The Office of Prestigious External Scholarships mentors all University students who apply for national, merit-based scholarships and fellowships. These prestigious fellowships and scholarships include the Rhodes, Gates Cambridge, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, Astronaut, Knight-Hennessy, Fulbright, Udall, and more. In addition, our office regularly advises students who compete for other awards and scholarships such as the Fulbright UK Summer Institutes, Boren Scholarship, Critical Language Scholarship, Public Policy International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute, and DAAD-RISE.

Since the office’s inception in 2012, Mississippi State has had a Rhodes Scholar, a Churchill Scholar, a Gates Cambridge Scholar, a Marshall Scholar, three Truman Scholars, twelve Fulbright scholars, five Boren scholars, eleven Astronaut scholars, nine PPIA JSI winners, and nine Goldwater Scholars. The University has been recognized by the Washington, D.C.-based Truman Scholarship Foundation for "sustained success" in helping students both to win the $30,000 competitive awards and to prepare for public service careers. In 2020, MSU was among 12 institutions nationally to participate in the Fulbright Program Adviser Development Initiative because of our recent success and future potential in the U.S. Student Fulbright program.

Our office works to get to know students, their interests, and where they see themselves going to mold and facilitate the path toward these scholarship opportunities. Meeting with us is a critically important part of the scholarship process. At a meeting, we discuss with students their current trajectory, experiences, and goals to determine what steps can help facilitate current or future scholarship applications. Once a student decides to apply our office provides individualized guidance on writing and editing their applications.

  • To schedule an appointment regarding specific scholarships, application processes, or editing of polished essays, please contact Dr. Hoffman, Director of the Office of Prestigious External Scholarships, via email or use the following link to schedule an appointment directly: Dr. Hoffman's Calendar
  • To schedule an appointment regarding general scholarship opportunities or preliminary editing of essays, please contact Rachel Coppock, Graduate Assistant to the Office of Prestigious External Scholarships, via email or use the following link to schedule an appointment directly: Rachel's Calendar

To view our most our most recent news and events, please visit our Instagram Page (@msstate_opes).

Our office is located in C-302 Nunnelee Hall. 

Faculty and Staff: 

Do you know a student who would be a great applicant for an external scholarship? Fill out this nomination form and we will reach out to them!

International Students:

This is a useful resource which lists scholarship and fellowship opportunities that do not require you to be a United States citizen.