Driving Tests

Mississippi Driver's Ed Requirement 2027: Who Must Take Driver's Education

informational·how to guide·Published August 17, 2026

Will I need driver's ed to get a license in Mississippi?

Yes, if you have never had a driver's license and you apply on or after July 1, 2027. From that date, Mississippi law bars a first license unless you have completed a Driver Education and Training Program certified by the State Board of Education or the Department of Public Safety (DPS). A person under 18 can still get a learner's permit without the course.

Where the Mississippi driver education rules come from

The July 1, 2027 date comes from the Mississippi Driver Service Bureau news item on Driver's Education and from 2024 Senate Bill 2695, the act as sent to the Governor. The Driver Service Bureau list of Certified Driver's Education Instructors shows who teaches the course. The Driver Service Bureau home page, learner's permit, Class R and Hardship Driver's License pages and the Mississippi Driver's License Manual (revised December 2024) give the permit, license and hardship details. This guide is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety Driver Service Bureau (driverservicebureau.dps.ms.gov) before you drive.

Mississippi driver education dates

Mississippi driver education dates
Date	What changes	Who it affects
July 1, 2024	2024 Senate Bill 2695, approved by the Governor on May 10, 2024, takes effect.	Schools, DPS and future drivers
2026-2027 school year	Each school district with a secondary school that includes any of grades 9 to 12 must set up and keep driver education and training programs for its pupils.	Public school students
July 1, 2026	DPS must set up a Driver Education and Training Program for home school students and adults who have not taken a course. Hardship license applications accept only courses from a DPS certified or Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) certified instructor.	Home school students, adults and teens who apply for a hardship license
July 1, 2027	A person who never had a driver's license needs a certified course to get a regular driver's license.	All new drivers, at any age

What the Mississippi law says about driver's ed

The rule is in Mississippi Code section 63-1-9(1)(h), as amended by 2024 Senate Bill 2695. From July 1, 2027, DPS cannot issue a driver's license to a person who has never held one, unless that person has finished a certified Driver Education and Training Program. The rule covers any person, so an adult who never had a license needs the course too. From the same date, the course is a requirement for the Class R (regular) license, and a missing certified course is a reason DPS can refuse a license.

Does the 2027 rule change the learner's permit?

No, not for a person under 18. The law keeps the usual permit rules for anyone under 18, with no course needed. You can get a learner's permit from age 15 with proof that you are enrolled in school. The free practice question on the minimum permit age covers this rule. For a license at 16, DPS asks that you have held the permit for twelve months or until your 17th birthday, whichever comes first. Use that time to finish the course.

Where to take a certified driver's ed course in Mississippi

You are a full-time public school student in grade 9, 10, 11 or 12

Ask your school about its driver education program. When you finish, you get a Certificate of Completion, and the school sends a copy to the Driver Service Bureau.

You are home schooled, or you are an adult who never took a course

Take the DPS Driver Education and Training Program for home school students and adults, which the law says must be taught throughout the state. Each participant gets a Certificate of Completion, and a record goes to the Driver Service Bureau.

You want a private instructor

Choose one from the Driver Service Bureau list of Certified Driver's Education Instructors. It gives a phone number, an email address and a service area for each instructor. Contact the instructor to schedule the course.

What a first Class R license needs from July 1, 2027

Signed documentation that you completed a Driver's Education and Training Program certified by the State Board of Education or DPS. Bring it when you apply.
A pass on the vision exam and the Computerized Exam (the written knowledge test). The guide to getting a Class R license at 16 has the full steps.
Under 17: the road test waiver affidavit, in which a parent, teacher or guardian certifies that they saw you drive for at least 50 hours. The free practice question on the supervised driving affidavit covers it. Applicants 17 and older do not need the affidavit.
Under 18 without a high school diploma: a school attendance form that is not more than 30 days old, unless you are married.
At this time, no road test is required for a regular driver's license.

Driver's ed and the Mississippi hardship license

For the Hardship Driver's License, the course rule already applies. A parent or guardian can ask DPS for this license for a Mississippi resident aged 15 to 17 who has held a learner's permit for 30 days without traffic infractions. A certified driver's education course is one of the requirements, and only courses taught by DPS or MDE certified instructors count. Your instructor sends the certificate or the student completion list, and DPS cannot approve the application until it arrives. The guide to the Mississippi teen hardship license has the reasons DPS accepts.

Key takeaways

From July 1, 2027, a person who never had a driver's license needs a certified driver education course to get a regular Mississippi license, at any age.
The State Board of Education or DPS must certify the course. Public schools, the DPS program and certified instructors teach it.
Under 18, you can still get a learner's permit at 15 without the course.
Bring signed documentation of the course when you apply. For a school course or the DPS program, a record also goes to the Driver Service Bureau.
Next step: practice the rules of the road on the free Mississippi Class R practice test.

Mississippi driver's ed: common questions

Is driver's ed required in Mississippi right now?

Not for a regular license until July 1, 2027. From that date, every first-time applicant needs a certified course. Teens who apply for a hardship license already need one, and since July 1, 2026 only courses from DPS certified or MDE certified instructors count. Public school districts with any of grades 9 to 12 must offer driver education from the 2026-2027 school year.

Do I need driver's ed if I am 17 or older?

Yes, if you apply for your first Mississippi license on or after July 1, 2027. The law covers any person who has never had a driver's license. DPS lets applicants 17 and older get the learner's permit and the license on the same day, but from that date they also need proof of a certified course. DPS must offer a course for adults who have not taken one.

Do I need a learner's permit to take driver's ed in Mississippi?

Not for a school course. A student in an approved driver education course does not need a learner's permit or a license while a driver education instructor directly supervises the student. For a public school course, the student must be at least 14, in grade 9, 10, 11 or 12, and a full-time student at that school.

Will an older driver's ed certificate still count?

For a hardship license, since July 1, 2026, a certificate counts only if a Mississippi public school or a DPS certified instructor issued it, whatever year you finished the course. For a regular license from July 1, 2027, you need signed documentation of a program certified by the State Board of Education or DPS.