Chapter 04. Senatorial Scholarship Program
Regulation .01 Purpose.LinkCopy Citation
The purpose of the Senatorial Scholarship Program is for Senators in the Maryland General Assembly to provide financial assistance to full-time and part-time students pursuing an undergraduate, graduate, or professional education.
Regulation .02 Eligibility.LinkCopy Citation
A.
To be eligible for a Senatorial Scholarship, a recipient shall be a Maryland resident in the Senator's legislative district at the time their application is made.
B.
A recipient shall be enrolled in:
(1)
A regular undergraduate, graduate, or professional program at an eligible institution;
(2)
An associate’s degree program; or
(3)
A 2-year terminal certificate program in which the course work is acceptable for transfer credit in an accredited baccalaureate program at an eligible institution.
C.
A recipient shall attend an eligible institution for the number of credit hours for which the award was made.
D.
Full-time enrollment is defined as 12 credit hours per semester for undergraduates, and 9 credit hours per semester for graduate students.
E.
Part-time enrollment is defined as 6 to 11 credits per semester for undergraduates, and 6 to 8 hours for graduate students.
F.
A recipient shall be enrolled at least part-time.
Regulation .03 Eligible Institutions.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The following are eligible institutions:
(1)
A Maryland college or university;
(2)
A private career school approved to operate in Maryland by the Maryland Higher Education Commission;
(3)
An out-of-State institution that makes special provisions for a hearing-impaired student if comparable special provisions are not available to that student at a Maryland institution; and
(4)
An out-of-State institution if:
(a)
The out-of-State institution offers a program that is not offered at an institution in Maryland;
(b)
The applicant:
(i)
Submits a written request to the Director of the Office of Student Financial Assistance requesting that the out-of-State institution be deemed an eligible institution;
(ii)
The applicant identifies their major as one not offered at an institution in the State;
(iii)
The applicant attaches a copy of the relevant section of the out-of-State institution’s catalog; and
(iv)
The applicant provides the their full name, address, Social Security number, and State legislative district; and
(c)
The Director of the Office of Student Financial Assistance approves the applicant’s request.
B.
The Director shall notify the applicant of a decision made under §A(4)(c) of this regulation within 45 days of receipt of the applicant’s request.
Regulation .04 Award Amount.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Each Senator may award one or more scholarships up to the State’s annual maximum award.
B.
The State’s annual maximum award shall be equivalent to the annual tuition and fees of an undergraduate program at the 4-year public institution of higher education within the University System of Maryland with the highest annual expenses for a full-time resident undergraduate student, other than the University of Maryland University College and University of Maryland, Baltimore.
C.
A Senatorial Scholarship shall be issued in $100 increments, and may not be less than $400.
D.
A recipient is eligible for other scholarships offered by the Office of Student Financial Assistance.
E.
A recipient may use up to 50 percent of the yearly award for summer school.
Regulation .05 Application Procedures.LinkCopy Citation
A.
An applicant shall:
(1)
Complete and timely submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (students are encouraged to apply by the March 1 deadline so that they may be considered for all State scholarships; however all applications received by the federal processor by May 15 of each year may be considered for Senatorial Scholarships);
(2)
Except as provided in §B of this regulation, take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Testing (ACT) test; and
(3)
Submit any other information that a Senator requests as part of the Senator’s award process.
B.
The following categories of applicants are exempt from the testing requirement in §A(2) of this regulation:
(1)
Applicants who graduated from high school at least 5 years prior to filing the FAFSA;
(2)
Applicants attending an eligible institution who have completed 1 year of postsecondary education in good academic standing;
(3)
Applicants accepted for admission at an eligible private career school; and
(4)
Applicants planning to attend or attending a Maryland community college.
C.
An applicant shall agree to provide any information or documentation requested by the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) for the purpose of administering this program and, if requested, shall sign an authorization for the release of information to OFSA for the purpose of administering this program. An applicant’s failure or refusal to provide requested information or a signed release may result in a determination of ineligibility or the cancellation of an award.
Regulation .06 Selection Procedures.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Each Maryland State Senator shall establish a selection process for the award of the Senator’s scholarships.
B.
A Senator shall consider the financial need of each applicant, of which the Senator shall be the final judge.
C.
The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) shall provide to each Senator an application information sheet for each applicant, student labels, and an applicant roster.
D.
OSFA shall forward information received from the U.S. Department of Education concerning an applicant’s eligibility for federal student aid programs, based on the applicant’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), to the applicant's Senator.
E.
OSFA shall forward an applicant roster to each Senator containing the following information for each applicant residing in the Senator’s legislative district who has filed a FASFA:
(1)
Applicant name, address, telephone number, sex, and marital status;
(2)
Applicant's family contribution towards college;
(3)
Applicant's expected remaining financial need;
(4)
College code and the cost of attending that institution;
(5)
Year in college and whether the applicant is planning to live with parents or on or off campus; and
(6)
Any tentative awards for the current academic year.
F.
OSFA shall send an initial applicant roster to each Senator at the end of April, listing all applicants who filed a FAFSA by March 1.
G.
OSFA shall send a supplemental applicant roster to each Senator in June, listing all applicants who filed a FASFA between March 1 and May 15.
