University of Maryland Global Campus offers eligible Maryland community college graduates the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree at a significantly reduced cost with the Completion Scholarship. Award recipients can complete a bachelor's degree program for $12,000 or less, well below the typical tuition cost for in-state students.

If you have earned an associate's degree from a Maryland community college, you are guaranteed admission to UMGC if your conferral date is listed on your official community college transcript.

Changes to Eligibility Criteria for New Students Starting Summer 2021

All current Completion Scholarship recipients who received any disbursement of the Completion Scholarship in spring 2021 or prior should review the eligibility criteria for spring 2021 and prior terms—your eligibility criteria have not changed, and you are grandfathered into those same criteria until summer 2026.

The new eligibility requirements take effect in summer 2021 and will apply to any new Completion Scholarship recipient or anyone who will receive their first disbursement for the Completion Scholarship in summer 2021 or later.

Rules and Eligibility: New Students Starting Summer 2021 and Later

How to Earn the Completion Scholarship

There is no separate application process for you to receive the Completion Scholarship. You will be eligible for the scholarship if you meet the required criteria, and UMGC will contact you if you are selected to receive the scholarship.

Apply to UMGC in three easy steps.

  1. Complete the UMGC application for admission. Be sure to indicate that you earned an associate's degree from a Maryland community college.

  2. Have your community college(s) send official transcripts directly to UMGC. The transcripts must show that you earned an associate's degree, and the conferral date must be on the transcript.

  3. Contact an admissions advisor who can help you get started at UMGC.

Initial Eligibility Requirements for the Completion Scholarship

  • You earned an associate's degree from a Maryland community college.

  • You are admitted to UMGC as a degree-seeking student pursuing your first bachelor's degree.

  • You have not completed your second term of enrollment at UMGC.

    • You must submit your official community college transcript with a degree conferral date and receive your first disbursement of the Completion Scholarship before you complete your second term at UMGC.

  • You are a Maryland resident receiving the in-state tuition rate or an active-duty military servicemember.

  • If you receive tuition assistance or remission: Your military Tuition Assistance or employer's tuition remission or assistance does not cover 100 percent of your tuition.

  • If you are already enrolled: You meet UMGC's requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress.

  • If you are already enrolled: You are in good financial standing at UMGC.

  • NOTE: Golden ID recipients are not eligible to receive the Completion Scholarship.

Scholarship Award Details

If you receive the Completion Scholarship, you will pay no more than $199 for every credit you attempt at UMGC—up to a total of 60 attempted credits—for a maximum of five calendar years from your first scholarship award. In total, you will pay $12,000 or less to complete your bachelor's degree, unless you need more than 60 attempted credits or if you do not complete your program within five calendar years. If you need more than 60 attempted credits at UMGC, or if you continue your coursework beyond the five-year maximum, you will be charged regular tuition and fees for those credits.

You can receive Completion Scholarship funds during the summer, fall, and spring terms.

Your scholarship award amount may be adjusted based on changes you make to your enrollment. You will receive additional scholarship funding if you add eligible courses. Any Completion Scholarship amount you receive for courses you withdraw from, fail, or otherwise do not earn credit for will remain applied to your account, but the award amount may be prorated based on your remaining balance due after other financial aid or tuition cost adjustments are complete. These credits still count toward your 60-credit maximum attempted credits allowed while receiving this scholarship, regardless of any award amount proration.

Additional Information

Notification Details

If you receive the Completion Scholarship, you will receive a notification from the Office of Financial Aid when your award is posted to your student account.

Award Disbursement

Regardless of when your scholarship award is posted to your account, your funds will not disburse until sometime in the 10-day window prior to each of your course session start dates.

Paying Your Balance

Once the scholarship has been credited to your account, there will be a balance on your account for each course that you take because the Completion Scholarship only covers a portion of your charges for each eligible course you take. This balance is your responsibility and if you do not pay it, you will be dropped from your selected courses. Remember, you also have the following payment options:

If you owe a balance, please be sure to pay it as soon as possible. Not paying your balance will affect your ability to register for courses and receive the Completion Scholarship in future terms. Any unpaid balance may be sent to collections per UMGC institutional policy.

Criteria to Renew the Completion Scholarship

You can renew your Completion Scholarship award if you continue to meet the initial eligibility criteria and meet all the following continuing eligibility criteria:

  • Meet the university's requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress

  • Maintain a term and cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better

  • Have attempted fewer than 60 cumulative credits of coursework

  • Are within the maximum five calendar year timeframe from the semester of your first Completion Scholarship disbursement

  • Enroll in and complete at least 3 credits with a grade of C or better each fall and spring term; this enrollment must be continuous (you may not skip a fall or spring term if you wish you maintain eligibility for the Completion Scholarship)

You can earn the Completion Scholarship in the summer term, but it is not a required term for enrollment. However, if you choose to enroll in summer term courses, you must meet the eligibility criteria outlined above.

Please review this page for any updates regarding the Completion Scholarship award details, eligibility requirements, and renewal requirements.

Rules and Eligibility: Students Starting Spring 2021 or Earlier

The following requirements apply to all current Completion Scholarship recipients who received any disbursement of the Completion Scholarship in spring 2021 or before. If you fall into this category, your initial and continuing eligibility criteria have not changed and will remain the same until summer 2026. Please review carefully.

Initial Eligibility Criteria

  • You earned an associate's degree from a Maryland community college.

  • You are admitted to UMGC as a degree-seeking student pursuing your first bachelor's degree and have earned no more than 12 credits at UMGC.

  • You are a Maryland resident receiving the in-state tuition rate or an active-duty military servicemember.

  • If you receive tuition assistance or remission: Your military Tuition Assistance or employer's tuition remission or assistance does not cover 100 percent of your tuition.

