general requirements for admission and, in lieu of transcripts of credits, may submit a letter or certificate of good standing from an official of the institution that the student regularly attends. A student admitted to the summer session as a visiting student may elect to enroll in the university's next regular session. The student can qualify by submitting transcripts of credits from the other institutions attended and by meeting the requirements applicable to transfer students. If the student has attended The University of Mississippi previously, he or she must be re-admissible.

Admission of Students Who Are Not Graduates of Regionally Accredited High Schools

Applicants who are home-schooled or who have not successfully completed high school must submit standard test scores (ACT composite minimum of 18 or old SAT combined minimum of 860 or 970 new SAT) and successfully complete the Accuplacer (see "Other Admission Criteria" above). Home-schooled students must present summaries of their educational experiences, which may include portfolios and transcripts. Students who are not high school graduates must present qualifying GED scores or, in some cases, may qualify as undergraduate special students (see below). Applicants who have not graduated from a regionally accredited high school and were not home-schooled must submit qualifying scores on the General Education Development Test (GED) and any transcripts reflecting academic performance in high school. Home-schooled students must present portfolios summarizing his or her homeschool education as well as standard test scores (ACT composite minimum of 18 or old SAT combined minimum of 860 or 970 new SAT). Applicants may be required, at the discretion of the admitting IHL institution, to appear for an on-campus interview.

Admission of Undergraduate Special Students

A student who is at least 21 years of age, has been out of school for at least three years, and cannot present an acceptable high school record may be admitted to the university for such courses as he or she may be prepared to enter. This category is reserved for those who have had delays or interruption of the traditional sequence of educational pursuits. A person admitted as a special student is admitted with the same retention standards as degree-seeking students. Special students must have a minimum of a 2.0 GPA on 12 hours of course work to become degree-seeking students. After meeting this requirement, the special student may become a regularly enrolled student and the work completed while in the special status may be applied toward a degree. Failure to meet the stated requirements will result in academic suspension. While in special student status, a student may not register for more than 12 hours in a semester or summer session and will not qualify for financial aid programs.

Admission of Unclassified Students

Applicants who have already received the baccalaureate degree may enroll in the university if they desire to take courses for personal or professional improvement at the 400 level or below; or are pursuing a second undergraduate degree. Generally, students pursuing a second undergraduate degree will not be permitted to take graduate courses, but under certain circumstances, with the approval of the appropriate academic dean, they may enroll as unclassified students in 500-level courses.

Earning College Credit in High School

In the summer before the senior year in high school, students may earn University credit by attending enrichment programs such as PACE (Promoting Academic and Creative Excellence) and the Summer Institutes in Art and in Music, if the following criteria are met:

Completion of at least 15 college preparatory courses with a minimum 3.2 GPA on those courses, recommendation by the applicant's high school principal or guidance counselor, and successful application to PACE or to the Summer Institute.

Summer enrichment programs are administered by the Division of Outreach & Continuing Education.

Already a University of Mississippi student or transferring to UM? Learn about our Honors Scholars Program for current and transfer students.

For high school students:

Prior to applying to the Honors College, students need to apply for admission to the University of Mississippi . The online application to the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College for Fall 2024 entering freshmen is part of the Special Programs & Scholarship Application for the University of Mississippi, which becomes available July 1 or after you have applied for admission to the University (whichever is later).

Through the Special Programs & Scholarship Application, you will also be able to apply for financial aid and other programs on campus. The Honors College Early-Action deadline is November 1 (applicants will be informed of our decision by December 20). For Early-Action, we will accept recommendation letters through November 15th. Our regular deadline is 11:59 PM (CST) January 10, 2024. We will accept recommendation letters through January 24th for all regular deadline submissions. Students applying by the regular deadline will be notified by the first week of March.  All admitted students have until May 1 to accept or decline the offer of admission.

The Special Programs & Scholarship Application must be completed in the order that the tabs appear. The Honors College portion of the Special Programs application includes the following information:

1. Academics: GPA, rank, etc.

2. Recommenders: One should be one of your teachers; One should be a counselor or principal; and the third should be someone you have a responsibility to, such as another teacher, a coach, or an employer. Applicants will enter in the names, positions, and email addresses of their recommenders; the recommenders will receive an email notification with instructions on how to proceed. If your recommender does not receive an email, then ask them to check their clutter/junk email folders. If they still do not receive the email, they can email your letter as an attachment to [email protected] .

