Mississippi residents who want to earn an associate degree or professional credential at one of the state’s community colleges could get some financial help through a new program.
In April, Gov. Tate Reeves signed into law House Bill 562, which establishes the UPSKILL (Upgrading Priority Skills for Key Industry Learning and Labor) Mississippi Grant program. The program, which would start as a pilot, will provide last-dollar scholarships to eligible adults who are 24 or older and seeking job training to earn a living wage.
The state Financial Aid Office will oversee the grants, which will cover the remaining balance after a student’s other financial aid and scholarships are applied. To participate in the program, students must be Mississippi residents for at least two years.
UPSKILL would also provide eligible students with a $500 annual stipend for books and other materials.
Additional details of the program’s costs and funding source are still being ironed out, said Courtney Taylor, executive director of AccelerateMS, the state’s workforce agency. The aim is to launch in January.
The Legislature also approved other money to launch a separate pilot program for residents who are in recovery from opioid addiction. The state has allocated $1 million in opioid settlement funds for the program, which is set to launch this summer. It presents an opportunity for people in recovery to find a holistic program with wraparound services, not just providing community college courses, Taylor said.
Sen. Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford, speaks during a Senate Education Committee meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at the Capitol in Jackson. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayThe average costs of tuition for community colleges vary across the state. For example, Hinds Community College tuition and fees can range between $3,700 to $4,300, according to the college’s website. At Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, tuition and fees start at $4,200, according to the college’s cost of attendance website.
The UPSKILL program is a state workforce investment to help meet the demand for high-priority careers and industries, said Sen. Nicole Boyd, a Republican from Oxford who authored and championed the bill. The program also creates an opportunity for residents who have few resources or outside support to return to college or earn a degree, Boyd said.
“It truly puts people on a real path to a high-skill, high-paying job and limits the debt they have to get there,” said Boyd, who is also chairwoman of the Senate Universities and Colleges Committee. The program is “targeted, it’s accountable and ties directly to jobs that Mississippi employers are trying to fill right now.”
The bill’s passage stems from a months-long effort from lawmakers and higher education officials to encourage more Mississippians to earn a college degree or career credential to boost the state’s workforce and economy. About 12% of Mississippi residents have some college experience but no degree, according to the National Student Clearing House Research Center.
AccelerateMS is set to fund the pilot program from its operating budget and determine what academic programs and courses are eligible based on identified priority occupations. These courses will tie to careers or industries that pay at least $20 an hour, Taylor said.
It is unclear what those programs will be and how much money will be needed to launch this program, Taylor said.
The pilot program will also offer support services, or a one-stop shop for students to work with an adviser or success coach at the community colleges. The coaches will help students navigate the program’s course enrollment process and apply for financial aid and will support them with career planning.
UPSKILL seems designed to ensure students complete the program and succeed in landing a job, said Michelle Miller-Adams, a senior researcher at the UpJohn Institute who studies tuition-free college programs. Having career coaches or “navigators” is a best practice for supporting students and families, Miller-Adams said.
Such provisions are “not always necessarily included in the final legislation for statewide promise programs,” Miller-Adams said. “So good job, whoever wrote it.”
Students eligible for UPSKILL could also receive a $250 emergency aid stipend each semester for things like childcare stipends, bus vouchers or gas cards. While not a lot of money, the stipends are important for people who have other financial barriers and challenges to completing their degree, Miller-Adams said.
Requiring specific courses for scholarship eligibility may pose a challenge for students and colleges, Miller-Adams said. Those restrictions could also make it difficult to track data when a student switches careers or courses of study, creating administrative burdens.
“I think the big lessons officials can apply are that simplicity will help you get people into the program,” Miller-Adams said, “and the support elements will help you ensure that the people in the program are successful.”
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