Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship

The Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship is a last dollar award, available to students who plan to enroll in credit-bearing coursework leading to a vocational certificate, certificate, or an associate degree; or in a sequence of credit or non-credit courses that leads to licensure or certification; or in a registered apprenticeship program at a Maryland community college for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Who May Apply?

A) Any high school graduate or GED recipient who is planning to enroll, or is currently enrolled, at a Maryland community college as a candidate in:

1) a credit-bearing vocational certificate;

2) a credit-bearing certificate;

3) ;;;an associate degree program;

4) a sequence of credit or non-credit courses that leads to licensure or certification; or

5) a registered apprenticeship program.

B) Applicants must be eligible for in-state tuition, as determined by the community college in accordance with Title 15 of the Education Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland;

C) High school applicants must have earned an unweighted cumulative GPA of at least a 2.3 or its equivalent:

1) at the end of the first semester of their senior year in high school; or

2) at the end of their senior year in high school.

D) ;;;;Applicants currently or previously enrolled at a community college must have earned either:

1) a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.5 from the community college; or

2) a high school unweighted cumulative GPA of at least a 2.3 or its equivalent at the; ;end of the first semester or end of their senior year in high school.

E) Applicants whose annual adjusted gross income was not more than:

1) $100,000 if the applicant is single or resides in a single-parent household; or

2) $150,000 if the applicant is married or resides in a two-parent household for the 2018 tax year as defined by MHEC;

F) Applicants who have not earned a bachelor's degree or an associate degree; and

G) Applicants who have not been awarded other educational grants or scholarships that cover the applicants' full cost of attendance at community colleges.

Awarding Process

A) The Promise Scholarship is a last dollar award that is calculated to eligible recipients after all State or Federal student financial aid received by the recipient has been applied to their tuition;

B) A recipient selected for Federal verification must submit all required documents and complete the verification process before MHEC can determine the student's award eligibility for the Promise Scholarship;

C) Eligible recipients may receive an award of up to $5,000 per year to cover any remaining tuition and mandatory fee expenses at the community college after all Federal and State financial aid has been applied; and

D) Initial awards will be provided to recipients based on greatest demonstrated financial need as determined by MHEC.