Expenses and Financial Aid

Tuition and Fees

The total cost for an undergraduate Maryland resident attending the College in the 2024-2025 academic year and living on campus is expected to be approximately $29,908 for tuition, fees, and room and board. The dollar figures listed below are subject to change since the trustees reserve the right to adjust charges at any time as needs dictate.

Undergraduate Program

Tuition and Mandatory Fees

All fees listed are annual charges, unless otherwise noted.

Master of Arts in Teaching Program (MAT)

*Billed in four equal installments

Part-Time Tuition

(Undergraduate and MAT)

Note: This part-time per credit hour tuition applies to a total of 1-11 credits as well as to all credits over 19.

Retired persons 60 years and older may apply for a waiver of part-time tuition charges for credit courses. This is done on a space-available basis during the late registration period. Consult the Office of the Registrar for details.

Room

Board

The meal plan structure is an “anytime dining” model. The Great Room will be open from 7 am - 8:30 pm, Mondays - Fridays and 10 am - 8:30 pm on weekends. The “anytime dining” board plans provide unlimited access. Students can eat as often as they want, whenever they want, when the operation is open. They can come and go as many times as they like throughout the day/night and eat as much or as little as they want. All meal plans include Dining Dollars.

First Year students living in traditional halls and suites are required to choose one of the Anytime Dining Plans described below. Anytime Dining Plans are optional for commuters, residents of the Townhouses and Waring Commons Apartments, faculty and staff:

1. Silver Plan: unlimited access to anytime dining. 12 guest passes per semester and $200 Dining Dollars per semester. Cost: $3,294 /semester; $6,588/year.
2. Gold Plan: Same privileges as Silver Plan plus 20 guest passes and $300 in Dining Dollars per semester. Cost: $3,428/semester; $6,856/year.
3. Platinum Plan: Same privileges as Silver Plan plus 32 guest passes and $400 in Dining Dollars per semester. Cost: $3,563/semester; $7,126/ year.

Sophomores, juniors and seniors living in the traditional halls and suites are required to choose one of the “anytime dining” plans described above or they may select the 125 Meal Credit plan described below.

Meal Credit Plans: A variety of limited access plans described below are available for commuters, residents of the Townhouses and Waring Commons Apartments, faculty and staff:

1. 250 Meal Credit: 250 meals per semester plus $600 dining dollars per semester. Cost: $2,267 /semester; $4,534/year
2. 150 Meal Credit: 150 meals per semester plus $600 dining dollars per semester. Cost: $1,677/semester; $3,354/year
3. Flex Plan: 20 meals per semester plus $800 dining dollars per semester. Cost: $711/semester; $1,422/year

1st Year Resident Options

Silver - Anytime dining - 12 guest passes per semester - $200 dining dollars per semester
Gold - Anytime dining - 20 guest passes per semester - $300 dining dollars per semester
Platinum - Anytime dining - 32 guest passes per semester - $400 dining dollars per semester

Upperclass Students in Residence Halls/Suites Options

Silver - Anytime dining - 12 guest passes per semester - $200 dining dollars per semester
Gold - Anytime dining - 20 guest passes per semester - $300 dining dollars per semester
Platinum - Anytime dining - 32 guest passes per semester - $400 dining dollars per semester
250 Meal Credit - 250 meals per semester - 0 guest Passes - $300 dining dollars per semester

Options for Commuters, Apartment & Townhouse Residents

Silver - Anytime dining - 12 guest passes per semester - $200 dining dollars per semester
Gold - Anytime dining - 20 guest passes per semester - $300 dining dollars per semester
Platinum - Anytime dining - 32 guest passes per semester - $400 dining dollars per semester
250 Meal Credit - 250 meals per semester - 0 guest Passes - $600 dining dollars per semester
150 Meal Credit - 75 meals per semester - 0 guest Passes - $600 dining dollars per semester
Flex Plan - 20 meals per semester - 0 guest passes - $800 dining dollars per semester

We offer “to-go” breakfast, lunch and dinner programs in the Great Room, as well as a “Grab-n-Go” program from the Lewis Quadrangle Pub. With the “to-go” program, students can pick up food and take it “to go.” With the “Grab-n-Go” program, pre-packaged sandwiches and salads are available to “Grab and Go” Mondays-Fridays. In addition to a sandwich or salad, the student gets a beverage, chips, a piece of fruit, and cookies or a brownie. For the “Grab-n-Go” breakfasts out of the Pub, the student can choose a bagel, muffin, or pastry, along with a beverage and a piece of fruit, Mondays-Fridays.

