Frequently asked
questions.

No. Students must be at least 14 years old to take the course.

Yes. Also, this course will be required for ALL student drivers to obtain their MS Driver’s License starting July 1, 2027.

Students can take this course as soon as they are 14 years old, however they must have their driver’s permit for a minimum of 30 days before they can apply for the hardship.

The parent or guardian will fill out the application and send it in with the student’s certified Driver’s Education Course Certificate, along with any other document requirements listed on the Hardship application. Applications will need to be emailed to hardship@dps.ms.gov for their review and approval.

Response times vary. We advise that responses can take up to 10 business days. That said, the MS Department of Public Safety works very diligently to review each application as quick as possible, and some applications have been approved the same day as submitted.

Submit the enrollment application on this website, then complete payment with PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo on the payment page. Partial payments can be made as two $250 payments, or pay $500 in total. You will not receive admission into the course until payment is completed.

The course is $500 in total. Partial payments can be made as two $250 payments. This covers the cost of the online and BTW driving blocks of instruction, which totals 30 hours of training. The online portion includes a final online test for that phase. Once that is passed, you will schedule your BTW driving which will consist of 6 hours of driving and 6 hours of observation by the instructor. Upon satisfactory completion of both blocks of instruction and verification that the course balance is paid in full, the student will receive their certified Driver’s Education Course Certificate.

Yes. Partial payments can be made as two $250 payments, or pay $500 in total. The final course certificate is provided once the course is completed, passed, and the balance is paid in full.

Certificate will be given on the last day of BTW instruction, after passing the final exam, provided there is no outstanding course balance.

The online portion of the course is set up as a self-pace course. That said, we advise that this portion be completed within 90 days so that the online material is fresh on the student’s mind, which will aid them in passing the online test.

Yes. The instructor has over 30 years of driving experience with no negligent driving history and has held driver’s licenses in other countries for multiple weight class vehicles. The instructor has also been trained and certified to teach this course by the MS Department of Public Safety.

Reading up on the MS Driver’s License Manual, which can be found online, will help them get familiar with items our course material will cover. Also, encourage your child to pay attention to their surroundings when they are riding on trips with you. Get them familiar with places that they may travel to, once they are licensed, so they will already know which routes to take, and road obstacles they may face in the future.

Students will meet the instructor in Union County, New Albany, MS.

No. We suggest splitting the driving up into 3 segments that consist of driving 2 hours each day for 3 days. You can check our online calendar to view which days and time slots are available for you to schedule with your instructor.

Union, Pontotoc, Lee, Itawamba, Prentiss, Tishomingo, Alcorn, Tippah, Benton, Marshall, Lafayette, Calhoun, Chickasaw, and Monroe.

Driving location meet-up outside of Union County can be accommodated as scheduling allows. Behind-the-wheel instruction is typically two hours per day, on three different days.

An additional mileage fee to travel to your location and back, for all three days, is required to conduct behind-the-wheel training outside of Union County. Please reach out to North MS Driving Academy to speak to an instructor for mileage cost details and planning.

Note: because of last-minute cancellations in the past, the mileage fee must be added to payment before the instructor drives to your location. If the instructor travels to your location on a scheduled driving day and the student is no longer able to drive, additional mileage fees to reschedule that driving day will apply.