The University System of Maryland (USM) Regents Scholarships are the most prestigious scholarships awarded by the USM office. These full scholarships for Maryland residents from Maryland community colleges cover the cost of tuition and required fees, a room and meal plan (or the institution's calculated off-campus housing and food costs), and a $1,000 annual stipend for educational expenses. They may be used at any USM institution that awards undergraduate degrees. Some are restricted for those who have demonstrated financial need. All can be renewed for up to four semesters if eligibility is maintained.

The USM also offers some partial scholarships that provide funding for expenses that are part of the cost of attendance at a four-year USM institution. These partial scholarships range from $2,000 - $4,000 per academic year and are renewable for up to four semesters.

Use this single application to apply for all the USM scholarships. If you are not awarded one of the highly competitive Regents Scholarships, your application will be considered for one of the other scholarship programs offered.

Students entering USM directly from high school, including those finishing an associate degree, are not eligible for these transfer scholarships because they are classified as high-school students with advanced standing and therefore apply to USM Institutions as freshmen eligible for first-year scholarships and housing.

To be eligible, a student must:

• Be seeking their first bachelor's degree;
• Be a Maryland resident for at least one year prior to entering the USM institution (see USM policy on residency for admission and tuition);
• Have earned a Maryland community college associate degree or at least 56 credits toward an associate degree;
• Have an excellent community college grade average (GPA should be close to a 4.0 to be competitive for the Regents Scholarships);
• For some scholarships, have a demonstrated financial need.

There is an application form, plus the application requires at least one recommendation from the community college, an essay, and evidence of creative or scholarly activity. The essay should not exceed 500 words and describes the applicant's personal and professional goals and how a bachelor's degree will help achieve them. AI should not be used to write the essay as AI tends to make the writer's voice less distinctive, and in this case the individual voice is critical to success. Applicants should submit evidence of scholarly or creative activities - limit of two items. As examples, students could submit scanned copies of artwork, creative projects, research papers, or published material; other options are a video or a list of honors, awards, curriculum vitae, etc.