Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Maryland
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every Maryland college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our Maryland scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $6,500 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
Maryland's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Guaranteed Access Grant
A need-based grant of up to $18,000 a year for Maryland students whose family income is at or below 130% of the poverty guideline. It renews for up to three more years.
Source: Maryland Higher Education Commission, Office of Student Financial Assistance
“The maximum Guaranteed Access Grant award amount for the 2026-27 award year is $18,000.”
“family income that is at or below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines for the prior-prior tax year.”
“Guaranteed Access Grant can be renewed for up to 3 years.”
Educational Assistance Grant
A need-based grant of up to $3,000 a year for Maryland students who show need. The amount comes from the cost of attendance less the Student Aid Index and any Pell Grant.
Source: Maryland Higher Education Commission, Office of Student Financial Assistance
“A student may receive an award of up to $3,000”
“OSFA-Calculated Cost of Attendance (adjusts based on housing status) +/- Regional Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) - Student Aid Index (SAI) - Certain State Awards (if awarded) - Federal Pell Grant = OSFA Adjusted Financial Need”
“Maximum annual award amount: $3,000 | Minimum annual award amount: $400”
Senatorial Scholarship
A scholarship from your district's state senator for Maryland residents at a Maryland college, full or part time. Ask your senator's office how to apply. In 2026-2027 it pays $400 to $14,086.
Source: Maryland Higher Education Commission, Office of Student Financial Assistance
“The Maryland Senatorial Scholarship is offered to Maryland residents who plan to pursue a postsecondary credential full-time”
“These scholarships are offered/awarded through your state delegation for your district, not through your federal delegation, which includes your U.S. Senators.”
“Current or prospective students should contact their local Senator for instructions on how to apply.”
“2026-2027 Award Minimum: $400 2026-2027 Award Maximum: $14,086”
Delegate Scholarship
A scholarship from your district's state delegates for Maryland residents at a Maryland college, full or part time. Ask your delegates' offices how to apply. In 2026-2027 it pays $200 to $14,086.
Source: Maryland Higher Education Commission, Office of Student Financial Assistance
“or part-time (6-11 credits undergraduate or 6-8 credits graduate per semester) at a two-year or four-year Maryland college, university or private career school.”
“Current or prospective students should contact their local State Delegate for instructions on how to apply.”
“2026-2027 Award Minimum: $200 2026-2027 Award Maximum: $14,086”
Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship
For Maryland residents who qualify through their own military or public safety service, or a parent's or spouse's. That includes the children of service members who died or were fully disabled in service. Apply to the college by July 15.
Source: Maryland Higher Education Commission, Office of Student Financial Assistance
“The Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program provides student financial assistance to certain Maryland residents due to their eligible military or public safety service or due to their eligible family or marital relationship to such an individual.”
“The son, daughter, or stepchild of a member of the United States Armed Forces who died as a result of military service or who suffered a service-connected 100% permanent disability as result of military service.”
“Applicants should apply to their institution by July 15 of each year.”
Maryland's 529 tax deduction
Money you put into a Maryland 529 account comes off your Maryland income, up to $2,500 a year for each child, and more can come off over the next ten years. Take money out for anything other than school costs and there may be Maryland tax to pay.
Source: Maryland 529, Tax Advantages
“If you are the account owner or a contributor, you can subtract up to $2,500 per beneficiary from your Maryland state income for contributions in that calendar year.”
“Contributions in excess of $2,500 per beneficiary can be subtracted for up to the next 10 years.”
“In addition, there may be Maryland tax consequences for your contributions.”
Maryland also has scholarships for future teachers, nurses and other careers. See the Higher Education Commission's list.
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowie State University public | None published | — | $25,939 |
| Coppin State University public | None published | — | $23,027 |
| Frostburg State University public | None published | — | $28,920 |
| Hood College private |
| — | $70,158 |
| Johns Hopkins University private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay; Johns Hopkins Tuition Promise: $0 parent cost tier; Johns Hopkins Tuition Promise: free tuition tier | $96,215 |
| Loyola University Maryland private | None published | — | $85,562 |
| Maryland Institute College of Art private | None published | — | $82,529 |
| McDaniel College private |
| — | $74,268 |
| Morgan State University public | None published | — | $30,601 |
| Mount St. Mary's University private |
| — | $71,592 |
| Salisbury University public | None published | — | $28,143 |
| St. Mary's College of Maryland public | None published | — | $34,562 |
| Stevenson University private |
| — | $61,427 |
| Towson University public | None published | — | $30,946 |
| University of Maryland public |
| Terrapin Commitment: in-state tuition and mandatory fees after other aid, for Maryland students with a total family income of $75,000 or less (or a Pell Grant) | $31,063 |
| University of Maryland Baltimore County public | None published | — | $31,984 |
| University of Maryland Eastern Shore public | None published | — | $23,985 |
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
3 more Maryland colleges have no page here. For 1 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- University of Maryland Global Campus
- United States Naval Academy
- University of Baltimore
Across state lines
The Academic Common Market, run by the Southern Regional Education Board.
Coming to Maryland from another southern state
Students from the other states in the market pay in-state tuition at a public college that takes part, but only for a degree their own state's public colleges don't offer.
These 7 colleges in Maryland take part:
- Bowie State University
- Coppin State University
- Frostburg State University
- Morgan State University
- St. Mary's College of Maryland
- University of Baltimore
- UMBC
Going from Maryland to another southern state
A Maryland student admitted to such a program in another of these states applies to Maryland to be certified as a resident. The program search shows which programs are open to Maryland students.
Source: Southern Regional Education Board, Academic Common Market
“is a tuition-savings program for college students in 15 SREB states who want to pursue degrees that are not offered by public institutions in their home state.”
“Students can enroll in out-of-state institutions and pay the institution’s in-state tuition rates for more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate programs.”
“Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Florida and Texas participate only at the graduate level.”
“Once admitted to the institution, contact your state ACM coordinator and complete the ACM application process in your home state to be certified as a state resident.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $6,500 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our Maryland scenarios. Each scenario is a household in Maryland at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest, the federal tax credit and Maryland's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in Maryland.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.