How much is a Maryland Delegate Scholarship?

For 2026-27, Delegate Scholarships range from $200 to $14,086, and Senatorial Scholarships from $400 to $14,086. You can hold both, alongside other state awards, as long as total state scholarship aid doesn't exceed your cost of attendance.

Is the Maryland Senatorial Scholarship from my U.S. Senator?

No. MHEC is explicit that these scholarships come from your state legislative delegation for your district -- your Maryland state Senator -- not your federal U.S. Senators.

Can I use a Delegate or Senatorial Scholarship out of state?

Only in specific cases: if your major isn't offered at any Maryland institution and your legislator agrees (you must also file MHEC's Unique Major application, which was already closed for 2026-27), if you're on active duty and domiciled in Maryland, or if you have a disability and the out-of-state school makes special provisions not available in Maryland.

How to Apply for a Maryland Delegate or Senatorial Scholarship -- Up to $14,086, Through Your State Legislators

Q: How do I apply for a Maryland Delegate or Senatorial Scholarship?

Contact your own state Delegates and state Senator directly -- MHEC doesn't take applications. Find who represents you through the Maryland General Assembly's district lookup, then ask each office for its application instructions and deadline. If a legislator has MHEC award their scholarships for them, you must have filed the FAFSA (or MHEC One-App) by March 1.

To apply for a Maryland Delegate or Senatorial Scholarship, you contact your own state legislators -- not the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). Each of Maryland's state Delegates and Senators awards scholarships to people in their district, worth up to $14,086 each for 2026-27, and each office sets its own application and deadline. Unlike the Guaranteed Access and EA Grants tied to the March 1 deadline, nothing happens automatically.

How to apply for a Maryland Delegate or Senatorial Scholarship, step by step

Find your district and legislators. Use the Maryland General Assembly's district lookup or the State Board of Elections site. You'll have one state Senator and one or more state Delegates -- each is a separate scholarship source.
Contact each office and ask for its scholarship application and deadline. MHEC says to go to the legislator for instructions; there's no single statewide form or date.
File the FAFSA by March 1 anyway. Some legislators ask MHEC's Office of Student Financial Assistance to pick and award their recipients based on need. When they do, MHEC requires the FAFSA by March 1 -- or the MHEC One-App if you're eligible for in-state tuition but can't file the FAFSA.
Send any documents to the legislator's office, not MDCAPS. MHEC says required documentation goes to the Delegate's or Senator's office directly.

Who can get one

Both programs are unusually broad. You qualify if you're a Maryland resident who is any of:

a current high school senior;
a current or prospective full-time or part-time undergraduate;
a current or prospective full-time or part-time graduate student;
a current or prospective private career school student;
an undocumented student eligible for in-state tuition;
someone currently or recently (within two years) enrolled in a community college certificate or licensure program, who can use the award to reimburse those costs.

Full-time means 12+ credits a semester for undergraduates or 9+ for graduate students; part-time is 6-11 undergraduate or 6-8 graduate credits. All majors are eligible at in-state schools.

Delegate vs. Senatorial: the differences that matter

	Delegate Scholarship	Senatorial Scholarship
2026-27 minimum	$200	$400
2026-27 maximum	$14,086	$14,086
Renewal	Not renewable -- reapply every year	Renewable for up to three more years
Who awards it	Your district's state Delegates	Your district's state Senator

The Senatorial renewal requires staying enrolled at least part-time and making satisfactory progress toward a degree; MHEC also allows a fifth undergraduate year in some cases. Both scholarships can be held alongside every other state award -- the GA, the EA, and the rest -- as long as your combined state scholarship aid doesn't exceed your cost of attendance.

Using it outside Maryland

The default is a Maryland two- or four-year college or private career school. MHEC allows three exceptions:

Unique majors. If your major isn't offered at any Maryland institution and your legislator agrees, you can take the award out of state -- but you also have to file MHEC's Unique Major application, which was already closed for 2026-27 as of October 2026. MHEC points to the Academic Common Market as a separate route for some of these majors.
Active-duty military students domiciled in Maryland.
Students with disabilities attending an out-of-state school that makes special provisions not available in Maryland.

What this means for you

Reach out to all of your legislators, not just one. A Senator and each of your Delegates are separate chances at an award, and you can hold more than one.
Ask early. Deadlines are set office by office, so the safest move is to contact them in the fall of senior year and get each date in writing.
Reapply for the Delegate award every year -- it never carries over.
Keep the March 1 FAFSA deadline regardless, since it's required whenever a legislator lets MHEC choose recipients, and it's the only way into the state's larger grants. For more awards families tend to miss, see overlooked scholarships worth applying for.