The Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant (WSSAG) Program is for students who plan on working in specific career/occupational programs upon graduation. Eligible fields include: child care, human services, teaching, nursing, physical and occupational therapy, social work, and public service.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
To be considered for the Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant you must:
- Be a Maryland resident. If you are a dependent student, your parent must also be a Maryland resident.
- Enroll at a two-year or four-year Maryland college or university each semester as a:
- Full-time (12+ credits per semester) or part-time (6-11 credits per semester) undergraduate.
- Full-time (9+ credits per semester) or part-time (6-8 credits per semester) graduate student. (Students may be enrolled for less than six (6) credits in a semester, but must earn at least 12 credit hours in each academic year if an undergraduate student, or 9 credit hours if a graduate student, including the summer term.)
- Enroll as a degree-seeking student in an eligible major leading to employment in an eligible field as indicated on your application.
- Maintain the satisfactory academic progress standards of your institution.
MERIT AND/OR NEED-BASED CRITERIA
Both merit and need-based criteria will be used when making awards. Applicants will be ranked by Grade Point Average (GPA) and then by need within each occupational field. Those students with the greatest need within each GPA range will be awarded first.
To determine a student's merit ranking, transcripts will be required. To determine the GPA ranking of students, a cumulative, unweighted GPA will be used. If necessary, GPAs will be recalculated to be considered on a standardized 4.0 scale.
To determine a student's need ranking, a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be filed by the applicant and received by OSFA by the March 1 deadline; however, it is not mandatory to file the FAFSA to be eligible to receive an award.
Award amounts are set at the statutory minimum and are based on the type of institution and the student's enrollment status. The award is $2,000 per year if attending a Maryland community college full-time (12+ credits per semester) or $1,000 per year if part-time (6-11 credits per semester). The award is $4,000 per year if attending a Maryland four-year institution full-time (12+ credits per semester for undergraduate; 9+ credits per semester for graduate) or $2,000 per year if part-time (6-11 credits per semester for undergraduate; 6-8 credits per semester for graduate).
SERVICE OBLIGATION REQUIREMENT
You must sign and return a promissory note agreeing to begin fulfillment of your service obligation in the employment field for which your award was received within one year of completing your degree (the degree for which you received the award, not a subsequent degree). Employment fields for academic year 2022-2023 are listed above.
If you work full-time, you must fulfill your obligation at a rate of one-year for each year that you received the scholarship, even if you were enrolled on a part-time basis for some of the semesters. If you work part-time, you must fulfill your service obligation at a rate of two-years for each year the scholarship was received, even if you were enrolled on a part-time basis. Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week and part-time is at least 20 hours per week.
The service obligation begins after completion of your degree program, and cannot be fulfilled prior to completion. If you hold this scholarship with any other award requiring a service obligation, you must perform your service in consecutive years.
WSSAG Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Important Deadlines
Submit the Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant application and all required documents by July 1, 2023.
