Maryland Higher Education FAFSA Updates

Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) Update

Updates on the FAFSA Delays

The U.S. Department of Education recently announced it will postpone the date for sending state higher education agencies, the institutions, and designated scholarship organizations the 2024-2025 Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) data from the students' FAFSA until March. This is critical information and is used by the Maryland Higher Education Commission to determine financial aid eligibility. This means the agency will not have the financial aid information required from the federal government in time to award Maryland students the Guaranteed Access (GA) Grant by the Maryland statutory deadline of April 15. This specific grant is given to students who are most in need of Maryland financial assistance.

While the Maryland Higher Education Commission is currently notifying students of the situation, Acting Secretary Dr. Sanjay Rai is working with the General Assembly to discuss options to ensure all Maryland students will receive the financial aid they are entitled to despite the federal delay.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education released a FAFSA College Support Strategy to provide additional personnel, funding, resources, and technology to help schools and students complete the new FAFSA form and to help colleges prepare to process student records as quickly and accurately as possible. According to the Department announcement, the FAFSA College Support Strategy will focus on lower-resourced schools that may have a smaller number of administrative staff and may utilize older software systems.

This all comes in the wake of the Department announcing that the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) wouldn't be released until December, instead of the normal October 1st release date. To address that delay, and in an effort to support our students, the Maryland HIgher Education Commission extended the date for students to submit their FAFSA to June 1, 2024, allowing students more time to file their FAFSA and qualify for Maryland scholarships.

You can now receive FAFSA Updates directly from the U.S. Department of Education.

Talk to a MHEC Financial Aid Specialist

The Maryland Higher Education Commission has financial aid specialists available to meet with you, virtually, to answer questions and discuss your financial aid options.

Talk to our team about the numerous resources available to assist in locating and obtaining financial assistance. Grants and scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial need, merit, career choice, and other factors. Also ask about scholarships and grants available that you, or someone you know, may be eligible to receive!

To make an appointment, please follow the directions and look for available appointments on Monday,Tuesday, Thursday and Friday each week.

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If you Haven't Heard, A New Financial Aid Tool Helps Streamline the State's Scholarship Application Process

The Maryland Higher Education Commission recently announced a new financial aid tool that streamlines the process when applying for State scholarships and grants.

It was named the MHEC One-App to indicate that now there is just one application for students to review and apply for the 27 scholarships available to them through the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Students who plan to attend a college, university, or career/trade school between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025 may now apply for all of the financial aid programs offered by the State in one convenient location.

To get started, students must log into or create their Maryland College Aid Processing System account, known as their MDCAPS account. Students who do not currently have an account are required to create one, because the new application process (MHEC One-App) is found in the student's MDCAPS account. This includes undocumented students who are eligible for in-state tuition. The new MHEC One-App tool replaces the Maryland State Financial Aid Application (MSFAA), which is also located in their Maryland College Aid Processing System (MDCAPS) account.

Once logged into the MDCAPS account, click on the MHEC One-App link and follow the prompts to review and apply for the 27 scholarships available through the Maryland HIgher Education Commission.