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Mississippi · Permit test

Drivers ed in Mississippi and the July 2027 rule

From July 1, 2027, state law says you can’t get your first Mississippi driver’s license, or a learner’s permit at 18 or older, without finishing a Driver Education and Training Program certified by the State Board of Education or the Department of Public Safety (DPS). The rule comes from Senate Bill 2695, passed in 2024, and it covers adults as well as teens. Until then drivers ed in Mississippi is required only for a hardship license, and a course through a public school or a DPS certified instructor counts for both.

  • 14Youngest age for a public school course
  • 24 hoursMinimum classroom hours, school course
  • July 1, 2027Course needed for a first license
Find a certified instructor

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Who needs drivers ed in Mississippi from July 2027?

The law applies to any person who “has not previously obtained a driver’s license”, whatever their age. If you’re under 18, you can still get a learner’s permit before you take the course, so you can practice while you study. That exception is only for under-18s. At 18 or older, the law says DPS can’t issue a learner’s permit either until you’ve finished the course, though DPS’s notice mentions only the license. The course must be certified by the State Board of Education or by DPS, and DPS’s driver’s manual already lists the completion certificate among the license requirements from that date.

Mississippi driver’s license steps and requirements →

Drivers ed at public schools

From the 2026‑2027 school year, every school district with a high school must offer driver education. Students can take it from age 14 in grades 9 to 12, and they don’t need a learner’s permit while an instructor is supervising them. The law sets the course:

  • Classroom time: no more than 2 hours a day, spread over three weeks or more
  • At least 4 classroom hours before the first drive
  • At least 1 hour on bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, and lessons on what to do in a traffic stop
  • At least 6 hours behind the wheel, no more than 1 hour a day, with up to four students in the car

When you finish, you get a Certificate of Completion, and the school sends a copy to DPS’s Driver Service Bureau.

DPS certified instructors, home-school students and adults

DPS keeps a list of certified driver’s education instructors, with the towns and counties each one covers, and asks you to contact the instructor you choose to schedule a course. The 2024 law also told DPS to set up a driver education program, starting July 1, 2026, taught around the state and open to home-school students and adults who haven’t taken a course.

Drivers ed for a hardship license

A hardship license, for 15 to 17 year olds who need to drive alone for school, work or family reasons, already requires a certified course. Since July 1, 2026, DPS accepts only certificates from a Mississippi public school or a DPS certified instructor, no matter when you took the course. Your instructor sends the proof to DPS, and the hardship application can’t be approved until it arrives.

Sources: Mississippi DPS Driver Service Bureau · Mississippi Legislature and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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