Dining (“Flex”) Dollars

Dining Dollars (also known as Flex) are included in the plans to allow students to eat and drink at the smaller retail dining venues (The Daily Grind, “Grab-n-Go”, and The Pub), in addition to the servery of the Great Room.  Dining Dollars can only be used for food and beverages. There is no refund or carryover of unused Dining Dollars at the end of a semester (“Use it or lose it”).

Special Academic Fees

Special academic fees are assessed to both full-time and part-time students when appropriate as follows:

• Applied music: class instruction (one hour per week) $90

• Applied music: individual instruction (one hour per week) $250

• Scuba diving fee for beginning class: $175

• Scuba diving fee for advanced class: $150

• Lab fee for Educational Studies courses with field placements $10

• Study abroad fee: $250 (Fees for exchange programs and summer programs vary. Contact the Business Office for specific program fees.)

• Theater lab fee TFMS 171: $50

• Theater lab fee TFMS 374: $20

• Theater lab fee TFMS 375: $50

• Theater lab fee TFMS 376: $50

• Theater lab fee TFMS 228: $25

• Theater lab fee TFMS 328: $25

• Art academic fee ART 205: $85

• Art academic fee ART 204: $150

• Art academic fee ART 206: $150

• Art academic fee ART 208: $150

• Art academic fee ART 212: $150

• Art academic fee ART 213: $150

• Art academic fee ART 214: $150

• Art academic fee ART 223: $150

• Art academic fee ART 224: $150

• Art academic fee ART 233: $150

• Art academic fee ART 239: $150

• Art academic fee ART 240: $150

• Art academic fee ART 247: $150

• Art academic fee ART 269: $135

• Art academic fee ART 304: $150

• Art academic fee ART 306:$150

• Art academic fee ART 308: $150

• Art academic fee ART 309: $150

• Art academic fee ART 312: $150

• Art academic fee ART 314: $150  

• Art academic fee ART 333: $150

• Art academic fee ART 338: $150

• Art academic fee ART 339: $150

• Art academic fee ART 346: $150

• Art academic fee ART 367:$150

• Art academic fee ART 369: $150

• Art academic fee ART 347: $150

• Art academic fee ART 390: $150

• Art academic fee ART 430: $150

• Art academic fee ART 431: $150

Miscellaneous Fees

All fees listed are charged to all students, per occurrence, as appropriate.

• Application fee: new-student applications (undergrad and master’s) $50
• Advance payment: residence hall student (new) $500
• Advance payment: residence hall student (returning) $200
• Advance payment: commuting student (new) $500
• Advance payment: MAT student (new) $250
• Late-payment fee: (under $1000) $50
• Late-payment fee: ($1000 and over) $100
• Bad-check handling fee: (under $1000) $25
• Bad-check handling fee: ($1000 and over) $50
• Motor vehicle registration: (academic year) $100
• Motor vehicle registration: (Continuing Education, per semester) $10
• Parking citation/vehicle violation: $10 to $50
• Identification card replacement: $25
• Residence Hall, Townhouse, apartment and suite key replacement: $36/key
• Mailbox key replacement: $10
• Course-change fee (per change): $25
• Unauthorized meal entry: $40

Payments

All tuition and fees are due in full at the time stipulated on the statement of account. The only exceptions are students who are receiving scholarships, loans, or other financial aid. These students may defer that portion of their semester charges covered by financial aid when payment will be remitted directly to the College by the paying agency. PLUS loans, issued in both the parents’ and the College’s name and remitted directly to the College by the lending institution, can be used in deferring payment as long as they are immediately returned to the College upon request for endorsement. Financial aid documentation must be completed prior to any payment deadline in order to be eligible for deferment. Complete documentation includes the formal acceptance of aid by the student. Students accept or decline their financial aid through the student Portal at https://seahawks.smcm.edu/ics. The amount to be deferred may be no greater than the sum of the scholarships, loans and aid. If any aid used to defer payment is rejected after the due date, late charges may be applied in accordance with the College late payment policy. College work-study programs cannot be used in deferring payment, since wages are based on actual hours worked.

