FREE MONEY FAFSA !
To be eligible to receive federal student aid, you must:
- Be a citizen or eligible noncitizen of the United States.
- Have a valid Social Security Number. (Students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau are exempt from this requirement.)
- Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate, or have completed homeschooling. If you don’t, you may still be eligible for federal student aid if you were enrolled in college or career school prior to July 1, 2012. Go to https://studentaid.ed.gov/eligibility/basic-criteria for additional information.
- Be enrolled in an eligible program as a regular student seeking a degree or certificate.
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress.
- Not owe a refund on a federal student grant or be in default on a federal student loan.
- Register (or already be registered) with the Selective Service System, if you are a male and not currently on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. (Students from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau are exempt from registering; see https://sss.gov for more information.)
- Not have a conviction for the possession or sale of illegal drugs for an offense that occurred while you were receiving federal student aid (such as grants, work-study, or loans). If you have such a conviction, you must complete the Student Aid Eligibility Worksheet to determine if you are eligible for aid or partially eligible for aid.
Many types of federal student aid, such as the Federal Pell Grant or subsidized loans where the government pays the interest while you are in college, also require you to have financial need. Additionally, once you have a bachelor's degree or a first professional degree, you are generally not eligible for Pell or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG).
Other requirements may apply. Contact the financial aid office at your college for more information.
FREE MONEY FROM MARYLAND!
The Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship is a last dollar scholarship that is available to students who enroll at a Maryland community college. Eligible student can receive up to $5,000 to cover any remaining tuition and mandatory fee expenses after Federal or state financial aid has been applied.
Who May Apply?
A Maryland high school graduate or GED recipient eligible for in-state tuition who is planning to enroll or is currently enrolled as a full-time (12 credits semester for credit-bearing courses) student at a Maryland community college in:
· a credit-bearing vocational certificate/certificate/associate degree program;
· a sequence of credit or non-credit courses that leads to licensure of certification; or
· a registered apprenticeship program.
How do I apply?
1. Submit either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) OR Maryland State Financial Aid Application (MSFAA) by March 1.
The MSFAA should only be completed by undocumented individuals who are ineligible to receive federal financial aid
Grade Point Average (GPA) & General Education Development (GED) Requirements for Initial Applicants
High School GPA Requirements
High school seniors must have earned an unweighted cumulative 2.3 GPA at the end of the first semester of their senior year in high school or by the end of their senior year in high school.
Community College GPA requirements
Individuals currently enrolled at a community college must document that they earned a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.5 while previously or currently enrolled at a community college.
GED Requirements
GED applicants must submit a copy of their examination.
Exceptions to submitting a high school transcript: An initial applicant who graduated from high school five or more years before applying for the scholarship is exempt from submitting a high school transcript to document the GPA requirement. Applicants must complete and submit the Promise Affidavit Form online through their MDCAPS account. Click here to access the Promise Affidavit Form.
Income Requirements
Students must be within the required adjusted gross income limits based on the 2020 tax year:
· $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.
Required Documentation
After completing the FAFSA or MSFAA by March 1, eligible applicants must submit certain documentation for further consideration of the award.
MHEC may notify applicants by email of the required documentation to submit. A list of the required documents needed will display in the Maryland College Aid Processing System (MDCAPS) under the Check Application Status screen.
Below you will find a list of required tasks that may be displayed on your MDCAPS account and the type of information that must be uploaded by the established deadline:
GED Examination Transcript – A copy of the GED examination transcript.
High School Transcript must include 1st semester grades from Senior Year – A copy of the high school transcript must include all grades earned up to the first semester (quarter 1 & quarter 2) of senior year in high school. Report cards are not acceptable.
Final High School Transcript – A copy of the high school transcript must include all grades earned up to end of senior year in high school. Report cards are not acceptable.
Community College Transcript – A copy of a Maryland community college transcript that includes cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) and the name the Maryland Community College.
Important Deadlines
March 1: FINAL deadline to submit the FAFSA or MSFAA
June 1: AWARDING performed for renewal recipients
July 15: DEADLINE to submit all required documentation
August 1: AWARDING performed for initial applicants
Renewal Requirements
To remain eligible for the award, recipients must meet the following requirements:
· Continue to be eligible for in-state tuition
· Annually file the FAFSA or MSFAA by March 1
· Continue to meet the adjusted gross income requirements
· Enroll in and complete either:
o A sequence of credit or non-credit courses that leads to licensure of certification; or
o 12 credits at the end of the each semester in a credit bearing program.
· Maintain at least a 2.5 cumulative community college GPA if enrolled in a credit bearing program
· Make satisfactory academic progress toward a vocational certificate/certificate/associate degree
· Participate in a registered apprenticeship program
More information on the condition of award.
What are the Enrollment Requirements?
· All eligible applicants must attend the community college located in their county, or in the case of a regional community college, the region in which they live. Regional community colleges are: Wor-Wic Community College; Chesapeake College; and College of Southern Maryland.
· If the community college located where the applicant lives does not offer the degree or program in which they enrolled, the applicant may attend any other Maryland community college that offers the program.
· Eligible applicants may use the scholarship to attend a community college that has on-campus residential facilities for students.
· Applicants who plan to enroll as candidates in credit-bearing vocational certificates, credit-bearing certificates, or associate degrees must enroll in at least 12 credits per semester at a community college.
· Applicants who plan to enroll in a sequence of credit or non-credit courses that leads to licensure or certification must enroll in the next available courses offered at the community college for their sequence.
Requirements for Non-Credit Applicants
Any applicant who plans to enroll at the community college as a non-credit “Continuing Education” applicant in a sequence of non-credit courses that leads to licensure or certification or a registered apprenticeship program must:
· submit either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) OR Maryland State Financial Aid Application (MSFAA) by March 1, with the understanding that that the MSFAA should only be completed by undocumented individuals who are ineligible to receive federal financial aid; and
· complete the Promise Non-Credit Application online through the MDCAPS portal and meet all other requirements for consideration of the Promise award.
For Continuing Education applicants only, the deadline to complete the application is a rolling deadline for each academic year.
