To be considered for merit scholarships, transfer students must submit a completed undergraduate admission application for the fall semester by the March 1 early action deadline. Students are only eligible to receive one merit scholarship. All merit scholarship decisions are based on academic and applicant information at the time of applying, not current or ongoing work. Additional eligibility requirements for each scholarship vary and can be found below.

The Frederick Douglass Scholarship is a prestigious University of Maryland scholarship for academically talented transfer students from a Maryland community college. This exceptional academic scholarship honors the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass and requires a separate application.

The Maryland Transfer Scholarship provides partial-tuition awards of $5,000 distributed equally over two semesters for two years.

Only in-state students transferring to the University of Maryland from a two-year or four-year institution are eligible. Students must apply for admission by the March 1 early action deadline and must submit the 2024-25 FAFSA by the priority deadline of April 1, 2024. No separate application is needed for consideration as recipients are identified on the basis of academic talent and demonstrated financial need. To maintain the scholarship, students must be enrolled full time beginning in the fall academic semester and maintain a cumulative grade point average of a 3.20. Each fall, roughly 200 Maryland Transfer Scholarship recipients are welcomed to campus.

The President’s Transfer Scholarship provides funding for a maximum of two years to out-of-state transfer students enrolled at the University of Maryland. The annual award is in the amount of $5,000 and is determined through a competitive process based on academic talent. Only out-of-state applicants are eligible to receive the President’s Transfer Scholarship. No separate application is required for consideration, as recipients are identified through evaluation of admission application materials including academic achievement, extracurricular activities, awards, honors and an essay.