  • If you are already enrolled: You meet UMGC's requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress.

  • If you are already enrolled: You are in good financial standing at UMGC.

Criteria to Renew Your Scholarship

You can renew your Completion Scholarship award if you continue to meet the initial eligibility criteria and meet all the following continuing eligibility criteria:

  • Meet the university's requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress

  • Have completed less than 60 cumulative credits of coursework

  • Enroll in and complete at least 3 credits with a grade of C or better each fall and spring term; this enrollment must be continuous

You can earn the Completion Scholarship in the summer term, but it is not a required term for enrollment. However, if you choose to enroll in summer term courses, you must meet the continuing eligibility criteria outlined above.

Completion Scholarship FAQs

How can I submit my official transcript to UMGC? +

Learn how to submit your transcripts directly to UMGC.

Does my eligibility for the Completion Scholarship depend on the date I earned my associate's degree from a Maryland community college? +

No. It does not matter when you earned your associate's degree from a Maryland community college.

What should I do to ensure I am not dropped from my courses? +

In order to avoid being dropped from a course that you have registered for, please ensure you have made payment arrangements to cover the entire balance due. For more information, please read about payment deadlines and disenrollment.

If you are using financial aid, please be sure you have enough aid to cover your entire tuition due. If you do not have enough aid to cover the entire balance, you will need to find an alternative way to pay the difference, such as using UMGC's interest-free monthly payment plan.

Can I have my Completion Scholarship reinstated if I don't meet the criteria to renew my award? +

For students receiving their first Completion Scholarship disbursement in summer 2021 or later:

If you lose eligibility for the Completion Scholarship, you are eligible to submit an appeal to reinstate your eligibility within 60 days of your last enrolled semester. Only one appeal may be approved for each student throughout the five-year award maximum time period.

To submit an appeal, you may submit a written, signed statement and any supporting documentation of extenuating circumstances via the Help Center. Appeals will be reviewed, and decisions rendered, within two business weeks of receipt of a completed appeal.

There is no guarantee that an appeal will be approved. Generally, the reasons considered for an appeal are limited to family and/or medical emergencies, or other significant, extenuating circumstances.

For students who received their first Completion Scholarship disbursement in spring 2021 or earlier:

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria to maintain your Completion Scholarship, you may submit an appeal via the Help Center for the scholarship to be reinstated. Be sure to include your seven-digit UMGC student ID number.

Generally, the reasons considered for an appeal are limited to family and/or medical emergencies. Your appeal must include a signed personal statement as well as additional documentation that supports your appeal.

Am I eligible for the Completion Scholarship if I'm an active-duty servicemember or veteran? +

If your military Tuition Assistance pays 100 percent of your tuition and fees, you are not eligible for the scholarship.

Veteran students using education benefits are eligible if they are Maryland residents and meet other scholarship eligibility criteria.

Am I eligible for the Completion Scholarship if my employer provides tuition remission? +

If your employer's tuition remission or assistance pays 100 percent of your tuition and fees, you are not eligible for the scholarship. If you receive partial employer tuition remission or assistance, you are eligible for the scholarship if you meet the other scholarship eligibility requirements. However, the scholarship award may be pro-rated based on remaining balance due.

Employees of UMGC and their dependents as well as anyone who receives remission of fees from other institutions are not eligible for UMGC institutional scholarships, including the Completion Scholarship.

Do I need to fill out the FAFSA to be eligible for the Completion Scholarship? +

The FAFSA is not required. However, it is strongly recommended that you complete the FAFSA to be reviewed for eligibility for other forms of institutional, state, and federal aid, since the Completion Scholarship does not cover the full cost of tuition and fees.

Please note: If you are a financial aid recipient, you must complete all federal requirements in order to receive Title IV funding.

Will the Completion Scholarship per-credit award amount be increased when UMGC tuition increases? +

Yes. The Completion Scholarship will be adjusted accordingly to ensure your cost per credit remains at $199. Your overall cost may be higher than $12,000 if you need to attempt more than the 60 credits allowed (e.g. if you need to repeat withdrawn or failed courses, choose to switch programs during your study, or wish to take extra courses).

Will my Completion Scholarship award be affected if I make changes to my course enrollment during the term? +

For students receiving their first Completion Scholarship disbursement in summer 2021 or later:

Your scholarship will be adjusted based on changes you make to your enrollment. You will receive additional scholarship funding if you add courses. Any Completion Scholarship amount you receive for courses you withdraw from, fail, or otherwise do not earn credit for will remain applied to your account, but may be prorated based on your remaining balance due after other financial aid or tuition cost adjustments are complete. These credits still count toward your 60-credit maximum attempted credits allowed while receiving this scholarship.

We always recommend reaching out to the Tuition Planning team before withdrawing from any courses during the semester, as there may be financial aid implications of those enrollment actions.

For students who received their first Completion Scholarship disbursement in spring 2021 or earlier:

Your scholarship will be adjusted based on changes you make to your enrollment. You will receive additional scholarship funding if you add courses, or your scholarship will be reduced if you drop or withdraw from a course.

If you need to drop a course during the term, it is best to contact your advisor first. If you choose to drop your course during a term, you may want to consider replacing it with another course to ensure you can complete the term with at least 3 credits.

If you drop or withdraw from a course during the term, your Completion Scholarship will be reduced. If you owe a balance, please be sure to pay it as soon as possible. Not paying your balance will affect your ability to register for courses and receive the Completion Scholarship in future terms. Any unpaid balance may be sent to collections per UMGC institutional policy.

Am I eligible for the Completion Scholarship if I have dual enrollment from a Maryland community college? +

If you have dual enrollment, you are eligible for the Completion Scholarship once you complete your associate's degree. You must have earned a cumulative 2.0 GPA at both institutions to be considered.