Maryland Higher Education Commission directs a statewide portfolio of student financial aid programs for Maryland residents through its Office of Student Financial Assistance. Its work on this page centers on helping students prepare for and pay for college by administering state grants, scholarships, and loan assistance repayment programs, and by connecting applicants to deadlines, application support, and virtual appointments for financial aid questions. The commission’s financial aid structure serves multiple student populations across Maryland, including undergraduates, graduate and professional students, transfer students, part-time students, dual-enrollment students, and residents pursuing private career school or community college study.
The commission’s programs span several distinct categories. Need-based aid includes the Guaranteed Access Grant, which covers 100 percent of a student’s financial need for the first two years of receiving the award, the Educational Assistance Grant, the Campus-Based Educational Assistance Grant for students who missed the March 1 FAFSA or MHEC One App deadline, the 2+2 Transfer Scholarship for Maryland community college students moving to a four-year institution in the state, the Part-Time Grant, the Graduate & Professional Scholarship Program, and the Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship, identified as a last-dollar scholarship. Legislative Scholarships extend support through Delegate and Senatorial Scholarship programs for Maryland residents, including some students attending out-of-state institutions if they meet stated exemptions.