Financial Aid

Financing Your Undergraduate and Graduate Education

Welcome!

We are pleased to offer undergraduate and graduate students a variety of ways to finance their education while in attendance at St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Our Philosophy

St. Mary's believes that no qualified student should be denied the right to pursue an education because of inadequate financial resources. We understand that financing a college education requires careful planning. Our financial aid office will work with families to create these plans. Although we believe it is primarily the responsibility of the parents and student to finance a college education, we help bridge the gap between family resources and the cost of education by offering federal, state, and campus-based programs, including a tuition payment plan.

Federal Aid

Federal student aid is financial assistance through the U.S. Department of Education available to eligible students enrolled in eligible programs* as regular students* at schools participating in the federal student aid programs. Federal student aid covers school expenses such as tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies and transportation. All students who are accepted to the college and who submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are automatically considered for federal, state, and college financial assistance programs

Students applying for federal financial assistance or educational loans must be United States citizens or permanent resident aliens.

Types of Federal Financial Aid:

• Need Based Grants
  • Federal Pell Grant
  • Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

• Student Loans (Need Based):
  • Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan
  • Federal Perkins Loan

• Student Loans (Non-Need Based):
  • Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan

• Federal Direct PLUS Loans:
  • Federal Direct PLUS Loan (parent of dependent student)

• Federal Graduate Student Loans:
  • Federal Direct Graduate Stafford Loan
  • Federal Direct PLUS Loan

Maryland State Aid

The State has an extensive array of financial aid programs in the form of grants, scholarships and other awards for students who want to further their education beyond high school.

To find out more about Financial Aid offered by the state of Maryland:
http://www.mhec.state.md.us/.

 

St. Mary's Scholarship and Grants

St. Mary's College of Maryland offers support to students through both need-based and merit-based programs.

Scholarships and Grants

 

Aid Programs - Outside Sources

When trying to locate money for college, students are not limited to the financial aid offered to them by St. Mary's College of Maryland. In addition to federal, state, and institutional aid, outside civic and private organizations often have money to offer students that apply.

A collection of outside grant, scholarship, and self-help programs is listed at:

Outside Sources.

 

Private Loans

Students/Parents may borrow up to the Student's yearly Projected Cost of Attendance minus any other aid the student is receiving (including other student/parent loans). To apply for a private loan, borrowers should contact their lender directly.

 

 

International Students:

As a state supported institution, St. Mary's College of Maryland has extremely limited resources for institutional financial aid. The college does not have sufficient funding to meet the financial needs of international applicants who are not eligible for federal financial aid programs. On rare occasions, an international applicant may be eligible for a merit scholarship - these decisions are made by the Admissions Committee and no supplemental form is required. Merit scholarships are generally less than $5000 per year.

Prior to issuing immigration documents for approved applicants, the student will need to provide proof of financial support to cover the cost of education (tuition, fees, room and board, personal expenses) for one year. This information is collected on a Certification of Finances form. For 2012-13 the total cost of education is $42,378.