Note: Financial aid will not be credited to the student’s account prior to 10 days before the first day of classes. Financial aid listed on the statement of account prior to that time is for informational purposes only. The College will allow the deduction of the amount of aid indicated on the statement with the understanding that the student will be held responsible for the amount of any reduction or elimination of aid.

Students who are in a federal, state, or county vocational rehabilitation program may defer that portion of their tuition and fees being funded by these programs, as long as payment is made directly to the College and proof of participation is provided.

Students whose tuition and fees are being paid by their (or their parents’) employer may defer that portion of their tuition and fees which is being paid by an employer, provided the employer has made prior arrangements to be billed directly by the College.

If the total balance of tuition and fees is not paid within the deadlines specified on the bills, a $100 late-payment fee will be charged, based on the balance due. In addition, the institution reserves the right to cancel class registration, room reservation, and other assignments if full payment or financial aid arrangements are not made prior to the published deadline. The College normally will not permit a student to register nor will the College release diplomas if the balance is greater than $1,000 as long as the student has an outstanding debt to the institution. All payments for tuition and fees should be made payable to St. Mary’s College of Maryland and forwarded to:

Cashier
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
18952 E. Fisher Road
St. Mary’s City, MD 20686-3001

For new students, the College accepts VISA, MasterCard, or Discover credit cards for application fees, housing and tuition deposits. For all other payments and for all payments made by new and returning students, the College accepts online payments using MasterCard, Discover, or ACH (electronic check) through the Portal at https://seahawks.smcm.edu/ics. There is a convenience fee for use of a credit card, but there is no fee for payment by ACH.

Deposits

Housing Contracts are binding for the entire academic year. Since cancellation of housing directly affects eligibility for a refund, see the Refunds and Student Affairs  sections of the catalog for specific deadlines. Advance payments for all new students are non-refundable and are credited to their first-semester billing. Failure to matriculate will result in forfeiture of the advance payment. New students wishing to live on campus should forward the residence hall advance payment to the Business Office upon notification of their admission to the College, but no later than May 1. Housing is not guaranteed for new students who deposit after May 1.

New students who do not wish to live in on-campus housing are required to pay the commuting student advance payment upon notification of their admission to the College. This fee must be paid prior to the established deadline for the following semester. Failure to pay by the deadline may result in loss of class placement. Returning resident students must sign and complete the Housing Contract and pay the $200 housing deposit. The housing deposit is credited to the student’s first-semester billing.

Deferment of the housing deposit is not acceptable, even for those students on full scholarships. Returning students wishing to be released from the Housing Contract with no financial penalties must submit a written release request by May 1. Please contact the Office of Residence Life for additional information.

Housing deposits for students going on a leave of absence:

1. If a returning student pays a housing deposit and subsequently is granted a leave of absence before the Housing Contract release deadline (May 1 for the fall semester), the deposit will be credited to the student’s account unless the student wants the deposit held until such time as the leave of absence is terminated. There are no financial penalties for students that are granted a leave of absence by November 1 for the spring semester.
2. A student who requests a leave of absence after the Housing Contract release deadline (May 1 or November 1) forfeits the deposit and may be assessed an additional late fee (please refer to the student handbook for Housing Contract release dates and information).
3. A student who does not return at the conclusion of the leave of absence will forfeit the deposit.

