About 170 Foster Students Denied FAITH Scholarships After State Aid Program Runs Short of Money
About 170 Mississippi foster youth were told by the state less than two weeks before the start of the fall semester that they would not receive the FAITH Scholarship for the 2026-27 academic year because the program had run out of money.
The Bill Kinkade Fostering Access and Inspiring True Hope Scholarship, known as FAITH, helps current and former foster youth meet the cost of attending college in Mississippi, in some cases up to the full cost of attendance.
In an email to applicants, the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid wrote: “Due to inadequate funding, we are unable to award all applicants for the FAITH Scholarship for the 2026-2027 year. You will not be eligible for FAITH Scholarship funds for the 2026-2027 year.”
For 2026-27, 159 renewal applicants and 23 new applicants received awards. About 170 completed applications from new applicants were denied.
The Office of Student Financial Aid requested approximately $4.6 million to fully fund the FAITH Scholarship for 2026-27 and received $3 million, a shortfall of about $1.6 million. The office has reported a broader funding gap across its programs.
State financial aid officials say the FAITH Scholarship operates on a first-come, first-served basis, with returning recipients receiving priority. Funding priorities set by the Legislature rank FAITH scholars below other scholarship programs, so foster youth lose access first when money runs short.
The shortfall follows an expansion of eligibility across several state aid programs. The required course load was lowered from 15 credit hours to 12, the income limit for the HELP Grant was increased, and federal changes to the FAFSA made it easier for more students to apply. Those changes resulted in more students qualifying for state aid than had been anticipated.
Donnie Cunningham, the foster father of an incoming Ole Miss freshman whose award was denied, said the email offered little explanation. “And there was no more explanation. But it did say you're more than welcome to apply for the 27-28 year. Well, that's a year away,” he said.
John Brdecka, executive director of the Hancock County Library System, who entered foster care at the age of five and attended college on a scholarship, said the decision affected young people who had already experienced instability. “Every person that they trusted broke that trust because they're in that situation. And now the state is breaking that trust,” he said.
Diamondhead Mayor Anna Liese, who helped furnish the student's dormitory room through CASA, said she contacted a friend in the financial aid office at the University of Mississippi who located alternative funding for that student. Liese said many of the affected students are aging out of foster care and may not have family or a backup plan.
State lawmakers say leadership has been made aware of the situation and that they are working to find a solution. Affected students in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties have been asked to contact Sen. Scott Delano at sdelano@senate.ms.gov.
The Office of Student Financial Aid has not published a county-level breakdown of the denied applications, nor said whether any of the 170 denials will be reversed if additional money is identified.