H.
If a Senator serves a legislative district comprising 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.
Regulation .07 Award Procedures.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Each Senator shall select award recipients.
B.
Each Senator shall provide the following information to the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) for each award:
(1)
The student’s full name;
(2)
The student’s address;
(3)
The student’s Social Security number;
(4)
The dollar amount of the award;
(5)
The name of the institution that the student will attend; and
(6)
Whether the award is a one-time award or is automatically renewed.
C.
Upon receipt of this information, OSFA shall notify students of the award offer.
D.
Only OSFA can offer a legally binding Senatorial Scholarship.
E.
An applicant must accept the Senatorial Scholarship online through the Maryland College Aid Processing System (MDCAPS) within the time frame established by OSFA.
F.
Senatorial Scholarships not timely accepted shall be canceled, but may be reinstated if funds are available.
G.
Students offered a one-time only award shall accept the award with the acknowledgement that they are waiving any right to have the award renewed.
H.
A Senator may choose to utilize an outside organization in determining scholarship awards under the following provisions:
(1)
The organization must adhere to all pertinent statutory and regulatory provisions;
(2)
OSFA shall send all information concerning applicants and the awarding of scholarship funds directly to the Senator, who shall forward the information to the outside organization to recommend awards;
(3)
The organization shall forward the names of all students recommended for an award to the Senator’s office for approval;
(4)
The Senator shall forward all students selected for award to OSFA for processing; and
(5)
The outside organization shall not share any student information with any party other than the Senator.
Regulation .08 Payment.LinkCopy Citation
A.
At the beginning of each school term, institutions shall be asked to review billing rosters provided by the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) and certify that the Senatorial Scholarship recipient is a Maryland resident and enrolled for the number of credits for which the award was made.
B.
Upon receipt of the institution's certification, OSFA shall disburse the respective funds directly to the institution to be credited to the student’s account.
Regulation .09 Renewal and Continuation.LinkCopy Citation
A.
A Senatorial Scholarship award designated as renewable shall be automatically renewed on an annual basis for up to 4 years of full-time study or 8 years of part-time study if the recipient:
(1)
Remains enrolled on at least a part-time basis in an eligible institution; and
(2)
Continues to meet all other eligibility requirements.
B.
A Senatorial Scholarship award designated as a one-time only award shall not be automatically renewed, but a recipient may reapply to their Senator on an annual basis for additional funding.
C.
Except as provided in §§D and E of this regulation, a student may only receive an award for a maximum of 4 years of full-time study or 8 years of part-time study whether as a renewable Senatorial award, multiple one-time awards, or a combination of awards.
D.
If the recipient is attending an eligible private career school, the award may be held until the completion of the program if the student completes the program within the length of time specified by the institution and otherwise continuously meets the conditions of the scholarship.
E.
If the recipient is enrolled in a terminal certificate program, the award may be held for 2 years if the student remains enrolled full-time and otherwise continuously meets the conditions of the scholarship.
F.
A recipient shall promptly notify the Office of Student Financial Assistance of any changes to the student's name, address, state of residence, institution of attendance, or enrollment status.
G.
A student who receives an award for undergraduate study who becomes a graduate student must reapply to be considered for an award for graduate studies.
Regulation .10 Extension Procedures.LinkCopy Citation
A.
A recipient may hold a scholarship for a fifth undergraduate year or for a semester subsequent to the end of a fourth undergraduate academic year if the recipient submits a request and:
(1)
Is a full-time student;
(2)
Continues to be a resident of the State;
(3)
Continues to be a student at the institution and takes courses leading to a degree; and
(4)
Has received the award for the maximum time frame available as provided in Regulation .09C.
B.
A Senatorial Scholarship awarded under this section may be held for up to 1 year.
C.
The Senator shall notify the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) of any fifth year request that has been approved.
D.
The Director of OSFA or designee shall verify the availability of the appropriation for each Senator and shall award the student should funding be available.
E.
OSFA shall notify the student of the award offer.
Regulation .11 Revocation of Award.LinkCopy Citation
An award shall be revoked if:
A.
The criteria in Regulations .08 and .09 of this chapter are not met;
B.
The recipient makes a change to their name, address, state of residence, institution of attendance, or enrollment status and fails promptly to inform the Office of Student Financial Assistance in writing; or
C.
Funds are no longer available.
Regulation .12 Budget for the Senatorial Scholarship Program.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Each Senator shall have an annual budget to fund renewals and new awards.
B.
A Senator shall award all funds by September 1 of each year.
C.
A Senator may re-award scholarships awarded by September 1 that are later canceled.
D.
Any scholarship funds remaining from cancellations at the end of a fiscal year shall be carried forward into the next fiscal year for the Senator to award.
E.
Any scholarship funds not awarded by September 1, except funds remaining from cancellations, shall be awarded by the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) to students in the Senator's legislative district
F.
OSFA shall periodically notify each Senator of their scholarship funds balance.
Chapter annotations
Authority: Education Article, §§11-105(u) and 18-204(c) and Title 18, Subtitle 4, Annotated Code of Maryland
History: Effective date: August 28, 2017 (44:17 Md. R. 836)