Refunds

All refunds are processed through the Business Office and normally take about two weeks to receive. Refunds for less than $20.00 will not be processed for currently enrolled students. Tuition and mandatory fees are refundable according to the schedule below. Special academic fees are non-refundable after the last day of the late registration period. Miscellaneous fees are non-refundable once assessed. In addition to the published refund policy, refunds will be adjusted, as-needed, for eligible federal financial aid recipients. Those students with internships or teaching sites and places of residence more than 50 miles from the campus may request a refund of up to 50 percent of all mandatory fees other than course-related fees for that semester.

Tuition Refunds

Degree-seeking undergraduates or Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program students (either part- or full-time) who withdraw from the College or take a leave of absence will receive tuition refunds as follows:

• Before classes officially begin, 100 percent of tuition and mandatory fees will be refunded. As of the first day of classes, mandatory fees are non-refundable.
• Eighty percent of tuition will be refunded only prior to the end of the second week after the official beginning of classes.
• Sixty percent of tuition will be refunded only during the third week after the official beginning of classes.
• Forty percent of tuition will be refunded only during the fourth week after the official beginning of classes.
• Twenty percent of tuition will be refunded only during the fifth week after the official beginning of classes.
• After the fifth week of classes, no tuition or fees shall be refunded.

Enrollment Status Change

Tuition refunds will be made for all degree-seeking undergraduate and MAT students, whether changing from full-time to part-time status, or as a part-time student dropping one or more classes while remaining enrolled, according to the following conditions:

• Before classes officially begin, 100 percent of tuition and mandatory fees are refundable to the student. As of the first day of classes, mandatory fees are non-refundable.
• Before the end of the second week following the official beginning of classes, 80 percent of the tuition payment can be refunded.
• Starting on Monday of the third week following the official beginning of classes, 0 percent of the tuition payment can be refunded.

Room Refunds

For students taking a leave of absence or withdrawing from the College, the room refund schedule is as follows:

• One hundred percent, less the penalty fee as noted on the Housing Contract before classes officially begin.
• Eighty percent prior to the end of the second week after the official beginning of classes.
• Sixty percent during the third week after the official beginning of classes.
• Forty percent during the fourth week after the official beginning of classes.
• Twenty percent during the fifth week after the official beginning of classes.
• Twenty percent during the fifth week after the official beginning of classes.
• No refund after the fifth week following the official beginning of classes. Room refunds must be requested in writing to the Office of Residence Life, as part of being released from the Housing Contract.

Note: Depending upon the date of notification, student-initiated room cancellations may result in a liability for some portion of housing costs in addition to loss of the advance payment. This information is contained in the Housing Contract.

Board Refunds

All board refunds will be based on weekly meal plan use. This includes students who withdraw or take a leave of absence during the semester.

Remittance of Excess Financial Aid

A student with a credit balance on his/her statement of account, resulting from federal aid monies to the College, will automatically receive a refund check, not to exceed the net aid amount, unless the student has authorized the credit balance. A student receiving other financial aid and showing a credit balance on his/her statement of account may request a refund no earlier than the first day of classes.

Financial Aid

The Office of Student Financial Assistance helps students to identify and apply for financial support for their college education. St. Mary’s offers a variety of programs designed to assist in meeting college expenses. These programs include scholarships, grants, loans, work opportunities and a tuition payment plan. St. Mary’s participates in all applicable federal and Maryland financial aid programs. To gain an objective assessment of a candidate’s ability to contribute to educational cost, St. Mary’s requires applicants to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA provides St. Mary’s with the student’s Student Aid Index (SAI) to determine what specific programs a student is eligible for. St. Mary’s then prepares a package of financial assistance consisting of a combination of federal, state, and institutional grants, scholarships, work opportunities, and/or loans intended to meet the Cost of Attendance (CoA). In the end, the goal is to ensure that qualified applicants have the opportunity to obtain an Honors education at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

To be eligible for most federal, state and institutional aid programs, students must be U.S. citizens or must meet eligible non-citizen criteria, be admitted to and pursuing an eligible degree program and be enrolled on at least a half-time (6 credit hours) basis.

First-year and Transfer Students

To be considered for most forms of aid, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by February 15 of the year they plan to enroll. By filing the FAFSA, students are applying for grants, loans, and work-study. Newly accepted students receive notification of financial assistance shortly after their admission decision.

