Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) News Brief

Need Money to Go to College?

The Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship is available for the 2023-2024 academic year to students who enroll at a Maryland community college. Eligible students may receive up to $5,000 to cover any remaining tuition and mandatory fee expenses after Federal or State financial aid has been applied.

The student may apply for the 2023-2024 scholarship if they are planning to enroll at a community college as a candidate for a vocational certificate, a certificate, an associate degree, or participates in a registered apprenticeship after graduating from a high school or successfully completing a GED in Maryland.

All interested applicants must submit either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) OR Maryland State Financial Aid Application (MSFAA) by March 1 each year.

Important Promise Scholarship Deadlines:

March 1:    FINAL deadline to submit the FAFSA or MSFAA

June 1:       MHEC awards renewal recipients

July 15:      Deadline to submit all required documentation

August 1:   MHEC awards initial applicants

For all applicant eligibility requirements, including how to sign up for a MDCAPS account can be found on the MHEC website.   If you have questions, call the Office of Student Financial Assistance at 410-767-3300 and follow the prompt to press #1. You can also meet virtually with a financial aid specialist to talk more about your options when applying for financial aid to achieve your higher education goals.

Maryland's Higher Education Secretary Announces $2.3 Million in Nurse Faculty Funding 

The Nurse Support Program II (NSP II) will administer $2.3 million in faculty funding to continue increasing Maryland’s academic capacity to educate nurses. There are 46 newly nominated nursing faculty receiving the New Nursing Faculty Fellowship (NNFF) and will be awarded a total of $50,000, over a five-year period. The recipients will receive $10,000 this year and $10,000 each consecutive year. In addition, 148 previously awarded nurse faculty received their ongoing disbursements, of $10,000 each, based on continued full-time employment in good standing. “This program allows new nursing faculty to have a competitive advantage regarding the technological advancements available and provide a workforce that is equipped with the tools required to meet the countless demands on our hospitals and healthcare providers,” Secretary Fielder said. The NNFF awards, totaling $2,300,000, were in response to 65 nomination requests from the Maryland Deans and Directors of Nursing Programs. There were 46 awards made among ten universities and eight community colleges in Maryland, and include: Bowie State University Coppin State University Frostburg State University Johns Hopkins University Morgan State University  Notre Dame of Maryland University Salisbury University Stevenson University Towson University University of Maryland, Baltimore Allegany College of Maryland Anne Arundel Community College College of Southern Maryland Community College of Baltimore County Frederick Community College Howard Community College Montgomery College Prince George’s Community College “The program is recognized as an effective recruitment and retention tool for new nurse faculty across the state, while showing an increase in the number of awards going to our underrepresented groups in nursing,” NSP II Administrator Dr. Peg E. Daw said. This is an annual awarding process instituted in 2005, with new nominations due every August. The recipients are evaluated at the 5-year mark of employment, where findings indicate nine out of ten remain employed full-time at a Maryland nursing program.  The Nurse Support Program is funded by the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) and administered by MHEC.  Over the years, the Nurse Support Program, both NSP I and NSP II (originally Nurse Education Support Program) has been expanded to encourage new and innovative approaches to address the challenges and demands facing nursing. To learn more about the NSP II, please go to https://nursesupport.org/nurse-support-program-ii/grants/statewide-initiatives/-new-nursing-faculty-fellowship-nnff-/

A Note from Maryland Higher Education Secretary Dr. James Fielder Regarding Enrollment

The Opening Fall Enrollment dashboard provides a preliminary snapshot view of enrollments at Maryland higher education institutions in Fall 2022, as well as a 10-year trend of overall enrollment.

Secretary Fielder responded to the dashboard by saying that higher education has faced many challenges since COVID-19, and has faced additional challenges with the spread of the pandemic. The switch over of the colleges and other institutions to provide online education has allowed students to have greater choices in what courses they are going to take and the programs they are going to enroll in. The impact on Maryland is real and we may see a slight decrease in overall enrollment and an increase in our first-time, full-time undergraduate students, and we expect that increase in enrollment to continue. 

The dashboard data shows that overall enrollment in higher education in Maryland has decreased by 1.3% since Fall 2021, which is in line with the national trend of 1.1%. A bright spot is the increase in first-time, full-time undergraduate enrollment, which is up 4.7% from last year; this is markedly higher than the national data, which shows a 1.5% increase.

For more information, view the 2022 Opening Fall Enrollment Maryland Higher Education Institutions - November 2022 full report.