Maryland Scholarships
Key takeaways:
- Maryland scholarships are awards for residents of Maryland or those who attend school in Maryland.
- Your eligibility to apply to Maryland scholarships may be based on factors like merit, financial need, major, select personal traits, and school of attendance.
- There are Maryland scholarships available to high school juniors, high school seniors, undergraduates, and graduate students; the best one for you will depend on your personal circumstances.
As of 2024, the average cost of attendance at a 4-year public university in Maryland for an in-state student was $23,968; out-of-state students pay even more. Scholarships.com is here to help any student from or attending college in Maryland find the best financial aid available. See below for a list of top Maryland scholarships and more information on how to win them.
The 25 Best Maryland Scholarships with Approaching Deadlines in 2025
What are Maryland scholarships?
Maryland scholarships are financial awards for students from or attending schools in Maryland. These awards may come from a particular institution, organization, club, or individual sponsor, and their amounts may vary. Some may be based on financial need while others may be based on merit. Others are awarded based on individual traits such as minority status.
What every Maryland scholarship has in common, though, is that they do not need to be paid back. This is what sets scholarships apart from student loans and makes them the best option for Maryland students seeking financial aid.
How to apply for Maryland scholarships
Different Maryland scholarships may have different requirements, so the application process may be confusing at first. Luckily, awards listed on Scholarships.com come with a detailed description of all application requirements and the steps you need to take to apply.
When you sign up for a free Scholarships.com account, you will automatically be matched with every Maryland scholarship for which you are eligible. Sort through your matches and choose which awards to prioritize, then follow the instructions listed in each scholarship description to apply. Be sure to start your scholarship search as early as your junior year of high school to ensure you do not miss out on any opportunities.
Many Maryland scholarships will require you to fill out and submit the FAFSA (Federal Application for Student Aid) in order to be eligible for the awards. Though the FAFSA is used to evaluate your eligibility for federal student loans, submitting the FAFSA does not mean you must take out said loans; it just provides the government with your family’s financial information. This is how scholarship providers determine students’ financial need and choose winners.
What are the best Maryland scholarships?
No Maryland scholarship is necessarily better or worse than any other; rather, the best award for a student depends on their personal traits, circumstances, and financial situation. For this reason, any particular award may be the perfect fit for one student and a mismatch for another.
Students should make an account on Scholarships.com to receive scholarship matches tailored to their particular needs if they want to find the best Maryland scholarships in the easiest way possible.
For instance, the Johns Hopkins Tuition-Free Medical Scholarship is a fantastic opportunity for Maryland medical students. Any student admitted to Johns Hopkins’s medical program with significant financial need may apply for the award, which covers the full cost of the recipient’s attendance. However, this is a highly competitive scholarship, so applicants should apply to additional scholarships as well.
The Maryland Tuition Waiver for Foster Care Recipients, on the other hand, is a highly specific and thus less competitive scholarship for Maryland students. Only undergraduate students under the age of 25 who can verify their status as a foster care youth through official Maryland governmental channels qualify for this scholarship.
Additionally, applicants’ foster statuses must align with particular requirements set out by the Maryland State Department of Education to qualify for the Tuition Waiver. Though this scholarship can cover a student’s full tuition, the applicant pool is relatively small, so the award is less competitive than other full-tuition Maryland scholarships.
Frequently asked questions about Maryland scholarships
Finding Maryland scholarships is easy with Scholarships.com. Simply make an account and input your demographic information to be matched with Maryland scholarships that are right for you. You can also use our Scholarship Directory to search for awards by state, including Maryland scholarships.
Because scholarships may be awarded based on a variety of life circumstances, personal traits, and merit, there are all sorts of Maryland scholarships you might qualify for. The more specific a scholarship’s eligibility criteria are, the smaller the applicant pool will be, so it’s best to apply to the most particular scholarships for which you are eligible in order to secure the greatest chance of success.
For instance, the Maryland Tuition Reduction for Nonresident Nursing Students, which allows an out-of-state nursing student to pay in-state costs at any Maryland college’s nursing program, is only available to out-of-state students studying nursing in Maryland. The relatively niche criteria for this scholarship makes it a great choice for applicants it describes.
The best way to find all the Maryland scholarships with small applicant pools for which you can apply is to make an account on Scholarships.com. We use your demographic information to match you with awards for which you are a good candidate. With Scholarships.com’s matches, you can find the perfect Maryland scholarship for you.
There are thousands of scholarships available for high school seniors, including those that attend high schools in Maryland. For example, the renewable $3,000 Howard P. Rawlings Educational Assistance Grant may be the best option for Maryland high school seniors with financial need. Those who do not have financial need might find better value in another scholarship, though; it all depends on the applicant.
If you are a high school senior looking for the best Maryland scholarship, you should make an account on Scholarships.com. We will use your demographics to automatically pair you with the best-fitting Maryland scholarships available.
There are many scholarship opportunities for Maryland graduate students. One highlight is the prestigious nomination-based Herbert Roback Scholarship, which is awarded to graduate students in public policy fields. The scholarship is worth up to $7,500; recipients are recognized at the National Academy of Public Administration annual meeting every November.
The best way to find Maryland scholarships for graduate students is to make an account on Scholarships.com. If you fit the criteria, you will be matched with all scholarships for graduate students in Maryland. You can also use our Scholarship Directory to search for graduate school scholarships or Maryland scholarships in particular.
While many Maryland scholarships do take financial need into account, there are also many that do not, such as the Preventive Measures Legacy Scholarship. This scholarship is worth $2,000 and is awarded to 45 students in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and the D.C. metropolitan area; it is based on major, school year, and merit without consideration to financial need.
Regardless of your financial need, though, many awards will request that you submit the FAFSA as part of your application. Remember, filling out the FAFSA does not require you to take out student loans; it just enables the government to evaluate your family’s financial standing. It’s a good idea to fill out the FAFSA no matter what your financial situation is.
With a Scholarships.com account, you can find awards that fit your particular financial requirements. Simply enter your demographic information and we’ll match you with all the Maryland scholarships you qualify for.