Returning Degree Students

Students submit the FAFSA beginning October 1. Awards are based on academic performance and/or financial need. SMCM’s Office of Student Financial Assistance works to cover the same percentage of financial need as the previous financial assistance packages. Grant amounts may change with a fluctuation in the family’s SAI from the FAFSA information. Returning students receive notification of their financial assistance for the next academic year in June.

Resolution of Official Complaints Regarding Financial Aid

Most official complaints will be handled internally to find a reasonable resolution on behalf of the college and the complainant. A student may file a complaint by email to OSFA@smcm.edu. All complaints will be reviewed by the Director and may be escalated to the office of the Vice President for Enrollment management.  

In the unlikely event that an issue cannot be resolved by the University, students may file a complaint with the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) which is the State Licensing Authority in Maryland. 

Maryland Higher Education Commission 

6 North Liberty Street 

Baltimore, Maryland 21201 

Phone: (410) 767-3300 

Toll Free: (800) 974-0203

How to Accept Financial Aid

All students receiving St. Mary’s College and/or federal financial aid: Upon receiving notification of their aid package from St. Mary’s, applicants decide to accept, reduce, or reject each form of self-help aid offered (loan and work). Applicants indicate their decision by accessing their financial aid awards on the student portal: https://seahawks.smcm.edu/ics. Once the decision is made, students must submit then confirm their aid on the SMCM student portal.

All SMCM and Federal gift aid is already accepted on behalf of the student, and no action by the student is necessary for those awards.

Responsibilities of Financial Aid Recipients

Financial aid recipients must do the following:

1. Maintain good academic standing and make satisfactory progress as required. Detailed information may be obtained from the Office of Student Financial Assistance or via the SMCM Student Portal.
2. Report changes in names, addresses and dependency status to the Office of Student Financial Assistance. Changes in name and address also must be reported to the Office of the Registrar.
3. Report to the Office of Student Financial Assistance the receipt of any financial assistance (scholarship, grants and so forth) received from any other outside groups or organizations.
4. Consult with the Office of Student Financial Assistance prior to making any changes in enrollment status (change from full-time to part-time or withdrawal from the College).
5. Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (or the Renewal Application) before the priority deadline of March 1. Maryland residents who file after the March 1 deadline will not be considered for Maryland state assistance. Note: St. Mary’s reserves the right to adjust aid awards at any time when there are changes in enrollment or residency status, income discrepancies, or financial changes.

Grants

Grants are gift aid, or funds, awarded to students with financial need. Grants are not repaid. St. Mary’s College offers the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Grant (SEOG), Maryland State grant through the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), and numerous institutional and foundation grants for students with demonstrated financial need.

St. Mary’s Scholarships

Merit scholarships at St. Mary’s are awarded to entering full-time first-year and transfer students who show exceptional promise. Scholarships are awarded competitively to academically talented students. Scholarships, unless otherwise noted, are automatically renewed for up to eight semesters (four years) of full-time study at St. Mary’s as long as the student remains in good standing as a full-time student, maintains a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA and completes at least 12 credit hours each semester. Merit scholarships are associated with student residency and, therefore, the tuition rate. See the St. Mary’s College Scholarship Warning and Suspension section below.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland reserves the right to recalculate any scholarship amount based on any changes in the tuition charged to the student. The Office of Financial Aid, associate dean of academic services, and the Scholarship Review Committee monitors the academic progress of scholarship recipients. The total amount of scholarships received from St. Mary’s may not exceed the cost of tuition. Tuition waivers are scholarships and count toward this limit.

Loans

William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program

St. Mary’s College of Maryland participates in the Federal Direct Loan Program. The lender is the U.S. Department of Education. Students also have the option to obtain financing from a private lender. SMCM recommends participation in the Federal Direct Loan program before private loans.

With Direct Loans, you can:

• Borrow directly from the federal government
• Have online access to your Direct Loan account information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Choose from several repayment plans that are designed to meet the needs of almost any borrower
• Switch repayment plans if your needs change

Please go to http://studentaid.gov to learn more about the Federal Direct Loan Program.

