Hundreds of Maryland university students have grants honored after funding was rescinded

Maryland's Higher Education Commission (MHEC) is honoring grants to hundreds of college students who initially had their funds canceled following a computer glitch.

The Guaranteed Access Grants, which were awarded to students in the spring, were canceled just days before classes were set to begin, according to a spokesperson for the University System of Maryland. 

On Wednesday, a parent told WJZ that she and her son called the MHEC and spoke with a supervisor who said a computer glitch in the Maryland College Aid Processing System (MDCAPS) system, discovered on August 14, caused the MHEC to falsely award the grants in May. 

MHEC said a system error by its vendor, Interclipse, led to incorrect eligibility determinations for the Guaranteed Access Grant Awards.

MHEC shared a statement saying they will now give out the grants that were initially awarded. The commission said that around 500 to 600 students were impacted.

"MHEC will honor initial award decisions for students the vendor has identified have been impacted by this error," a spokesperson for MHEC said.

MHEC says the state is changing its scholarship management system to a new vendor, which has been selected, and a new system will be deployed by fall 2026.

WJZ reached out to the commission to learn the total cost of the error and who will pay.

Impacted student relieved after grant reversal 

Andrew Farmer, a Frostburg State University freshman, moved into his dorm on Thursday and can focus on starting college now that thousands of dollars in grant money are being restored.

Farmer's $18,000 grant will be honored for this school year.

 "It feels great to know that I get to stay here and I get to grow with the college," Farmer said.

Earlier this week, Farmer's future at the university was unclear.

After the Maryland Higher Education Commission had revoked his $18,000 Guaranteed Access Grant, Farmer and his mother noticed that the money vanished from his Frostburg student aid account.

They called the Higher Education Commission to find out why the grant was gone.

"I'm pleading with her. I'm a single mom, and we don't have this money," said mother Amy Sawyer. "He only agreed to go to this school based on this grant. He's supposed to leave in less than 48 hours, what are we supposed to do? And she said, "I'm sorry, you just don't qualify."

A computer glitch by their vendor had awarded money in May to her son and hundreds of others who didn't qualify for it.

"My mom told me the whole time for three months that I was a leprechaun and I was lucky, and then it all just came crashing down at the last minute," Farmer said.

Farmer said he was relieved once he learned the rescinded grant was going to be honored.

"It wasn't mostly like an exciting feeling, it was more like, OK, they did the right thing, but it was definitely relief," Farmer said.

University System of Maryland reacts 

Michael Sandler said the University System of Maryland's focus was on the affected students. He said the system's campuses communicated with the students, and leadership was in touch with MHEC and the governor's office. 

The school system includes Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Frostburg State University, Salisbury University, Towson University, and the University of Baltimore. 

The system also includes the following campuses: 

• University of Maryland, Baltimore
• University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• University of Maryland, College Park
• University of Maryland Eastern Shore
• University of Maryland Global Campus
• University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

"It is our hope that all of these students can receive what was promised to them and focus their attention on their studies," The University System of Maryland said. 

Full Statement from University System of Maryland Spokesperson Michael Sandler:

"We were stunned to learn that hundreds of students across the University System of Maryland were notified this week that their Guaranteed Access Grants — which were awarded last spring by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) — had been canceled. This is devastating for them and must be addressed quickly. Many of these students were depending on this money to attend college; receiving this news days before the fall semester begins will make that challenging."

"Our focus is on the affected students. Our campuses are communicating with them, and our leadership is in touch with MHEC and the governor's office. It is our hope that all of these students can receive what was promised to them and focus their attention on their studies."