3. Your Resume

4. A personal statement describing your educational aspirations and future career goals

5. The general essay: Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve – anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. Your essay must be between 500 and 700 words. It will be evaluated on a combination of style, grammar, imagination, and substance.

6. If you could live your life fighting for one cause, what would it be and why?  Your essay must be between 500 and 700 words.  It will be evaluated on a combination of style, grammar, imagination, and substance.  Do not use the same essay you submitted for the Shared Information portion of the application.

**Please note that the Honors College admissions committee will have access to both your scholarship application essay AND the essay you submit for the Honors College application. We advise you to not use the same essay for both prompts.**

If you have any questions or problems with the application process, please call 662-915-7294 or email [email protected] .

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Ole Miss Requirements for Admission

Choose your test.

What are Ole Miss's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

• GPA requirements
• Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
• Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into Ole Miss and build a strong application.

School location: University, MS

This school is also known as: University of Mississippi

Admissions Rate: 97.4%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at Ole Miss is 97.4% . For every 100 applicants, 97 are admitted.

This means the school is a nearly open admissions school. They accept nearly all students, so for the most part, you just need to submit an application to get in. But if you don't meet all their application requirements, you'll be one of the very few people who gets rejected.

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Ole Miss GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.6

The average GPA at Ole Miss is 3.6 .

(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.6, Ole Miss requires you to be above average in your high school class. You'll need at least a mix of A's and B's, with more A's than B's. You can compensate for a lower GPA with harder classes, like AP or IB classes. This will show that you're able to handle more difficult academics than the average high school student.

SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Only a few schools require the SAT or ACT, but many consider your scores if you choose to submit them.

Ole Miss hasn't explicitly named a policy on SAT/ACT requirements, but because it's published average SAT or ACT scores (we'll cover this next), it's likely test flexible. Typically, these schools say, "if you feel your SAT or ACT score represents you well as a student, submit them. Otherwise, don't."

Despite this policy, the truth is that most students still take the SAT or ACT, and most applicants to Ole Miss will submit their scores. If you don't submit scores, you'll have one fewer dimension to show that you're worthy of being admitted, compared to other students. We therefore recommend that you consider taking the SAT or ACT, and doing well.

Ole Miss SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1134

The average SAT score composite at Ole Miss is a 1134 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes Ole Miss Competitive for SAT test scores.

Ole Miss SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile SAT score is 1040, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1220. In other words, a 1040 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1220 will move you up to above average .

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.

Ole Miss ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, Ole Miss likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 25

The average ACT score at Ole Miss is 25. This score makes Ole Miss Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.

The 25th percentile ACT score is 22, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 29.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 22 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to Ole Miss, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 22.

Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.

SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Currently, only the ACT has an optional essay section that all students can take. The SAT used to also have an optional Essay section, but since June 2021, this has been discontinued unless you are taking the test as part of school-day testing in a few states. Because of this, no school requires the SAT Essay or ACT Writing section, but some schools do recommend certain students submit their results if they have them.

Ole Miss considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require it.

Final Admissions Verdict

This school offers nearly open admissions, which means they give almost every student an offer of admission. To be safe, you should aim for a 1040 SAT or a 22 ACT or higher . If you can achieve this, you're pretty much guaranteed a spot in the incoming class.

Admissions Calculator

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are. Pick your test: SAT ACT

• 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
• 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
• 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
• 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
• 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

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Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Ole Miss here.

