BALTIMORE (August 19, 2009)—Maryland's high school class of 2009 is in a class by itself when it comes to scholarship money.
Graduating seniors this past year were offered a record $802 million in scholarship funding to continue their pursuit of knowledge at the college of their choice, according to a new MSDE survey. That compared to $576 million last year and less than $500 million in 2007.
"Maryland is the nation's top ranked school system, and our graduates are coveted by colleges across the country," said State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick. "In these difficult economic times, this scholarship money is critical for many students in their pursuit of a higher education."
The survey found that 17,860 out of a total public high school graduating class of 53,494 received scholarship offers, or about one in three. The scholarships included more than 250 National Merit Finalists and 450 scholarship offers from Ivy League institutions.
Maryland is ranked number one in the nation in the percentage of high schools offering and students taking college-level courses in a recent Newsweek analysis. Maryland also ranks first in the nation in the percentage of high school students who earn a college mastery score on at least one Advanced Placement (AP) exam, according to the College Board.
Source: Maryland State Dept. of Education