College Promise Scholarship and Homeschoolers
The Maryland College Promise Scholarship is a last dollar award available to qualifying students to attend a community college or apprenticeship program. This scholarship is given in addition to any funds a student may receive through Pell grants or other scholarships. The Promise Scholarship is renewable.
When the Promise Scholarship was first established, the Maryland Higher Education Commission implemented some unnecessary application steps for homeschoolers. Effective 2020, MHEC – in response to urging from the Maryland Homeschool Association – will no longer require Maryland homeschool graduates, who review through their county, to complete the GED in order to qualify for the Promise Scholarship.
Deadlines to Meet:
March 1st
Complete your FAFSA and submit your Maryland State Financial Aid Application online through MDCAPS.
May 1st
Submit all documentation for final review. Late submissions are NOT accepted.
Income Eligibility
- $100,000 if the applicant is single or resides in a single-parent household; OR
- $150,000 if the applicant is married or resides in a two-parent household for the 2018 tax year as defined by the Maryland Higher Education Commission
Academic Eligibility
- Earned an unweighted cumulative GPA of at least 2.3 or its equivalent at the end of the first semester of the senior year in high school; AND
- Graduated from high school within two (2) years of applying for the Promise Scholarship; OR
- Successfully completed a GED
What This Means For Homeschoolers
- Homeschool parents must submit a 1-page transcript that documents the courses their student has completed as part of their high school graduation.
- Maryland state graduation requirements are NOT used to determine if a homeschooler has graduated high school.
- If families do not issue senior-year semester grades for their homeschooler, they can have their county homeschool liaison OR their umbrella coordinator stamp a letter written by the parent verifying such.
Post-Secondary Eligibility
- Eligible for Maryland in-state tuition
- Has not earned a bachelor’s degree or an associate degree
- Enrolled in a public community college as a candidate in
- a credit-bearing vocational certificate,
- a credit-bearing certificate,
- an associate degree program;
- a sequence of credit or non-credit courses that leads to licensure or certification; or
- in a registered apprenticeship program
Service Obligation
- Recipients of the Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship Program must sign an agreement to live in Maryland and work full- time at the completion of their program. Failure to do so results in their award converting to a loan, which must be repaid.
More Information
Contact the Maryland Higher Education Commission’s Office of Student Financial Assistance at (410) 767-3300 for further information about applying for the Maryland College Promise Scholarship.
Last modified on February 26, 2020
