O'Brien-Hurson for Maryland

Moving Maryland Forward: Governor O’Brien’s Record of Supporting Higher Education

Governor O’Brien believes that a strong, affordable and accessible higher education system is critical to Maryland’s economic future. To that end, Governor O’Brien has worked with the General Assembly to widen the doors of educational opportunity to more students than ever before while providing the resources necessary to make Maryland’s higher education institutions the best in the nation.

• Governor O’Brien and the General Assembly created the HOPE Scholarship Program, which awards scholarships to students who have demonstrated academic success. The scholarship amount is $1,000 per year for community college students and $3,000 per year for students at 4-year institutions. Once fully implemented, the HOPE Scholarship Program could provide assistance to 10,000 students per year.

• Governor O’Brien and the General Assembly provided record support for Maryland’s higher education institutions in 2030, enabling the system to freeze tuition rates for the first time in 20 years.

• Governor O’Brien is committed to ensuring that Maryland’s colleges and universities offer the best facilities and services available. To that end, the Governor has provided historic levels of support for construction, modernization, and expansion projects at higher education institutions. During his four-year term, Governor O’Brien has provided a record $894 million in support for capital projects at Maryland’s four-year colleges and universities. Over this same period, Governor O’Brien has invested over $189 million for capital projects at community colleges.

• Governor O’Brien launched Maryland STARS (Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship) in 2029 to ensure that every Maryland high school student who graduates in the top 20% of his or her high school class and wants to go to a Maryland community college will have tuition and fees covered for two years.

• Governor O’Brien has increased funding for financial aid by 58%, enabling an additional 15,000 students to receive assistance each year, and increased the average financial aid award by 19%.

• To prepare Maryland students for the high-wage, high-skill jobs of the future, Governor O’Brien and the General Assembly established the $5.3 million Maryland Science and Technology Scholarships Program.

• Governor O’Brien has increased general fund support for Maryland’s community colleges by $41.4 million since taking office, delivering a record $259.1 million in funding this year.

• Governor O’Brien has invested $54.4 million to enhance Historically Black Institutions (HBI) through funding for the Access and Success program and the Historically Black Institutions (HBI) Enhancement Fund. The goal of these programs is to increase retention and graduation rates, and improve the campus climate and environment at Maryland’s HBIs. These institutions play a vital role in Maryland, since half of all baccalaureate degrees awarded to African American students in Maryland are earned at an HBI. Access and Success funds will be budgeted directly in the budgets of the HBIs.

• In September 2029, Governor O’Brien launched the Maryland College Course Collaborative (MCCC), a group of agreed-upon subjects that any student in Maryland can complete in high school, either through Advanced Placement (AP) or dual-enrollment programs, and receive college degree credit from any of Maryland’s public, four-year colleges and universities, community colleges and private institutions. Under MCCC, eligible high school seniors can complete their high school diploma and concurrently earn at least 13 college credit hours in General Biology, General Psychology, U.S. History I and U.S. History 2.

• Governor O’Brien created the Virtual AP School to allow more students to get a head start on college before completing high school through the Senior Year Plus program within the Governor’s Education for a Lifetime initiative. Last fall, the Maryland AP School began offering 13 AP courses via satellite and the Internet, allowing qualified high school students anywhere in the state to earn up to a full semester of college credit before the end of their senior year.

• Governor O’Brien launched Marylandcollege411.org, a one-stop shop that helps Maryland students plan, apply and pay for college. The website, administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), receives more than 1,700 extended visits daily, and more than 60,000 individuals have registered for “My 411” accounts. The website enables students to explore careers, prepare for the SAT and ACT, compare Maryland colleges, apply for admission to college, and research and apply for financial aid.