Thank you for your interest in the Stay in the Sip Fellowship.
For undergraduate applicants:
- Do you have 58 hours of college credit towards a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting? Yes or No.
- Are you currently enrolled or have you completed Intermediate Accounting? Yes or No.
- Do you have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in all coursework counted towards a Master of Science in Accounting degree? Yes or No.
If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, then you are not eligible to apply at this time.
To apply, please email your transcript and a completed MS Application to StayInTheSip@osa.ms.gov
For Masters of Accountancy (graduate student) applicants:
- Have you met the regular admission standards for a master of science accounting program at a Mississippi institution of higher learning? Yes or No.
If the answer to this question is “no”, then you are not eligible to apply at this time.
- Have you been accepted into the master of science accounting program at a Mississippi institution of higher learning? Yes or No.
If the answer to this question is "no", you may submit an application. However, you will not be offered a fellowship position until you are accepted into a master of science accounting program.
To apply, please email proof of acceptance to a master of science in accounting program and a completed MS Application to StayInTheSip@osa.ms.gov
The application can be found HERE
Please review the additional, below information:
The position requires that you are a student earning a Bachelor of Science in Accounting or a Masters of Accounting. Undergraduate students must have 58 hours of college credit towards a Bachelor of
Science degree in Accounting and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Graduate students must have met regular admission standards, have been accepted in the Master of Science in Accounting program at a
Mississippi Institution of Higher Learning, maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in all coursework counted towards a Master
of Science in Accounting degree
The fellowship pays for college tuition, books, and fees of accounting students for up to three years. In return, the students
agree to work at the Office of the State Auditor after graduation for a minimum of two (2) years or the equivalent amount of
time that they were a Stay in the Sip Fellow. For example, if you are a fellow for your one (1) year master’s degree
(August-May, 9 months) then you would have a 2-year commitment. If you are a fellow for your junior and senior year of your
bachelor’s degree as well as your one (1) year Master’s degree (August of Junior year until may graduation of Masters year,
2 years and 9 months) then you would have a 2 year and 9-month commitment.
Stay in the Sip Fellows must intern in the State Auditor’s office for 336 hours in the summer. Dates of this internship are
flexible. During internship periods, Stay in the Sip Fellows will be compensated at an hourly rate of $20 an hour.
Fellows are contract employees of the MS Office of the State Auditor. As such, they are not entitled to the following
benefits: they will not accrue personal or major medical leave and they will not accrue retirement credit. Stay in the
Sip fellows are eligible for benefits such as medical insurance paid by the agency for the participant.
The Office of the State Auditor has the authority to cancel any contract made between it and any program participant
upon such cause being deemed sufficient by the State Auditor.
The Office of the State Auditor is vested with full and complete authority and power to sue in its own name any participant
for any damages due the state on any such uncompleted contract, which suit shall be filed and handled by the Attorney General
of the state. The Office of the State Auditor may contract with a collection agency or banking institution, subject to approval
by the Attorney General, for collection of any damages due the state from any participant. The State of Mississippi, the Office
of the State Auditor and its employees are immune from any suit brought in law or equity for actions taken by the collection
agency or banking institution incidental to or arising from their performance under the contract. The Office of the State Auditor,
collection agency and banking institution may negotiate for the payment of a sum that is less than full payment in order to satisfy
any damages the participant owes the state, subject to approval by the director of the sponsoring facility within the Office of the
State Auditor.
Any recipient who is accepted into the program by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor and who fails to complete undergraduate-
or graduate-level coursework toward a degree in accounting, or withdraws from school at any time before completing his or her education,
shall be liable to repay the Office of the State Auditor for all monies received during the time the recipient was in the program, at
the rate of pay received by the employee while in the program, including benefits paid by the agency for the participant, and monies
received for tuition, books and related fees used to pursue their degree with interest accruing at ten percent (10%) per annum from
the date the recipient failed or withdrew from school. The recipient also will not be liable for repayment for any money earned during
the required summer hours. This money shall be considered earned by the recipient at the federal minimum wage rate.
All paid internship compensation received by the recipient while in school shall be considered earned conditioned upon the fulfillment
of the terms and obligations of the paid internship contract and this section. However, no recipient of the paid internship shall accrue
personal or major medical leave while the recipient is pursuing junior or senior undergraduate-level year coursework toward a bachelor’s
degree in accounting or graduate-level coursework toward a master’s degree in accounting. The recipient shall not be liable for liquidated
damages
If the recipient does not work as an auditor at the Office of the State Auditor for the period required,
the recipient shall be liable for repayment on demand of the remaining portion of the compensation that the recipient was paid while in the program
which has not been unconditionally earned, with interest accruing at ten percent (10%) per annum from the recipient’s date of graduation or
the date that the recipient last worked at the Office of the State Auditor, whichever is the later date. In addition, there shall be included
in any contract for paid student internship a provision for liquidated damages equal to Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) which may be reduced
on a pro rata basis for each year served under such contract.