The Frederick Douglass Scholarship (FDS) is a prestigious University of Maryland (UMD) scholarship for academically talented transfer students from Maryland community colleges.

This exceptional merit-based scholarship honors the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass, who made lasting contributions to American history through his work as an abolitionist, suffragist, author and agent of positive change. 30 full and 15 partial tuition scholarships are awarded to students who are selected from a rigorous review and interview process.

The FDS application must be submitted no later than March 1 by 5:00 p.m. Selected students will be invited to interview in late March or early April as part of the final scholarship review process. Scholarship recipients will be notified by the end of April. If you have any questions please email FDS@umd.edu.

• Be an admitted UMD student for the current spring semester or a transfer applicant with a completed and submitted application (including all required documents) for the upcoming fall semester with no previous degree-seeking status at the university.
• Be a Maryland resident at the time of applying. This is determined by the applicant's response to the residency questions on the admission application. UMD adheres to the Board of Regents' residency classification policies.
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident at the time of applying.
• Have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher for all college work, including work from institutions other than Maryland community colleges.
• Earned an associate’s degree from a Maryland community college, have completed, or be in the process of completing 56 college credits with the most recent 30 credits earned at a Maryland community college.
• The degree or credits must be earned prior to the first semester of enrollment at UMD.
• Students completing their 56th credit at the time of applying must reflect that courses are in progress on their transcript or on the transfer application.
• Show English language proficiency, as demonstrated through a review of all materials submitted with the application.