The state of Maryland, smack in the center of the mid-Atlantic region’s bustling corridor of cities that includes New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Baltimore, has long been home to some of the finest schools in the country. These schools include, among others, the University of Maryland-College Park, considered one of the top public research schools in the country, as well as The Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore, has produced thirty-six Nobel prize winners over the course of its history.
With these monumental accredited institutions looming all around them, Maryland students grow up in an academic culture. In fact, from 2009 to 2013, Education Week ranked Maryland as having the best public education in the country. Below are a few scholarships for students in Maryland:
JLB Young Women Voluntarism Scholarship
Deadline: March 31, 2020
Amount: $1,000
The city of Baltimore has had to navigate a rough road over the past few years. The Junior League of Baltimore, a foundation established to encourage young women to involve themselves more in their city’s community, offers this scholarship to a graduating high school senior who best exemplifies their values. This includes an outstanding record of volunteering, academic excellence, as well as a great potential for the future.
To be eligible, a student must be a resident of a county in the immediate Baltimore metropolitan area, as well as a member of the JLB that plans to attend a two or four-year college upon completing high school. The funds go directly to the student’s university of choice.
Chesapeake Bay Trust Student of the Year
Deadline: TBD for 2020 (Opens September 2020)
Amount: $5,000
Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, is nearly 200 miles long and is teeming with marine life, such as wild oysters, clams, and Maryland’s famed blue crabs. In recent years, the bay has become the center of controversy, with groups such as the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) raising questions of the bay’s growing pollution problem and its effect on the fragile marine habitat.
In a similar vein to the JLB scholarship, the CBT awards active students who show a commitment to improving the Chesapeake Bay community through promoting environmental awareness. Students at Maryland high schools and colleges alike are eligible for the grant, which provides five thousand dollars towards college tuition.
Cynthia E. Morgan Memorial Scholarship
Deadline: February 25
Amount: $1,000
Established in memory of Cynthia Morgan, a beloved member of the Baltimore community who tragically passed away from stomach cancer in 2004, this scholarship aims to assist first-generation college students with their secondary educations in medical fields.
According to the fund’s website, Mrs. Morgan was passionate about the importance of education and provided endless encouragement to her son John, the first member of their family to attend college. After Mrs. Morgan’s passing, her family felt it was only appropriate to honor both their matriarch’s legacy and the hospital workers who provided comfort and aid to her with the establishment of the scholarship.
To be eligible, students must be full-time residents of Maryland, first-generation college students, and also plan to study medicine (or a medicine-related field) at a Maryland institution of higher learning.
Doug Parker Memorial Scholarship
Deadline: TBD for 2021-2022
Amount: $2,500
The Parker Scholarship helps students in Howard County that have had either their own lives or the life of an immediate family member affected by cancer.
In order to be eligible to apply, students must have been between the ages of 15-39 during either their own diagnosis or the diagnosis of a parent/sibling. The scholarship awards $2,500 for two semesters of college, paid directly to a school of their choice.
Maryland Graduate and Professional School Scholarship
Deadline: Varying
Amount: $5,000
Similar to programs in other states, Maryland provides help to students who aim to further their education but are financially unable to do so. The Graduate and Professional Scholarship provides financial help for already-enrolled college students in the fields of “dentistry, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, social work, and veterinary medicine.”
The award is based on need, which is in turn based on a student’s FAFSA status. The maximum award is $5,000, which is also renewable for up to eight semesters at certain Maryland institutions of higher learning. However, in order for a student to renew the scholarship, certain academic standards must be met. Students must also file a FAFSA form each year.
MD & DC Credit Union Scholarship
Deadline: March 31, 2020
Amount: $1,000
Some believe the brain is divided into two sections for critical thinking. The left is analytical, calculating, excelling in science, mathematics, and the like. On the other hand, the right is creative, energetic, and free-flowing. Many scholarship opportunities cater to the left-brained, but those students who prefer their right half have an opportunity to make up ground with the imagination-based MD & DC Scholarship.
Each year, the Maryland & DC Credit Union holds an essay, photography and video contest for a reward of $1,000 to be paid towards college tuition. The scholarship awards ten students for their essays and one student each for the photography and video categories for a total of $1,000. Themes are also provided for each contest.
| Lender | Rates (APR) | Eligibility | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
5.50%-16.12%* Variable
3.99%-15.61%* Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT CITIZENS |
|
|
5.54% - 15.70% Variable
3.99% - 15.49% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT SALLIE MAE |
 |
4.63% - 17.99% Variable
3.49% - 17.99% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT CREDIBLE |
 |
6.00% - 13.75% Variable
3.99% - 13.75% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT LENDKEY |
 |
5.66% - 14.72% Variable
3.69% - 14.56% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT ASCENT |
 |
3.70% - 8.75% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT ISL |
 |
5.62% - 16.85% Variable
3.69% - 16.49% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT EARNEST |
 |
5.00% - 14.22% Variable
3.69% - 14.22% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT ELFI |
