There is a program of senatorial scholarships in this State that are awarded under this subtitle.

Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, each applicant for a senatorial scholarship shall: Take a competitive examination administered by the Office; and Be accepted for admission in the regular undergraduate, graduate, or professional program at an eligible institution; or Be enrolled in a 2–year terminal certificate program in which the course work is acceptable for transfer credit for an accredited baccalaureate program in an eligible institution. An applicant is exempt from the examination if the applicant: Is attending an eligible institution and has completed at least 1 year in good academic standing at the institution; Graduated from high school at least 5 years before application for a senatorial scholarship; Is accepted for admission to a private career institution, if the institution’s curriculum is approved by the Commission, and the institution is accredited by a national accrediting association approved by the United States Department of Education; or Is planning to attend or is attending a Maryland community college. An applicant is exempt from the requirements of paragraph (1) of this subsection if the applicant is or was enrolled in a certificate or license program, course, or sequence of courses at a community college that leads to certification or licensure. Each applicant shall: Be eligible for in–State tuition under this article; and At the time of the applicant’s initial application, be domiciled in the legislative district from which the applicant seeks an award. Each applicant shall demonstrate to the Office a definite financial need, and each Senator shall consider the financial need of each applicant. Each Senator is the final judge of the financial need of each applicant to whom the Senator awards a scholarship, and the Office may not negate the Senator’s judgment or impose requirements of time or procedure. Each applicant shall accept any other conditions attached to the award.

If a Senator serves from a legislative district composed of more than one county, the number of scholarship units shall be divided as equally as possible among qualified applicants from each county in the legislative district.

Until June 30, 2019, each Senator may award $34,500 of senatorial scholarships each year. Beginning July 1, 2019, each Senator may award senatorial scholarships each fiscal year in an amount that may not exceed the total of: The amount authorized to be awarded the previous year; and The amount of the increase over the previous year in the tuition and mandatory fees of an undergraduate program at the 4–year public institution of higher education within the University System of Maryland, other than the University of Maryland Global Campus and University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus, with the highest annual expenses for a full–time resident undergraduate. The annual allocation under subsection (a) of this section applies to initial–year awards. After 4 years of operation, the annual allocation to each Senator for initial–year and continuing awards may not exceed four times the amount of the Senator’s allocation under subsection (a) of this section. If a recipient moves to the legislative district of another Senator, the allocation to the recipient shall continue to be drawn on the account of the Senator who originally awarded the scholarship. A senatorial scholarship may be awarded in $100 increments. An award for a single year may not be less than $400 or more than the equivalent annual tuition and mandatory fees of an undergraduate program at the 4–year public institution of higher education within the University System of Maryland, other than the University of Maryland Global Campus and University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus, with the highest annual expenses for a full–time resident undergraduate.

Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, a senatorial scholarship may be used only at any community college or undergraduate, graduate, or professional school in the State. A senatorial scholarship may be used: If the curriculum is approved by the Commission, at a degree granting institution of higher education, a hospital diploma school for training registered nurses, or to attend a private postsecondary proprietary institution that is accredited by a national accrediting association approved by the United States Department of Education as a full–time student; and For educational expenses as defined by the Office, including: Tuition and mandatory fees; and Room and board. If on–campus housing is available, a senatorial scholarship may not be used to pay for off–campus housing. Each Senator may award not more than 10% of the funds available under this subtitle to applicants planning to attend accredited undergraduate, graduate, or professional institutions outside the State, provided the applicant: Will be studying in an academic area that is not offered in a program that is accredited by a national accrediting association approved by the United States Department of Education in any institution in the State; Is a hearing impaired person who will be studying at an institution outside the State that makes special provisions for hearing impaired students, and comparable special provisions are not available to the applicant at an institution in the State; or Is an active service member or the spouse of an active service member who is domiciled in this State.

Except as otherwise provided in this section, each recipient of a senatorial scholarship may hold the scholarship for 4 undergraduate academic years, subject to § 18–406.1 of this subtitle, and 4 graduate academic years if the recipient: Is a full–time student; Continues to be eligible for in–State tuition under this article; and Continues to be a student at the institution and takes at least 12 semester hours of courses as an undergraduate or 9 semester hours of courses as a graduate student each semester leading to a degree. A recipient of an undergraduate or graduate senatorial scholarship may hold the scholarship, appropriately prorated, for 8 academic years if the recipient: Is a part–time student; Continues to be eligible for in–State tuition under this article; and Continues to be a student at the institution and takes at least 6 semester hours of courses each semester leading to a degree. Any recipient of a senatorial scholarship may use up to one–half of the yearly award for summer school. A recipient of a senatorial scholarship who is enrolled in a terminal certificate program as provided in § 18–402(a)(1) of this subtitle may hold the scholarship for 2 years if the recipient is a full–time student and otherwise meets the conditions of subsection (a) of this section, or may hold the scholarship for 4 years if the recipient is a part–time student and otherwise meets the conditions of subsection (b) of this section. A recipient of a senatorial scholarship who is currently enrolled, or was enrolled within the last 2 years, in a certificate or license program, course, or sequence of courses at a community college that leads to certification or licensure, as provided in § 18–402(a)(3) of this subtitle, may use the scholarship to reimburse educational expenses as defined by the Office under § 18–405(b)(2) of this subtitle. Each recipient of a senatorial scholarship who is enrolled in a private postsecondary proprietary institution that is accredited by a national accrediting association approved by the United States Department of Education: May hold the scholarship for the completion of one program if the student otherwise meets the conditions of subsection (a)(1) and (2) of this section; and Shall complete the program within the length of time prescribed by the institution for the completion of the program. A recipient of a senatorial scholarship who is an active service member or the spouse of an active service member and otherwise meets the conditions of subsection (a) or (b) of this section may be domiciled in this State rather than eligible for in–State tuition under this article. On request from an applicant of the scholarship with a documented disability, the Maryland Higher Education Commission may waive the requirement in subsection (b)(3) of this section.

A recipient may hold a scholarship for a fifth undergraduate academic year or for a semester subsequent to the end of a fourth undergraduate academic year if the recipient: Requests a scholarship from the Senator for a fifth undergraduate academic year or for a semester subsequent to the end of a fourth undergraduate academic year; Is a full–time student; Continues to be eligible for in–State tuition under this article; Continues to be a student at the institution and takes courses leading to a degree; and Has exhausted the funds available under § 18–406(a) of this subtitle.

Each Senator shall award all of the Senator’s senatorial scholarships on or before September 1 of each year. If any Senator fails to award all of the Senator’s scholarships on or before September 1 of each year, the Commission shall make the remaining awards to applicants from the Senator’s legislative district who: Scored highest on the competitive examination; or Are attending an eligible institution and have completed at least 1 year in good academic standing. The Office shall: Notify each Senator of the applicants to whom it awards the Senator’s scholarships; and Announce publicly the names of all recipients. To the extent a scholarship awarded under § 18–404 of this subtitle is not used by a student, money appropriated to the Commission for that award not used by the end of the fiscal year shall be retained by the Commission for use by the awarding Senator in the Senatorial Scholarship Program during subsequent fiscal years.

If there is no qualified applicant in a legislative district, a qualified applicant who resides in another legislative district may be appointed to receive the senatorial scholarship. Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, a senatorial scholarship awarded under this section is for 1 year. A student who receives an appointment under this section is eligible to receive a subsequent appointment for not longer than 4 years.