Application Timeline:

• Opening Date: The 2025-2026 academic year application opens April 15, 2025, for individuals employed in Maryland by state agency, nonprofit, or local government serving a specific population. (A listing of eligible employment fields can be found under the additional information.)
• Closing Date: The 2025-2026 academic year application will close on February 21, 2026. 
• Notification Date: While specific notification dates are not provided, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and applicants are advised to submit all required materials promptly to ensure timely processing. 
  

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must work in a listed eligible field
• Must have graduated from a Maryland institution. (Except lawyers, teachers who have not graduated from a Maryland institution must have a resident teacher certificate from MSDE).
• Must be employed full time in the state of Maryland
• Loans cannot be Parent plus loans and cannot be in default.

Income must be within the following income requirements:

                All LARP applicants excluding Nurse Faculty:

                                   If Single $75,000

                                   If Married $150,000

                Nurse Faculty:

                                   If Single $100,000

                                   If Married $185,000

*If married income cannot exceed married max amount and personal income cannot exceed the single max amount.

Application Process & Requirements:

Applicants must submit the online application through the Maryland College Aid Processing System (MDCAPS) by visiting https://mdcaps.mhec.state.md.us. The online application and all required documents must be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Assistance by the closing date.

*Note:  All required documents will be requested and submitted online through each applicant's MDCAPS account.

Initials:

• Prior year Federal or State income tax return

• Employment Verification

• Lender Verification

• Institutional Certification

Renewals:

• Prior year Federal or State income tax return

• Employment Verification

• Lender Verification

Nancy Grasmick Professional Initial Teacher, School Nurse and Mental Health Professional

• Prior year Federal or State income tax return

• Employment Verification

• Lender Verification

• Institutional Certification

• Highest Performance evaluation (for teacher applicants only)

• Teacher- Teach in Science, technology, engineering, or math subjects; OR teach in a school in which at least 75% of the students are enrolled in the free meal program in the state for 2 years.

• School Nurse – Public school nurse” means an individual who;(1) Is licensed as a Registered nurse in accordance with title 8 of the Health Occupations Article; (2) Provides health services in a public school; (3) Is employed by (I) A county school system OR (II) A local health department to provide school health services through an agreement with a county board.

• Mental health Professionals- Any mental health professional who is (1) a public school employee certificated under Title 6, Subtitle 4 of the Education Article and (2) employed in a local school system in the State to provide mental health services, including as a school psychologist, resource psychologist, psychologist coordinator, social worker, social worker supervisor, school counselor, or mental health coordinator.

Urban Teacher Center (UTC)

Must be in your 2nd year of the program and possess a Maryland Resident-Teaching Certificate. You must submit a LARP General application and all required documents by the deadline specified in the "When to Apply" section. UTC applicants are not eligible to receive the lock-in award.

Required Documentation:

 All applicants must submit all required documentation by the due date to be considered for awarding.

Substitution of documents will not be accepted (Only exception to this rule is the institutional certification where an official transcript will be accepted instead of the form and we will accept documentation from the lender site as long as all information is listed on the documentation the same as the lender form.)

Award Amount

Awards will be determined by an applicant's overall reported educational debt at the time of application. Recipients will lock-in to an award level that contains set award amounts. Award funds are distributed annually over a three (3) year period as long as the recipient remains eligible and continues to submit the required annual employment, lender and tax documentation by February 21.

Total Debt                     Overall Award Limit                     Yearly Payment

$75,001 - Over               $30,000                                           $10,000

$40,001 - $75,000        $18,000                                            $6,000

$15,001 - $40,000         $9,000                                              $3,000

$15,000 - Below            $4,500*                                            $1,500*

*Payment amount cannot exceed total debt; amount will be adjusted

Renewal Requirements

Recipients of lock-in awards are required to submit annual employment, lender and tax documentation by the February 21st deadline for each year that they receive funding. Failure to submit required documentation by the deadline or failure to report changes in your employment status and/or salary level throughout the service/award years will make you ineligible for the award.

Service Obligation Requirement

• Applicants are required to remain in an eligible employment field throughout the application cycle. In the event the employment field changes, the applicant must contact MHEC immediately.

​

​

​