The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) is offering an opportunity for Maryland residents, who started a degree but did not finish, a financial incentive to complete their degree by having the state help pay for tuition. The Maryland Higher Education Commission is currently working to encourage near completers to re–enroll in an institution of higher education to earn a degree.
Awards will be made to eligible students beginning in the 2019-2020 academic year.
A Near Completer refers to an individual who has attended a two-year or four-year educational institution and has completed college credits but does not have a college degree and is no longer attending an institution of higher education.
Specifically, a Maryland Near Completer is someone who has:
- Earned at least 45 credit hours attending a community college or;
- Earned at least 90 credit hours attending a public four-year educational institution; and
- Earned a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on a scale of 4.0 while attending the institutions
This page is dedicated to introducing new resources available to individuals who are interested in returning to college and earning their first degree:
- Fill out your FASFA- www.fafsa.gov after October 1, 2018 for the 2019-2020 award year
- How will I know if my school participates in this program? This program is open to Maryland community colleges and public institutions of higher education. MHEC will post a list of participating institutions on its website, please continue to monitor this page for updates on participating institutions.
- What will you need to re-enroll? – Contact your institutions to identify what is needed for you to re-enroll.
Beginning in July of 2019, a near completer who re-enrolls for the 2019-2020 academic year at a community college will be eligible for up to one-third of the in-county tuition charge. Near completers who re-enroll in a Public four-year institution will be eligible for up to one-third of the (in state) undergraduate tuition charge.
The grant may be used for tuition only after all non-loan aid has been applied.
Grants will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please check back, as we will update the information as it becomes available.