Application Requirements Overview

• Common Application Not accepted
• Electronic Application Available
• Essay or Personal Statement
• Letters of Recommendation
• Interview Not required
• Application Fee $65
• Fee Waiver Available? Available
• Other Notes

Testing Requirements

• SAT or ACT Considered if submitted
• SAT Essay or ACT Writing Optional
• SAT Subject Tests
• Scores Due in Office September 9

Coursework Requirements

• Subject Required Years
• Foreign Language
• Social Studies 3
• Electives 1

Deadlines and Early Admissions

• Offered? Deadline Notification
• Yes Rolling Rolling

Admissions Office Information

• Address: P.O. Box 1848 University, MS 38655
• Phone: (662) 915-7211 x7211
• Fax: (662) 915-5869
• Email: [email protected]

Our Expert's Notes

We did more detailed research into this school's admissions process and found the following information:

For Mississippi residents, admission is automatic if you complete the college preparatory curriculum (CPC) with a GPA of at least 3.2, or complete the CPC with at least a 2.50 and get a minimum 16 ACT composite score or 760 SAT score (Critical Reading and Math), or complete the CPC with a 2.00 and get a minimum 18 ACT or 860 SAT, or complete the CPC and are in the top half of your class with minimum 16 ACT or 760 SAT, or meet certification requirements for the NCAA. Non-resident applicants with a 2.50 GPA (2.75 for the high school Class of 2016 and later) or higher on the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) or equivalent CPC of the applicant’s state of residence and a composite ACT score of 21 or higher (or 980 or higher on the SAT Critical Reading/Mathematics only) will be automatically granted admission. Residents of Mississippi who apply and do not meet the admission requirements stated above may enter the comprehensive screening process (counseling and testing) held on campus and at other designated locations before the beginning of the first summer session. After counseling, students will take a computer-based examination. Students who pass the exam will be admitted for the fall term and will be encouraged to participate in a Developmental Support Lab during the first two semesters of enrollment.

For consideration for the Honors College and other scholarships, there is a separate application which can only be filled out once you turn in the general application. Turn in this application by January 5th to be considered for the Honors College, and by February 15th for scholarships. (This means you should plan ahead and submit your general application early.) Learn more here.

Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Ole Miss, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Ole Miss.

Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than Ole Miss. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for Ole Miss, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for Ole Miss, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Ole Miss is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2023 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.

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University of Mississippi Admissions

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UM APPLICATION

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Institutes & Programs:

• School of Health Related Professions
• School of Journalism & New Media
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• School of Medicine
• School of Nursing
• School of Pharmacy
• Graduate School
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• admissions@olemiss.edu
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• more contact information
• UMMC – Jackson
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University of Mississippi | Ole Miss

Cost & scholarships.

• Essay prompt

Your chances

Acceptance rate, acceptance rate breakdown, applicant breakdown, average net cost after aid.

Published costs and averages can be misleading: they don’t fully account for your family’s finances (for financial aid) or your academic profile (for scholarships).

Want to see your personalized net cost after financial aid and scholarships?

Applications

How to apply, tests typically submitted, enrolled breakdown by gender, race & ethnicity diversity, special academic offering, study abroad, credit for ap exams, offers graduate degree, academic and career counseling, similar schools.

University of Mississippi Special Programs and Scholarship Application

Welcome to the University of Mississippi!  We are pleased you are considering Ole Miss as your choice for higher education.  This application allows you to apply for our competitive freshman scholarships, as well as all of our prestigious programs, all at one time.  In order to apply, you must have already submitted your undergraduate admissions application and paid the appropriate admission application fee.  You will use that application number and your date of birth to log in.

Please note that if you applied to our school using the Common App, we begin receiving those applications mid-August for the following academic year.  Once an Admissions specialist has received the Common App file, they will create your UM Application.  You will then be emailed your UM Application number through the email you used to log in and begin this application.  This process could take several days, so your patience is greatly appreciated.

Scholarship Application Instructions

The home page of your application includes two separate sections: required applications and other available applications.

• The required applications (shared information and freshman scholarships) must be completed before moving on to any of the other available applications.
• All applications that have been started, but not yet submitted, appear in the “In-Progress” section – and please remember that they will NOT be considered by us until you finalize and submit them .
• Once an application HAS been submitted, you will find it in the “Completed” section.

Regarding revisions:

• The Shared Information section and Freshman Scholarships Application can be revised through the final deadline.
• Any “In-Progress” applications can be revised until they are submitted.
• Once an application is “Completed” it cannot be revised.

The information you provide on the shared information section is shared among all other applications.  Therefore, it does not have its own “Submit” option and will always remain under the “Required” section.