Campus Employment

Part-time employment is another way many students cover some of their educational costs. The Office of Student Financial Assistance administers the federal work-study program. The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program is based on student financial need and will be included as part of the financial assistance package if eligible. Students do not need to be a part of the FWS program to work on campus.

Students are employed in many capacities throughout the College. Income from part-time employment is paid directly to the student during each two-week pay period in which the student worked. St. Mary’s College of Maryland is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and a supporter of affirmative action initiatives.

Financial Aid for Study Abroad

Limited financial assistance is available to eligible students for SMCM approved academic year, semester, summer, and faculty-led study tours.  Students should begin this process by contacting the Office of International Education or by visiting Financing Study Abroad on the SMCM International Education website.  For more information regarding aid availability, contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance or the Office of International Education.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

In order to receive financial aid, a student must be in good academic standing and must make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward obtaining a degree. The qualitative (grade-based) standards for measuring whether a financial aid recipient is maintaining satisfactory progress are the same as for students who are not aid recipients. Financial aid recipients must also meet quantitative (time-related) standards that ensure a full-time student will complete the undergraduate program of study within six years. Programs affected by this policy are (but not limited to) the following: Federal Direct Loans, Federal PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work-Study, SMCM need-based grants, Maryland Guaranteed Access Grant, Maryland Excellence Award, Maryland Delegate Award, and the Maryland Senatorial Award. Please note: SMCM merit scholarships have different requirements for renewal.

Satisfactory Academic Progress is measured in three areas: maintaining a cumulative grade point average (GPA) which is consistent with the standards for good academic standing established by the Academic Policy Committee, successfully completing two-thirds (2/3) of credits attempted per semester, and receiving a degree in a timely manner. See below for more details.

• In order to receive financial aid, a student must meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards established by the Academic Standards Policy. In general, a student is expected to have at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA or be meeting standards set through an individualized academic plan. Below is a schedule of the minimum credits that students must successfully complete each year while attending SMCM. Students must receive a grade of A, B, C, D, or Cr. in order for the class to be successfully completed. This schedule specifies the pace at which a student should progress through the undergraduate program to ensure completion of the program within our maximum timeframe of six years.

• Recipients of financial aid must earn their degree within a maximum timeframe. The financial aid policy at SMCM requires an aid recipient to earn a degree within 150% of full-time attendance or 192 attempted credits. If a student is not able to or does not earn a degree within this time, whether financial aid was received the entire time or not, the student is not eligible for financial aid for any credits taken after it becomes mathematically impossible to complete the undergraduate degree program within 192 credits attempted.
• In order to meet satisfactory progress regulation, cumulative progress towards the degree will be measured by dividing the total number of completed credits by the total number of attempted credits. A student must maintain a cumulative 66.67% or greater completion rate at the end of each semester.

Evaluation of SAP/Financial Aid Warning Status

SMCM evaluates the academic progress of students at the end of each semester: fall, spring, and summer. A student who does not meet each of the satisfactory progress standards above will be placed in Financial Aid Warning status.

A student may receive financial aid for one semester while in Financial Aid Warning status.  After one semester in warning status, the student must either re-establish satisfactory progress or meet the requirements specified in the academic plan developed with the help of the Office of Student Success Services.

Financial Aid Suspension and Appeal

If a student does not re-establish satisfactory academic progress standards or meet the requirements in their academic plan after one semester, the student loses eligibility for financial aid.

There are two ways aid eligibility can be reinstated:

• The student may enroll without aid and do well enough in the classes to re-establish satisfactory academic progress, or
• If there are extenuating circumstances, the student may file an appeal and possibly have the suspension changed to one-semester probation status. Appeals are submitted in writing and reviewed by the SAP Appeals Committee. The appeal form and letter of appeal must be submitted by the date specified in the notification letter and should address:

* The extenuating circumstances that prevented the student from making satisfactory progress; and

* What has changed that will now allow the student to be an academic success.

