What is the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) Website?

Updated

mhec.maryland.gov is the official website of the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the state agency that oversees higher education in Maryland. It is an official State of Maryland website, and it serves students, parents, and Maryland colleges and universities. The site is the main entry point for state financial aid, scholarship applications, college planning information, and institutional oversight in Maryland.

Who runs the site

MHEC is Maryland's state higher education agency. The site identifies itself as "An official website of the State of Maryland," which is the clearest signal of its authority. The agency's leadership is listed on the site, including MHEC's Interim Secretary Elena Quiroz-Livanis.

What you can do on the site

The site is organized around a few core functions:

  • Apply for financial aid and scholarships. The MHEC One-App lets you apply for all state scholarships through a single application. You need to create a MDCAPS account to access it. The Maryland State Financial Aid Application (MSFAA) is also available.
  • Plan for college. The site covers choosing Maryland colleges and universities, private career schools, the cost of college, and a student guide to transferring among Maryland colleges and universities.
  • Manage your aid after applying. You can log into MDCAPS, submit required documents to the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), and contact MHEC staff or meet with a financial aid specialist.
  • Find support for specific groups. The site has information on veterans benefits, students experiencing homelessness, and the Academic Common Market.
  • Handle post-graduation and loan issues. This includes student loan debt relief, the Student Loan Debt Relief Tax Credit Program, and loan assistant repayment programs.
  • Access institutional and research resources. This covers academic program review, approval to operate a school in Maryland, State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), research publications, and interactive data dashboards.

Who the site is for

The site serves three main audiences:

Audience What they use the site for
Students Applying for state aid, planning college, transferring, managing loans
Parents Understanding college costs and financial aid options
Maryland institutions Program approval, operating authorization, SARA, reporting

When to use it

Use mhec.maryland.gov when you need to apply for Maryland state scholarships or grants, check financial aid deadlines, submit documents to OSFA, or find official information about Maryland colleges and universities. It is also the place to check whether a Maryland postsecondary institution has closed and how to request a transcript from a closed school.

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