Only students applying for one of the special programs require students to submit letters of recommendation. If you do not plan to apply for one of these programs, you are not required to list the three recommenders.

Final Deadline: All applications must be submitted before 1/10/2024. Please do not wait for the last minute to submit, so our staff has time to assist you before the deadline if issues arise.

Awarding: Awarding for these scholarships will begin in March.

Special Programs Available

The University of Mississippi offers several special programs for students of all interests. Also, students aren’t limited to only one special program, so please feel free to apply to as many as you would like! Below you will find general information about all the programs offered. If you have questions specifically about a certain program, please contact the special programs directly.

The Arabic Flagship is a 5-year program that includes exclusive coursework for 8 semesters, two summers abroad, and a Capstone year in Meknes, Morocco. Graduates complete our program with very high proficiency scores recognized by the federal government, and earn language training specific to their career fields. With both federal and university funding behind them, our summer programming is very affordable and the Capstone year is essentially free. We are one of only 6 Arabic Flagship programs in the country, and we have had a 100% acceptance rate to the Morocco Capstone every year. No prior Arabic experience is required.

The Chinese Language Flagship is a five-year undergraduate program at The University of Mississippi that is designed for highly motivated and diligent students who seek to achieve Superior-level proficiency in Chinese while pursuing degrees in the academic major of their choice.

The Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) was founded on the concept that people are the greatest resource of any organization. As such, the fundamental purpose of the program is focused toward developing servant-leaders for the manufacturing industry.

The Croft Institute for International Studies offers the undergraduate major in international studies at the University of Mississippi. Croft is for students who seek to develop a strong global orientation: the major requires study of a foreign language, includes a semester of cultural and linguistic immersion abroad, and prepares students for a wide range of careers in government, law, business, and education.

The Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program (METP ) is a collaboration between the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and Mississippi State University (MSU) to attract top-performing students into the education profession with valuable full financial support and invaluable professional incentives. It is designed to create a unique “honors college-style” learning experience for high achieving education students and promote collaboration between students and faculty at both universities.

The Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College attracts a diverse body of high-performing students to the University of Mississippi and prepares citizen scholars who are fired by the life of the mind, committed to the public good and driven to find solutions. Small, discussion-based classes, dedicated faculty and a nurturing staff enable honors students to experience intellectual as well as personal growth.

Health and Physical Education is an undergraduate degree program that attracts students who seek to promote health and well-being by the expansion of and dissemination of knowledge through the development of health related professionals.

Luckyday Scholars are given the opportunity to engage in programming built around the four areas of success: scholarship, community, service, and leadership. Luckyday program staff and student leaders provide support and encouragement to the Scholars throughout the program.

The Lott Leadership Institute prepares high-performing students for positions of leadership in an increasingly complex world. The interdisciplinary curriculum for the major incorporates economics, geography, history, philosophy and political science. While at the Institute, students learn the leadership qualities necessary to formulate and implement public policy, the methodological skills necessary for policy analysis, and the ethics of leadership.

German, Japanese, and Russian Languages studied in the Department of Modern Languages develop in its students high language proficiencies. The Department is committed to undergirding our language programs with sound linguistic and pedagogical principles, as delivered by its programs in Linguistics and TESOL. Equally important in the Department are the study of literature, cinema and culture, fundamentally important programs in all serious language departments. We are proud of our outstanding faculty, strong tradition of scholarship, and dedication to teaching.

Our Department of Music ‘s stellar faculty, exceptional one-on-one studio instruction, award-winning ensembles, modest-sized classes, and outstanding facilities are ready for you at Mississippi’s flagship institution. Our students perform in multiple ensembles, work on research projects, engage with the Lafayette-Oxford-University community, and develop close friendships that prepare them for successful careers. Our department is dedicated to each student’s educational journey and individual growth.

The University of Mississippi’s School of Pharmacy Early Entry Program provides highly-qualified high school seniors with guaranteed seats in the professional pharmacy program upon completion of three years of pre-pharmacy coursework, avoiding the competitive selection process for regular entry admission that normally occurs during a pre-pharmacy major’s junior year of college. However, Early Entry students enjoy far more than simply early acceptance in the professional pharmacy program. They receive the benefits of the Early Entry Experience, which is unlike any other on campus, featuring specialized tutoring, professional advancement opportunities and the chance to be part of the Living-Learning Community.