The SAP Appeals Committee will review the appeal and will respond in writing to the student. The committee may uphold the suspension of aid or reinstate aid eligibility and place the student in Financial Aid Probation status. Appeals are only approved if the committee determines that the student will be able to meet SAP standards after the next semester or if an academic plan has been developed with the Office of Student Support Services that, if followed, will ensure that the student is able to meet SAP standards by a specific point in time (maximum three semesters).

Financial Aid Probation Status

If a student has failed to make Satisfactory Academic Progress but has submitted a successful appeal, the student is placed on Financial Aid Probation. A student on Financial Aid Probation may receive aid for one semester. After one semester the student must be in good academic standing or be fulfilling all of the requirements of the academic plan established with the assistance of the Office of Student Support Services.

Additional Financial Aid Policies

Total aid including SMCM merit and need-based funding and outside funding cannot exceed the full cost of attendance. SMCM gift aid will be adjusted accordingly.

The following items describe how GPA and pace of completion are affected by incomplete grades, withdrawals, repeated coursework, and transfers of credit from other schools:

• Transfer credits are counted in the determination of the pace at which the student is progressing through the program but are not counted in the computation of the cumulative GPA.
• Course withdrawals (grade of W) after the drop/add period are not included in the computation of the GPA but are considered a non-completion of attempted coursework.
• Incomplete courses and I grades are not included in the computation of the GPA but are considered a non-completion of coursework until a permanent grade is assigned.
• Audited courses and other noncredit coursework are not included in GPA calculation or as attempted coursework.
• A grade of P or PD is not included in the GPA calculation, but the credits for the course are counted as attempted and completed credits.
• F grades are treated as attempted credits that were not earned and are included in the calculation of GPA and minimum completion rate.
• If no grade (grade of NR) is reported, the coursework is not included in the GPA calculation until a final grade is posted.
• For repeated courses, the most recent grade earned in a course will count in the GPA computation but the credits will be reflected in the attempted and earned accumulative credits every semester the course is taken.

St. Mary’s College Scholarship Warning and Suspension

St. Mary’s College offers scholarships to outstanding first-year and transfer students at the time they are admitted. The scholarship of an entering first-year student is renewable each year for up to four years provided the student maintains the academic standards required for the award. The scholarship of a student who enters St. Mary’s as a transfer student is renewable for a continuous period until the student has been enrolled as a full-time student at any institution for the equivalent of four academic years (i.e., eight semesters). Scholarship recipients must remain in good academic standing as full-time students and make satisfactory academic progress toward the degree. In addition, they must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 in all St. Mary’s College coursework.  Students who fail to meet these criteria are subject to the following policies.

Scholarship Warning

Any semester in which a student fails to meet the academic requirements for the scholarship, they will be placed on scholarship warning. Students will be notified in writing that they are on warning and encouraged to meet with their advisors or the Office of Student Success Services to review their academic record and discuss ways to improve performance. Students retain their scholarship while on warning.

Scholarship Suspension

A student who has been on warning in a previous semester and fails to meet the academic requirements for the scholarship in a subsequent semester will be notified in writing that they have been placed on scholarship suspension. The student’s scholarship will not be awarded while the scholarship is suspended. Students may appeal the suspension by writing to the Director of Student Financial Assistance by the due date listed in the notification letter. Appeals are reviewed by the Scholarship Appeals Committee. Students whose appeals are granted will have their scholarship reinstated and will remain on scholarship warning.

Students will remain on scholarship suspension until they return to good academic standing and achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher. A student who meets the criteria will have their scholarship re-instated for the semester following that in which the academic criteria were met.

Students who have had a scholarship re-instated after a period of suspension will be on scholarship probation.  If they fail to meet the scholarship criteria in any subsequent semester, their scholarship will be suspended again. All policies associated with scholarship suspension apply to this subsequent suspension. These semesters of scholarship suspension count towards the max eight semester of eligibility.

Veterans Benefits

Individuals who wish to use their Veterans Benefits should contact the Office of the Registrar, Glendening Hall. Telephone 240-895-4336. The Office of Financial Assistance does not alter or adjust a financial assistance award with the receipt of any VA benefits.