How much is the Maryland Educational Assistance Grant?

Between $400 and $3,000 a year for 2026-27, based on your college's cost of attendance, your housing situation, and your calculated need. A student whose need comes out below $400, or whose need is already fully met, receives no award.

How do I apply for the Maryland Educational Assistance Grant?

There's no separate application. File the FAFSA (or the MHEC One-App, if you're eligible for in-state tuition but can't file the FAFSA) by March 1 with at least one Maryland college listed. MHEC's MDCAPS system automatically considers every student who meets the basic eligibility rules.

Can I get the Guaranteed Access Grant if I already received the EA Grant?

No. MHEC's 2026-27 Guaranteed Access Grant FAQ states that if you've previously received the Educational Assistance Grant, you can't be considered for the GA, regardless of later changes to your financial circumstances.

Can the Maryland EA Grant be used out of state?

Only in one narrow case: a deaf or hearing-impaired student attending an out-of-state institution that makes special provisions not available at Maryland institutions. Otherwise the EA must be used at an eligible Maryland two- or four-year college.

Maryland Educational Assistance Grant: $400 to $3,000 a Year, and the Rule That Blocks the GA Later

The Maryland Educational Assistance Grant pays $400 to $3,000 a year to full-time students with financial need, renewable for up to four years in total. It's the second half of Maryland's Howard P. Rawlings Educational Excellence Awards, alongside the much larger Guaranteed Access Grant. Like the GA, it has no application of its own -- the FAFSA or MHEC One-App filed by March 1 is how you're considered.

How much the Maryland EA Grant pays

The 2026-27 range is $400 minimum, $3,000 maximum. MHEC figures the award from your college's cost of attendance and your housing situation (on campus, off campus, or with parents), using this need formula:

Step	Item
Start with	Cost of attendance as calculated by MHEC's Office of Student Financial Assistance (adjusted for housing)
Add or subtract	A regional cost-of-living adjustment
Subtract	Your Student Aid Index (SAI)
Subtract	Certain other state awards, if you received them
Subtract	Your federal Pell Grant
Equals	Adjusted financial need

Because the Pell Grant comes out first, the EA fills part of the gap Pell leaves rather than stacking on top of it. If the adjusted need is under $400, there's no award. All EA awards depend on available funding, and MHEC expected 2026-27 awarding to start in summer 2026 and run until the money ran out.

Who's eligible

MHEC's 2026-27 rules require that you:

be eligible for in-state tuition in Maryland;
be a high school senior or already enrolled full-time (12 credits a semester) in a degree program at an eligible Maryland two- or four-year college;
show financial need under the formula above;
not already hold a bachelor's degree;
have at least one Maryland college listed on your FAFSA or One-App by March 1.

There's no income ceiling written into the EA itself -- need is what decides it. That's the main contrast with the GA, which is limited to families at or below 130% of the poverty guidelines; a student with real need but income above that line can still qualify for the EA.

The one-way rule: an EA Grant rules out the GA permanently

This is the detail most families don't know until it's too late. MHEC's 2026-27 GA FAQ states that if you've ever received an Educational Assistance Grant, you can't be considered for the Guaranteed Access Grant, "regardless of changes to financial circumstances." A student who receives a $1,500 EA as a freshman and then sees family income fall under the GA line has still lost access to a grant worth up to $18,000.

The reverse isn't blocked: MHEC says a student who loses GA eligibility may, depending on circumstances, be considered for the EA. And the late-filer Campus-Based EA Grant doesn't count against you -- the FAQ confirms a CBEAG recipient who has never received the regular EA can still be considered for the GA.

Keeping it for four years

The EA renews for up to three more years, subject to funding. Each year you must refile the FAFSA or One-App by March 1, still show need, stay full-time at a Maryland institution, and maintain your college's satisfactory academic progress standards. After two years of the award, the same credit-completion rule as the GA applies: 30 credits a year for the full amount, 24-29 for a prorated one.

Documents you might be asked for

MHEC says most EA students won't be asked for anything. Requests go to dependent One-App filers (a parent signature page), male One-App filers 18 or older (proof of Selective Service registration, which must be in before the award can pay), and FAFSA filers with no family size listed (a verification form). The 2026-27 deadline was August 1, 2026, uploaded through MDCAPS.

What this means for you

File by March 1 every year. Missing it once drops you to the smaller, campus-run late-filer pool, and renewal there isn't guaranteed.
Know which side of the GA line your family is on. If your income is close to 130% of poverty, it's worth understanding the GA's exact limits before you accept an EA award.
Stack it with the programs that aren't automatic. The EA can sit alongside a Delegate or Senatorial Scholarship, which you have to request from your legislators directly.