Ida G. and L. Leonard Ruben Scholarship is a grant from Maryland Higher Education Commission that funds employees working in Maryland community-based human services or residential programs who are enrolled in human services degree programs.

Administered through the Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant Program, this scholarship supports workers in fields such as child care, human services, social work, and public service as they pursue formal academic credentials. Applicants must apply through the Maryland College Aid Processing System (MDCAPS) using the MHEC One App; filing a FAFSA is encouraged but not required, as it is used to determine award priority order.

The application for the 2025-2026 academic year closes April 1, 2026.

Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant Program Accessibility Information Press Releases and News Briefs Maryland State Plan for Higher Education Maryland Higher Education Preparing for College Paying for College State Financial Aid Programs and Applications Maryland College Aid Processing System (MDCAPS) log-in page for Student Financial Assistance Outreach Publications Additional Resources Request an Outreach Event or Counselor Support Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant Program ​​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. The application for the 2025-2026 academic year will close on April 1, 2026 . The application for the upcoming 2026-2027 academic year will become available January 15, 2026 and will close October 15, 2026 .

Individuals applying for the Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant Program must submit the online application through the Maryland College Aid Processing System (MDCAPS) using the MHEC One App. For consideration based on need, students may file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www. fafsa.

gov for the academic year the student will be attending. The FAFSA is not required; however, it will be used to determine the order in which students will be awarded. ​Certain majors may require additional documentation, which will be noted on the application.

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.

NOTE: Individuals who have received scholarships in prior years under MHEC's former career/occupational programs (Child Care Provider; Developmental Disabilities, Mental Health, Child Welfare, and Juvenile Justice Workforce Tuition Assistance Program) will continue to receive their awards as long as they remain eligible. Students who receive one of these former awards are not eligible to also receive a WSSAG award.

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; 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).

Eligible majors and employment fields will be determined by the Workforce Shortage Advisory Council biennially and will address statewide and regional workforce needs. Employment fields may be limited to certain occupational areas within a field. Eligible majors and employment fields for academic year 2026-2027 are listed below.

Hattie N. Harrison Memorial Scholarship (Child Development or Early Childhood Education) Recipients must become employed full-time in the State of Maryland as a director or senior staff member in a licensed Maryland childcare center or as a licensed family daycare provider in Maryland. You may NOT be a teacher to serve this obligation .

Ida G. and L.

Leonard Ruben Scholarship (Human Services Degree Programs) Aging services, counseling, disability services, mental health, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology, rehabilitation, social work, special education, supported employment, vocational rehabilitation, or, any other concentration in the healing arts or programs providing support services to individuals with special needs including child welfare and juvenile services, and the alcohol and drug workforce.

Recipients must be employed in a Maryland community-based program that is licensed by the Developmental Disabilities Administration or approved by the Department of Health or certified by the Office of Health Care Quality; or in a residential program that is licensed by the Department of Human Services or the Department of Juvenile Services.

Recipients must be a direct service employee or provide first-line supervision of employees who provide habilitation, rehabilitation, residential, or related community support services to individuals with developmental disabilities, mental health disorders, or who are dependent on alcohol or drugs; or who serve children in the custody of a local Department of Social Services or in any residential childcare program licensed by the Department of Human Services or the Department of Juvenile Services.

Sharon Christa McAuliffe Scholarship (Education) Approved teacher education program leading to certification in a critical shortage field, which includes: Chemistry (grades 7-12); Chinese (grades7-12); computer science (7-12); Earth/space science (7-12); ESOL (preK-12); Family and Consumer Sciences (7-12); mathematics (7-12); physical science (7-12); physics (7-12); Spanish (7-12); special education: [infant/primary (birth-grade 3); elementary/middle (grades 1-8); secondary/adult (grades 6-adult); hearing impaired; severely & profoundly disabled; or visually impaired]; and technology education.

NOTE: Elementary Education is not a critical area. Physical Education is not a health occupation. Recipients must become certified teachers in Maryland in the certification area in which they applied and were awarded and then be employed in a Maryland public or private elementary or secondary school as a full-time classroom teacher in that area.

Parren J. Mitchell Public Service Scholarship - Nursing Recipients must be employed as a nurse in a Maryland licensed hospital, adult day care center, nursing home, public health agency, home health agency, an eligible institution of postsecondary education that awards nursing degrees or diplomas, or other organization authorized by the Department of Health Secretary.

Employment as a nurse at a health maintenance organization (HMO) or a physician's private office does not meet the service requirement.

Physical Therapy; Physical Therapy Assistant; Occupational Therapy; Occupational Therapy Assistant Recipients must be employed as a therapist or therapy assistant to handicapped children in a public school in Maryland or to handicapped children placed in an approved non-public education program or to provide physical or occupational therapy in a State therapeutic hospital determined by the Department of Health Secretary to have a severe shortage of physical or occupational therapists.

William Donald Schaefer Scholarship - Law (designed to prepare individuals for a career in law) Recipients must be employed in Maryland public service to assist in providing legal services to low-income residents in the State.

Eligible employment is defined as employment in government at any level, public interest organizations, public schools, and nonprofit organizations under 501(c)(3) or (4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, such as those whose primary purposes are to help needy or disadvantaged persons, or disabled individuals, or to protect the environment. Ruth M.

Kirk Public Social Work Scholarship Recipients must be employed as a social worker in the public or nonprofit sectors under 501(c)(3) or (4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 in which there is a shortage of qualified practitioners to low-income or underserved residents or areas of the State. Parren J.

Mitchell Public Service Scholarship - Other (majors other than nursing, social work, and law) (designed to prepare individuals for a career in public service) : Recipients must be employed in services in the public or nonprofit sectors under 501(c)(3) or (4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 in which there is a shortage of qualified practitioners to low-income or underserved residents or areas of the State.

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).

Your award will be automatically renewed for up to a maximum of five years as long as you continue to meet all the eligibility requirements and maintain the satisfactory academic progress standards of the institution you are attending. 2026-2027 WSSAG Conditions of Award & Service Obli. pdf ​ WSSAG FAQ FY 2026-2027.

pdf ​ The Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant program regulations have been published online under the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR). ​ Maryland Higher Education Commission 217 East Redwood Street, Suite 2100, Agency Optional Large Menu We're available on the following channels. ensures HTML content is downloaded and parsed first.

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