Maryland Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant

Awarded By:

Maryland Higher Education Commission

Number of Awards & Eligibility: The number of awards offered varies annually. Funds may not be available to award all eligible applicants.

Description: This award is available for Maryland students who are planning to attend a Maryland postsecondary institution. The student must be enrolled in a program of study currently experiencing a statewide and regional workforce need and plan on working in that specific career/occupational program upon graduation.

Application requirements for the Maryland Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant are:

• Application form
• Official Transcript
• FAFSA (for need-based eligibility)

Additional Information: The Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant (WSSAG) program is for students who plan on working in specific career/occupational programs upon graduation. Qualifications and selection of recipients are based on both merit and demonstrated financial need. Applicants will be ranked by grade point average and then by need within each occupational field. Those students with the greatest need within each grade point average range will be awarded first. Each recipient must sign and return a promissory note agreeing to begin fulfillment of his/her service obligation in the employment field for which his/her award was received within one year of completing his/her degree (the degree for which he/she received the award, not a subsequent degree). If the student works full time, he/she must fulfill his/her obligation at a rate of one year for each year that he/she received the scholarship, even if he/she was enrolled on a part-time basis for some of the semesters. If he/she works part time, he/she must fulfill his/her service obligation at a rate of two years for each year the scholarship was received, even if he/she was enrolled on a part-time basis. Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week and part-time is at least 20 hours per week. The service obligation begins after completion of the student's degree program, and cannot be fulfilled prior to completion. If the student holds this scholarship with any other award requiring a service obligation, he/she must perform his/her service in consecutive years.

Award Amount: Award amounts are set at the statutory minimum and are based on the type of institution and the student's enrollment status. The award is $2,000 per year if attending a Maryland community college full-time (12+ credits per semester) or $1,000 per year if part-time (6-11 credits per semester). The award is $4,000 per year if attending a Maryland four-year institution full-time (12+ credits per semester for undergraduate; 9+ credits per semester for graduate) or $2,000 per year if part-time (6-11 credits per semester for undergraduate; 6-8 credits per semester for graduate). The total dollar amount of all state awards may not exceed a student's cost of attendance as determined by the school's financial aid office or $19,000, whichever is less. Awards are automatically renewed for up to a maximum of five years providing the student continues to meet all the eligibility requirements and maintains satisfactory academic progress.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $3,001.