Troubleshooting

Please check the following tips if you have problems with your application, as these are the most common issues we have seen. If these do not resolve your issues, please send a screenshot of the error you are receiving, along with the type of computer (PC or MAC) you are using, and the web browser you are using to finaid@olemiss.edu . Please use the subject SPSA Error .

• If trying to submit, but nothing is happening, save the application and exit. Clear the cache, log back into the site and try to submit again.
• If you are having trouble saving your essay, it may be due to a time out error. We suggest for each student view the essay question while online, then type the answer to the question off line in a word processing document. They can then copy and paste the essay into the application on the next login. Please be sure to stay within the required word count.
• If you cannot find a “Submit” button on an application, please review all sections on the application for a required checkbox. If the required checkbox is not selected, the “Submit” button will not populate.
• If your submitter did not get a request to send a letter of recommendation, please ensure you have already submitted a special programs application. The Letters of Recommendation are only used for the Special Programs, so recommenders are not contacted unless one of those applications have been submitted.
• If the link to the recommender is not working, please have the recommender email umrecltr@olemiss.edu to have another link sent.

Lott Summer Leadership Institute

Selection and qualification.

From the group of nominated applicants, a committee comprised of University officials will select 40 total applicants, 20 per session. Students will be ranked on demonstrated interest in public service, leadership, concern for others, and academic achievements. The committee will attempt to form a class with diverse interests and experiences. In addition to the 40 selected to participate, a small number of alternates will be designated, and some applicants not selected will be offered scholarships to attend the Summer College for High School Students Program.

Registration is closed for Summer 2021

From the group of nominated applicants, a committee comprised of University officials will select 40 total applicants, 20 per session. Students will be ranked on demonstrated interest in public service, leadership, concern for others, and academic achievements. The committee will attempt to form a class with diverse interests and experiences.

Nomination Procedure and Guidelines

Nominations from schools MUST be received by the Office of Pre-College Programs (PCP) no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 16, 2020.

Educators and mentors: Submit an online nomination

Students: Download a brochure about the program.

Application information will be sent to students December 1st or within 5 days of the nomination, whichever is latest.

In order to be considered for selection, students MUST meet the following UM early admission requirements:

• Be classified as an eleventh-grade student, or rising senior, in good academic and conduct standing at the time of application. The school can be public, private, or parochial. Home-schooled students are also eligible.
• Have a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
• Submit a School Approval Form signed by principal and guidance counselor
• Demonstrate a commitment to others whether in the form of school/community leadership, family/neighborhood responsibilities, or volunteerism.

Please note: in March students will be offered provisional acceptance to the program pending the University's determination of their eligibility for admission as dual credit students. The program reserves the right to alter a selection decision if a student is determined to be ineligible for dual credit admission.

Required Application Materials:

• Online application with essay response (Applications will be sent to student December 1st or within 5 days of nomination, whichever is latest).
• Current high school transcript
• Video response to provided prompt
• All ACT or SAT scores to date
• Two reference forms completed by a teacher or mentor
• School approval form for admissions purposes

Application and the above list of application materials MUST be submitted before January 26, 2024, to be considered by the selection committee. Incomplete files will not be reviewed.

What Students are Saying

Former participants have shared their feedback with us. Take a look!

“I had a great experience at Lott! I enjoyed getting to know people for 5 weeks and being able to have a connection with them for the rest of my life. I enjoyed the courses that we had to take and I feel like they prepared me for college. I really enjoyed going to Washington with my session and traveling with them. If I had the chance to do it again, I would in a heart beat.”

Student Participant Summer 2017

“Lott impacted me not only in my studies, but as the person I am. It gave me so many incredible, driven, and loving friends that have left imprints on my heart forever. Lott showed me that it doesn't matter where you start because you can do anything if you're willing to "be brilliant," and work for it. I will never forget my time during the Lott Leadership Program, and the people it blessed me with.”

Student Participant Summer 2018