As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Southern Mississippi will be waiving standardized test scores for incoming students and will also be issuing prorated refunds for current students.
Southern Miss will give refunds for housing, meal plans and parking permits for current students who are no longer on campus due to the pandemic.
“The University of Southern Mississippi cares deeply about our students’ success and well-being,” Rodney D. Bennett, president, said. “I am pleased that USM will have the ability to offer some financial relief to students and their families during this challenging time to enable our students to focus on completing academic coursework.”
Refunds will be prorated from March 23, which is the first day classes would have resumed after spring break. Students who withdrew before March 23 or were on institutional scholarships that covered housing or meal plan costs will not be eligible for the refund.
All funds are expected to be distributed no later than May 29.
For incoming students, Southern Miss will also temporarily waive ACT and SAT scores for high school seniors applying for the fall 2020 semester.
Students who have a 3.2 high school GPA will be admitted without test scores. However, in order to have course placement determined, students will need to have a test score submitted by Aug. 24.
“We are waiving the requirement for the ACT or SAT for admissions purposes,” Dean of Admissions Kate Howard said. “Students will ultimately need to provide a score unless they want to start in remedial-style courses. We use those tests for placement into their college-level courses. We just want to create a space where students have the least obstacles possible right now. If they had intended to take an April test or even a later test, we want to make sure that they can still apply and get through the admissions process as a whole.”
Howard added that many students had not received their test scores from previous testing dates.
“We do have a number of students who have applied but are missing an ACT score up until this point,” Howard said. “They may also be having a hard time getting those scores from the testing agency, and so, we are going to go ahead and evaluate any students like that as well.
“Regardless of decisions made on the economy or things opening back up, we will honor this through the fall 2020 semester, and then we’ll reassess where we are in our state of health care at that point.”
Student registration will also be altered due to the pandemic. New student orientations, which typically start in May, will begin in July and could possibly be moved to an online-only format.
“For our current students, registration is opening now,” Howard said. “For our orientation process for new incoming students, we are allowing virtual advisement appointments. Our orientation and registration process for students in the fall term will start in July. It has traditionally started in May, but we moved the sections that will begin first to July. We’ll be doing that to get summer students virtually advised as soon as they are admitted. Those who have already been admitted having already received instructions for their next steps. Those who may be admitted for the remainder of the summer will come to those July sessions in the fall.”
If health conditions do not allow for in-person orientations by July, the school will rely on its plans to make all orientations virtual.
“If we do need to change the format of those, we will reassess as things get closer, and we’ll go to an online format, but we are hopeful and have set a schedule for July,” Howard said. “If we have to do an online orientation, we will go to a number of presentations, video segments and things along those lines that will be part of that process.”
