Students who are homeless, or experienced homelessness in the 24 months prior to enrolling, may qualify for a tuition and fees waiver if meeting the McKinney-Vento definition of a homeless youth. Circumstances may include:
- Children and youth sharing housing due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason
- Children and youth living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations
- Children and youth living in emergency or transitional shelters
- Children and youth abandoned in hospitals
- Children and youth awaiting foster care placement
- Children and youth whose primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation (e.g. park benches, etc.)
- Children and youth living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations
- Migratory children and youth living in any of the above situations
Further eligibility criteria include:
- FAFSA/MSFAA completed for the school year
- Enrolled on or before reaching the age of 25
- Pursuing a bachelors degree
- Consistent presence in Maryland for at least a year prior to enrollment
Eligible students can utilize the waiver during any term (fall, winter, spring, summer). The length of time during which eligible students are exempt from tuition is 10 years after first enrolling as a candidate for an associates or bachelors degree or completion of their bachelors degree, whichever comes first.
Students who believe they may qualify for the waiver should contact Colleen Lindbeck, Associate Director, Financial Aid at csly@umbc.edu for a personal appointment.
If you are denied the waiver, and wish to appeal, email Andrea Cipolla, Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships, at cipolla@umbc.edu sharing your circumstances and request for reconsideration.
Information about the waiver program can also be found on the Maryland Higher Education Commission website.