Scholarships will post after course registration and tuition charges post to the student account for the semester. Be aware some scholarships may not post until a specific registration status is met (e.g., a scholarship that requires a student to have registered full-time: 12+ credit hours). Unless otherwise stated from the scholarship provider we will post scholarships after the student is registered for at least 6 undergraduate credits for that particular semester (Fall/Spring). If the student is less than 6 undergraduate credit hours, typically we will need notification from the scholarship provider (typically a written statement/email) in order to post funds.
The funds are primarily paid towards tuition and mandatory fee costs; however, the University is not able to restrict funds from being used to pay other expenses. All scholarship funds will go directly towards the student’s billing account regardless of if they exceed the billed charges.
An outside scholarship is money awarded to a student from a source outside of the University. They often consist of funds from a student's high school, a service organization, religious organization, etc. Private scholarships can have an impact on a student’s financial aid package. If a student is receiving a private scholarship, he/she will need to report that information to the Office of Student Financial Aid.
These are processed differently from standard private scholarships. Scholarship providers might request to be directly billed. In such cases they must send paperwork on letterhead including the amount of the scholarship and the address of where to send the bill. Unless otherwise stated by the donor, scholarships over the $1000 threshold are split in half over the Fall/Spring semesters and each half is billed per semester.
Outside scholarship funds are typically made payable through check and are to be submitted to the Student Financial Services and Cashiering Office. The checks need to include the student(s) 9-digit UID number. Additionally, the checks may also include additional documents that provides instructions on how to process the payment. Please send checks and documentation to:
University of Maryland
Office of Student Financial Services and Cashiering
Outside Scholarships
1109 Lee Building
7809 Regents Dr.
College Park, MD 20742
One can also hand in/drop off the check in person (and receive a receipt) in the Cashiers Office:
University of Maryland
Office of Student Financial Services and Cashiering
1115 Lee Building
7809 Regents Dr.
College Park, MD 20742
Payment Window Hours
Monday: 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00
Tuesday: 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00
Wednesday: 9:30-12:00 and 1:00-4:00
Thursday: 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00
Friday: 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00
*Please note that the cashiers payment window is a separate location from the Student Financials Office customer service walk up counter. Those counter hours are listed in the above FAQ
The check should be written payable to The University of Maryland. Some scholarship providers may write the check payable to both the student and the University or to just the student. Depending on the method chosen additional steps may be needed (see below):
If the check is only written to The University of Maryland:
The student/scholarship provider will need to include 9-digit UID number on the check. The check can then be mailed in or dropped off in person.
If the check is written to both the Student and The University of Maryland:
The student will first need to endorse the check (sign the back of the check on the endorsement line). The student/scholarship provider will also need to include 9-digit UID number on the check. The check can then be mailed in or dropped off in person.
If the check is written just to the Student:
The student will first need to endorse the check (sign the back of the check on the endorsement line). The student/scholarship provider will also need to include 9-digit UID number on the check. The check can then be mailed in or dropped off in person. Please send the original check that the donor provided. Unless instructed otherwise, do not negotiate the check at your own bank and then create a new check.
If a check needing endorsement is not endorsed, once the check is received by the Office of Student Financial Services and Cashiering , the student is then notified by e-mail, telephone, or U.S. mail to come to the Cashiers Office, Rm. 1115 Lee Bldg. to endorse the check. The student must bring either his/her University ID card or driver's license as proof of identification. The endorsement may be done during regular business hours.
The typical mailing, transit, and internal processing time for external checks of this nature to be completed is up to 3 weeks. If it has been over 3 weeks since the donor actually sent the check (not just when the student was awarded it) and the payment is not yet reflected in the student account, please have the student check that he/she is registered for the appropriate number of credits for the term in which the scholarship is to be applied. We also recommend the student to check with the donor for the address the check was sent, and to verify if it has been cashed. If the check has been cashed by the University, a copy of the front and back of the check is needed to research further.
We will first place funds in accordance to the scholarship provider’s request via the documentation that is originally included with the check. Therefore it is important that all checks or accompanying documentation received from the scholarship provider indicate the specific semester or semesters (e.g., Fall 2025) to which the award is to be applied. Additionally, for checks only for the Fall semester the scholarship provider should specify if there will be an additional check in the Spring semester.
If a specific semester is not identified, any scholarship up to $1000 will be applied to the current semester*. Any funds over $1000 will be split in half over the Fall and Spring semesters of the academic year (e.g., Fall 2025 and Spring 2026). This means the student will receive half of the funds in the Fall semester and the other half in the Spring semester.
Generally speaking, checks received in December up until the university campus holiday closure will be classified for the Fall term, and if received during the holiday closure up through the middle of May will be classified for the Spring term
In the case of invoiced scholarships, invoices to donors will not go out until after the end of the Add/Drop period for that particular semester. The donor will then submit payment for the funds, typically via check. However, do note that if the donor fails to pay the invoice by the end of the (semester/academic year) the funds will be charged back to the student account and the student will be responsible. If the scholarship provider does not want to wait until the end of the Add/Drop period to get an invoice they will need to request a copy of the student account inquiry/bill from the student to use instead. Scholarships of this type will not be credited via invoice with the paperwork.
If the scholarship is meant to go towards a specific term and needs to be changed, notification from the scholarship provider is needed (typically a written statement/email) in order to move the funds to a specific semester. This includes non-standard terms such as Winter term or Summer term.
At the time of initial application/crediting of the scholarship to the student account, the University will verify that the student is enrolled for the current academic term. However, once a scholarship has been credited to the student's account, the student's enrollment status is not monitored for compliance with any restrictions. After the scholarship has been credited, the scholarship provider is responsible for contacting the student for proof of enrollment and for recovering any funds from the student which may not be allowable under the conditions of its scholarship program.
If a student does not attend at all for the academic year the funds will be returned back to the scholarship provider at the end of the academic year or earlier with notification.
If a student is expecting funds that have not arrived yet the student will need to pay their portion of the bill minus the scholarship amount for that particular term (noting if the check will be split). If the funds are not enough to cover the remaining balance or the funds do not come in a timely manner (before the end of the term/registration blocks) the student will be responsible for covering that remaining balance.
We cannot send the funds directly to another school for students attending a different institution for part of the academic year. The student may have the scholarship sent back to the scholarship provider and have the provider send a new check to the new institution. Alternatively on request, the scholarship can be credited to the student account here. If a refund is subsequently generated the student would be responsible for paying the other institution using any refund money on the student account.