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Financial Aid and Scholarship Resources
Our mission is to provide access and advisory services to financial resources and scholarships that will help students to achieve their educational goals. We are dedicated to promoting scholarship opportunities that assist in making education affordable while maintaining compliance with established regulations, policies, procedures, and ethical standards set forth by the partner institutions. In addition, through memberships in professional organizations and collaborations with home institutions, we foster financial literacy through outreach programs to the students at USG.
Federal Student Aid
Students eligible to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) should complete it to be considered for federal grants, loans, and work-study funds. "Understanding FAFSA & Financial Aid," is now available in 10 languages.
FAFSA Simplification Act
The FAFSA Simplification Act represents a significant overhaul of the processes and systems used to award federal student aid starting with the 2024–25 award year. This includes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, need analysis, and many policies and procedures for schools that participate in federal student aid programs. More information is available here.
Special Circumstances
Awarding of need-based financial aid is based upon a student's eligibility as determined by data recorded on the FAFSA. If, however, a student's available income has decreased due to special circumstances, they may qualify for certain adjustments to their eligibility and aid awards through a process known as "Professional Judgement." Please contact the USG Center for Student Engagement and Financial Resources for more information on this process. In addition, students can utilize SwiftStudent, a free digital resource to learn more about eligibility, access templates by appeal type, and more.
Merit-Based Aid
We recommend students pursue all available merit-based scholarship opportunities provided by their home institution as well as by private organizations and donors. Students are encouraged to research and apply for such opportunities by searching the Web, public and school library resources, and by contacting their employers, area organizations, and community groups. Please refer to the Universities at Shady Grove Web site for links to several free Internet scholarship searches.
For More Information
For more information, students may contact the USG Center for Scholarships or the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243. Students may also view more information on the following federal, state, and private resources:
Near Completer Grant
The Near Completer Grant provides financial assistance to Maryland residents who previously enrolled in a degree program but did not complete it, and now plan to re-enroll to earn their degree.
Federal Work Study
Federal Work-Study (FWS) student employment positions are available onsite at USG. If you need convenient part-time employment, please read on.
Students who apply and qualify for a Federal Work-Study (FWS) award as part of their financial aid package may pursue FWS employment positions available onsite at USG. An array of positions is available in both the Student Services and Academic Program offices, including positions in office/clerical, computer support, student services, and other areas.
To participate in the FWS program, students must apply for financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and be awarded FWS through their home institution. For more information on how to apply or for job placement assistance, please contact the USG Center for Student Engagement and Financial Resources or a financial aid representative from your home institution. For more information, please email usg-scholarships@umd.edu.
Financial Aid & Scholarship Information for DACA and Undocumented Students
When applying to different aid programs, keep in mind that citizenship requirements can vary. Some aid programs have citizenship requirements, but others do not. Before applying, make sure to review the eligibility requirements of each aid program to determine if it requires U.S. citizenship status. Search for merit-based scholarships because most merit scholarships don't have any citizenship requirements. For more information, visit Undocumented Student Resources.
USG Emergency Financial Assistance
The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) Emergency Financial Assistance program helps provide assistance to USG students with unexpected financial circumstances. Situations include, but are not limited to a student's reduction in work hours, unexpected job loss, recent unforeseen crises, or situations that impact college completion. The USG Emergency Financial Assistance program was launched in 2012 and is processed under the USG Scholarship umbrella. These funds are provided by local businesses, foundations, community organizations, and individual donors. Funding is limited, and not all requests for funding can be approved. Each year USG reserves, up to $7,000 a year for this program. Scholarship funds are disbursed from established USG Scholarship programs. Please note that funding will only be released directly to the student's home institution account. Please contact the USG Center for Scholarships for more information on this process.
Words cannot describe how lucky I feel to be able to focus my attention on my classes and become more involved in the school community, rather than spending many hours working to fund my tuition and fees.
Kendall USG Endowed Scholar