Howard P. Rawlings
Guaranteed Access (GA) Grant
The Howard P. Rawlings Guaranteed Access
(GA) Grant is a grant that provides postsecondary financial
assistance to eligible in-state students currently enrolled as high school
seniors who will complete a college preparatory program or a student who has
obtained a General Educational Development Diploma (GED), and is under the age
of 26. The amount of the GA Grant equals 100 percent of the student’s financial
need and a student may receive an award for up to $19,100.
How do I become eligible for the GA
Grant?
High School Seniors:
- You must
be eligible for in-state tuition;
- You must
file the Maryland State Financial Aid Application (MSFAA) if eligible for in-state
tuition, but ineligible to receive federal aid. To complete the MSFAA online click here. Click here for more information regarding the Maryland State Financial Aid Application (MSFAA).
- You must
file your FAFSA by March
1;
- You must
demonstrate need and meet certain income requirements;
- You and
your parents (if you are a dependent student) must meet the in-state
tuition requirements per your institution;
- You must
enroll at a two-year or four-year Maryland college or university as a
full-time (12+ credits per semester; audited courses cannot be used to
reach the minimum credit hours required for full-time status),
degree-seeking, undergraduate student;
- You must
have an unweighted cumulative 2.5 high school grade point average (GPA);
- You must
be under the age of 22 at the time of graduating high school; and
- You must
submit all required verification documents no later than April
1.
General Educational Development Diploma (GED) Recipients:
- You must
be eligible for in-state tuition;
- You must
file a separate State financial aid application if eligible for in-state
tuition, but ineligible to receive federal aid.
For more information, visit https://mhec.state.md.us/Pages/MSFAA-FAQS.aspx;
- You must
file your FAFSA by March 1;
- You must
demonstrate need and meet certain income requirements;
- You and
your parents (if you are a dependent student) must meet in-state
requirements per your institution;
- You must
enroll at a two-year or four-year Maryland college or university as a
full-time (12+ credits per semester; audited courses cannot be used to
reach the minimum credit hours required for full-time status),
degree-seeking, undergraduate student;
- You must
have scored a minimum of 165 per module on the diploma (GED) examination;
- You must
be under the age of 26 years at the time of receiving the first award; and
- You must
submit all required verification documents no later than April
1.
Income
Requirements
All students being considered for the
Guaranteed Access Grant for the 2019-2020 academic year, must meet the following
income requirements.
| Family Size |
130% OF POVERTY LEVEL
(NEW) |
150% OF POVERTY LEVEL (RENEWAL) |
| 1 |
$15,678 |
$18,090 |
| 2 |
$21,112 |
$24,360 |
| 3 |
$26,546 |
$30,630 |
| 4 |
$31,980 |
$36,900 |
| 5 |
$37,414 |
$43,170 |
| 6 |
$42,848 |
$49,440 |
| 7 |
$48,282 |
$55,710 |
| 8 |
$53,716 |
$61,980 |
| For each additional person add |
$5,434 |
$6,270 |
How can I be considered?
To be considered, click here for an
overview of the application process. For additional information on how to complete the GA verification forms, please see the links below:
How to Complete the Required
Verification Forms for the GA Grant program
How to Complete the Low Income Form
How Do I Obtain a 2017 IRS Tax Return Transcript:
MHEC
may ask students that are selected for the verification process to confirm
their eligibility for the GA Grant by submitting a 2017 IRS
Tax Return Transcript. This includes as applicable,
a copy of the student's, or student's spouse, and or parent(s) 2017 IRS Tax
Return Transcript.
Tax
Return Transcripts provide taxpayers with a computer-created record of their
tax return which includes most of the line-items filed with the IRS, including
any accompanying forms and schedules.
NOTE:
The 2017 IRS Tax Return Transcript can no longer be mailed from the IRS to a
third party (such as MHEC). This document will only be mailed directly to the
tax filer's address as provided on the tax return. If the tax filer is no
longer living at the address indicated on the tax return, the tax filer will
need to update the address information with the IRS in order for the
Tax Return Transcript to be sent to the correct address. Please be mindful that the IRS allots 5 to 10 calendar days for the requestor Tax
Return Transcript to be delivered.
For
more information regarding obtaining a Tax Return Transcript, please
visit Get Transcript
FAQs.
Is the GA Grant a
Renewable Award?
- To renew an award, you
must maintain satisfactory academic progress at the college you are
attending;
- You must file the FAFSA or
separate State financial aid application no later than March 1 each year;
- You must continue to
demonstrate financial need and be within 150% of the federal income
poverty levels;
- You may continue to receive the
award for a total of three additional years, if you remained enrolled
full-time, in a degree-seeking undergraduate program of study; and
- You must successfully complete
at least 24 credits at the end of your second
academic year of receiving the award and thereafter.
What is the Guaranteed Access Partnership Program (GAPP)?
The
Guaranteed Access Partnership Program (GAPP) provides a matching grant award to
eligible Maryland students who receive a GA Grant and enroll at a participating
Maryland independent college or university as a new undergraduate student.
The Maryland institutions that are participating include: Capitol Technology
University, Goucher College, Hood College, Johns Hopkins University, Loyola
University Maryland, Maryland Institute College of Art, McDaniel College, Mount
St. Mary’s University, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Stevenson University,
St. John’s College, Washington Adventist University, and Washington College.
For more information about the GAPP program, please contact your institution’s
financial aid office so that they may assist you in completing the process.