Making College Tuition Affordable
There is no single investment we can make that expands opportunity to more Marylanders than the investment we make to put the dreams of college education within the grasp of more of our people rather than fewer.
Governor O'Malley is committed to investing in our future and making college more affordable for Maryland's families. Martin O'Malley is working to ensure that every student in Maryland who wants to attend college has that opportunity.
Freezing college tuition: In 2009, tuition was frozen for the fourth straight year at all four-year public universities. Because of Governor O'Malley's leadership, Maryland universities have become more affordable -- from 6th to 18th most expensive in the nation - for our families.
Investing in higher education: With the Higher Education Investment Fund, Maryland has allocated an additional $100 million to keep tuition affordable and improve workforce development opportunities. $46 million additional funding will be added this year.
Fostering top-rated public universities: In the past year, Kiplinger Magazine named four public Maryland universities to its list of Top Colleges and Best Values. Similarly, the Princeton Review named eight Maryland schools to the Best Schools or Best Value Colleges lists.
Increasing funding to community colleges: Governor O'Malley committed to increasing funding to Maryland's exceptional community colleges by 3.8 percent. This brings the O'Malley Brown Administrations three-year funding total to over $760 million, which is almost 40 percent more than the previous administration.
Preparing students for the future: State-of-the-art science labs, libraries and public health facilities have been built at many of Maryland's community colleges - equipping students with the skills and training to compete in the global market.
Expanding scholarship opportunities: A record $355 million in student financial assistance was provided to Maryland's students in the past three years. In addition the O'Malley-Brown administration has created Maryland's first dedicated scholarship fund for returning veterans.
The effects of the nation's economic hardship are hitting Maryland hard. We're fighting every day to protect Maryland’s families during these tough economic times. We’re also working every day to make sure that government and its programs work for people.
