Maryland Higher Education Commission

Maryland Higher Education Commission

If you're looking for loan information at the MHEC website, you need to know that in Maryland, a federal loan is called an "award".

So, Maryland has your basic off-the-shelf federal student loans as their major loan program.

But the state also offers a number of tuition assistance programs where the applicant is required to perform service and sign a promissory note:

• Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant (WSSAG)- for careers in: child care; human services; teaching; nursing; physical and occupational therapy; and public service- awards from $1,000- $4,000 per year- awards are both need-based and merit- service obligation is 1 year for each award
• Tuition Reduction for Non-Resident Nursing Students- for undergraduate nursing majors at Maryland colleges from other states- reduces nursing school tuition to resident level- no set amounts- service obligation is 4 years for a 4-year college and 2 years for a 2-year college regardless of how many years the award was given- if obligation is not met the difference in tuition must be paid back with interest
• Optometry Tuition Reduction Program- for Maryland residents in an optometry program- $8,275 per year- not need-based- service obligation is 1 year for each award- broken obligation requires amount repaid with interest
• Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship and Living Expenses Grant- for Maryland residents who are graduate students paying nursing school tuition- the scholarship amount is up to $13,000 per year and the living expenses grant is up to $25,000 per year- scholarship is merit-based and the grant is need-based- obligation is 2 years service for each 1 year of award- must be paid back with interest if the obligation is broken
• Maryland Dent-Care Loan Assistance Repayment Program (MDC-LARP)- for practising dentists- repays student loans up to $23,000 per year- must remain practicing dentist and maintain at least 30 % patients as MMAP recipients
• Loan Assistance Repayment Program Primary Care Services (LARP-PCS)- for primary care physicians and primary care medical residents- between $25,000 and $30,000 per year- not need-based- must practice in an underserved area in Maryland for two to four years
• Janet L. Hoffman Loan Assistance Repayment Program (LARP)- for Maryland residents who provide public service in Maryland to low income or underserved residents- award is by level of loan debt...over $75,000 gets $30,000 down to below $15,000 gets $4,500
• Charles W. Riley Fire and Emergency Medical Services Tuition Reimbursement Program- for Maryland resident active career or volunteer firefighters, ambulance or rescue squad members- amount is dollar amount of tuition charges-agreement to serve while in college and for 1 year after that

USA funds is the student loan guarantor for the state of Maryland. Its alternative loans are not overseen by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.