Research · Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Maryland: the 5 state programs and what each asks for
As of October 2026: Maryland has 5 state scholarship programs for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table says what each one pays, who qualifies, and when it closes, in the state's own words.
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Maryland high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
The findings, in plain English
Maryland runs 1 award that turn on grades or scores. Senatorial Scholarship is one of them. 0 of the 3 programs we could read name a GPA, and 0 name a test score. A need-based award asks about family income instead, through the FAFSA.
The state's own pages are the only place these rules live. Every row links to the page the state publishes for that program. The rules and the dollar figures move from year to year, so the page is the thing to read, not a summary of it.
What this table does not tell you. The state agency's own page names 2 more programs in a second table below. Some of those pages give no award figure at all, so those rows carry the name and the link only.
Every state scholarship in Maryland
Read the row, then open the state's own page before you count on a figure.
| Program | Merit or need | What it pays | GPA it asks for | Test score it asks for | Who qualifies | Deadline | Renewable | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard P. Rawlings Guaranteed Access (GA) Grant | Need-based | Maximum award of $18,000 for the 2026-27 award year (up to 100% of calculated financial need for a student's first two academic years) | — | — | Eligible for in-state tuition in Maryland; FAFSA or MHEC One-App naming a Maryland school by March 1, 2026; accepted and enrolling full-time (12 credits/semester) in a regular undergraduate program at an eligible two- or four-year Maryland institution; completed high school or a GED (145-per-module passing score); must begin college within 6 years of finishing high school/GED; under age 26 when first receiving the grant; has not already received a bachelor's degree or an Educational Assistance Grant | March 1, 2026 (FAFSA or MHEC One-App); supporting documentation due August 1, 2026 | — | Source |
| Senatorial Scholarship | Merit and need | 2026-27 award ranges from a $400 minimum to a $14,086 maximum | — | — | Maryland resident; current high school senior, or current/prospective full- or part-time undergraduate or graduate student, or private career school enrollee; must contact the student's own local state Senator for application instructions; FAFSA (or MHEC One-App for undocumented in-state students) required by the Senator's deadline | — | Renewable for up to three years if the recipient remains enrolled and makes satisfactory progress | Source |
| Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship | State award | Last-dollar award covering a student's unmet tuition and mandatory fees at a Maryland community college | — | — | — | — | Renewable for up to two years while continuing to meet eligibility and income requirements | Source |
Every row is a state-funded or state-administered award for a Maryland high school graduate going to an undergraduate program, as of October 2026. A scholarship from a single college, a private foundation award, a federal program and a graduate-only award are all left out. A blank cell means the state's own page does not state it. Dollar figures and GPA floors change every year.
Other programs the state names
The agency's own page lists these too. Where its page gives no award figure, the row carries the name and the link only.
| Program | What it pays | What the page says | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delegate Scholarship | — | — | Source |
| Educational Assistance Grant | — | — | Source |
These rows come from the Maryland agency's own index of programs. A blank award means that index does not state one, not that the program pays nothing.
How to read a state scholarship
State awards come in two shapes. A merit award asks about grades, a course list, or a test score, and it does not care what a family earns. A need-based award asks about income and assets through the FAFSA, and it does not care about grades. Some awards ask about both, and the table calls those merit and need.
The deadline column is the one families miss. For most need-based state aid the deadline is really the FAFSA deadline, and it falls months before a college asks for a decision. A merit award more often has no application at all: the state or the high school nominates the student from records it already holds.
What a family should do with this
Open the official page in the last column for the one or two programs your student plausibly qualifies for, and write down two dates: the state aid deadline and the FAFSA deadline. Those are the two that close. In Maryland the earliest date on this table is the one to put on the calendar first.
Then look past the state. A state award is usually the smaller half of an offer. The college's own merit grid and its net price for your family income move more money than any state program on this page, and both are published.
Questions parents ask
What scholarships does Maryland offer?
Maryland has 5 state scholarship programs for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table says what each one pays, who qualifies, and when it closes, in the state's own words.
Does Maryland have a merit scholarship?
Maryland runs 1 award that turn on grades or scores, and Senatorial Scholarship is one of them.
How do I find the rules for a Maryland scholarship?
Every row links to the page the state publishes for that program. The rules and the dollar figures move from year to year, so the page is the thing to read, not a summary of it.
Method & sources: Programs come from the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), Office of Student Financial Assistance and the agency's own program pages, read in October 2026. The population is a student who graduates from a Maryland high school and enrolls as an undergraduate. A scholarship offered by one college, a private foundation award, a federal program and a graduate-only award are all out of scope. A value the agency's own page does not state is left blank rather than filled from elsewhere, and a page that could not be read drops every figure.
- Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), Office of Student Financial Assistance
- Howard P. Rawlings Guaranteed Access (GA) Grant
- Senatorial Scholarship
- Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship
This brief as data: /research/scholarships-in-maryland.json. Free for editorial use with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).
Related: Merit scholarships by college · State scholarships in every state · High schools in Maryland · Scholarship deadlines