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2023-24 University of Maryland (UMD) Supplemental Essays – Prompts and Tips

September 8, 2023

With more than 56,000 applicants per year, you might think that the University of Maryland—College Park admissions committee would want to create a fast-paced assembly line for application reviews that is 99% based on the hard numbers like GPA and SAT scores. Yet, in addition to those important data points and the 650-word Common App essay, prospective Terrapins are  also asked to complete six short “Complete this Sentence” University of Maryland supplemental essays as part of a genuinely holistic admissions process. Today, we’ll explore the UMD supplemental essays.

 (Want to learn more about How to Get Into the University of Maryland—College Park? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into the University of Maryland: Admissions Data and Strategies  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

As the University of Maryland becomes more selective—the acceptance rate was just 34% last year—applicants need to find ways to stand out from the competition. Fortunately, these six short answer essays provide just such an opportunity. Below are the UMD supplemental essays for the 2023-24 admissions cycle along with tips about how to address each one.

UMD Supplemental Essays – 2023-24 Prompts

Applicants must complete each of the following fill-in-the-blank responses in 650 characters (not words!) max each:

1) If I could travel anywhere, I would go to… (650 characters)

There’s nothing wrong with simply naming a popular and/or exotic city if you wish, but don’t feel like that is your sole option with this essay. For example, you could travel to see a particular painting in an art gallery in Finland. You could travel through time to have a conversation with 19th century women’s right’s hero Elizabeth Cady Stanton. You could travel to Montana’s Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument to dig for dinosaur fossils alongside paleontologists. There is no shortage of ways to create an answer that contains more depth and meaning than simply saying “Paris, because it has beautiful architecture.”

2) The most interesting fact I ever learned from research was… (650 characters)

“But wait, I’m a 17/18-year-old who has done some experiments in Chemistry class, but I didn’t exactly win a Nobel Prize for learning how to safely use a Bunsen burner.” Applicants sometimes panic when they first read this question. However, the only expectation is that you cite a finding from someone else’s research that you found meaningful and enlightening. If you aren’t interested in the hard sciences, that’s perfectly fine! There is plenty of research that takes place outside of the STEM realm. Some ideas include:

• The Environment

UMD Supplemental Essays (Continued)

3) in addition to my major, my academic interests include… (650 characters).

Note the operative phrase here—“In addition to my major.” This is a chance to talk about one or more of your academic passions that are a) an extension of your major b) separate from your major or c) part of an interdisciplinary connection between your major and another discipline.

Of course, the second key word here is “academic” so you’ll want to make sure that the subject or subjects you wish to discuss are at least somewhat related to an area that could be studied in college. Use this prompt to showcase your diverse interests and intellectual passions and remember that “academic” in a college setting means more than just straight subjects like high school biology, geometry, or world history. In a collegiate setting, there are academic offerings in psychology, art, criminal justice, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and hundreds of other expansive and intriguing options so don’t feel overly-constrained!

4) My favorite thing about last Thursday was… (650 characters)

You could look back at your Google Calendar or old texts in a quest to uncover whether last Thursday was the day you reheated beef stroganoff for dinner or whether that was the night you ordered Uber Eats from Chipotle while studying for a Calculus final. However, there is another way to reimagine the question which removes “last Thursday’s” random and limiting presence altogether. Instead, change the question to, “What is something that has happened to me recently that may have seemed small/everyday-ish, but truly mattered to me and communicates something about my character/personality?”

Think of this prompt as a chance to show off your skills of observation and reflection. Even in 650 characters, try to paint a picture of your appreciation for one of life’s small moments.

5) When I think of diversity, I think of.. (650 characters)

Try to avoid going the stale “the dictionary definition of diversity is…” route. Get personal and share what being a part of a diverse community means to you. Remember, diversity can apply to race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, and gender. Even diversity of thought and political ideology are on the table here. The goal is to sincerely communicate your feelings toward being a member of a diverse Terrapin campus. In fact, 47% of current undergraduates identify as students of color.

6) Because we know that diversity benefits the educational experience of all students, the University of Maryland values diversity in all of its many forms.  This includes (but is not limited to) racial, socio-economic, gender, geographical, and sexual orientation.  We are interested in hearing about your own individual life experiences.  In a few sentences, will you please describe how you have learned, grown, been inspired or developed skills through one or more components of diversity.  (650 characters)

Remember, diversity can apply to race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, and gender. Even diversity of thought and political ideology are on the table here. The goal is to think about your experiences and observations in this realm—is there a particular situation, challenge, or aspect of your own (or someone else’s) identity that has enabled you to learn or grow in this area? Perhaps you’ve learned how to advocate for yourself or someone else, been exposed to a new way of thinking, learned how to have difficult conversations, educated others, or been inspired by a peer’s story. Bottom line: there are many possible options here, and UMD wants to understand how you would contribute to and/or support diverse spaces on campus.

How important are the UMD supplemental essays?

The essays at the University of Maryland are an “important” factor in their evaluation process, alongside class rank, recommendations, talent/ability, first-generation status, and state residency. This ranks higher than factors such as extracurricular activities, legacy status, race/ethnicity, or work experience.

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University of Maryland Supplemental Essays 2023-24

Wondering how to write your University of Maryland supplemental essays? If so, you’re in the right place. The UMD essay prompts are unique, both in length and style. In fact, all of the UMD supplemental essays are actually short-answer questions. So, applicants need to be strategic about their responses to the UMD prompts if they want to make their application stand out. 

In this guide to the UMD essays, we’ll go beyond just introducing you to the UMD essay prompts. You’ll find tips for building your short answer responses and for writing your all-important personal statement. If you are considering transferring to UMD, we also go over the UMD supplemental essays for transfer students. Finally, we will connect you to several other resources that can aid you in your essay writing journey. 

By the end of this guide, we hope to have answered most of your questions about applying to UMD. Then, you’ll have the tools you’ll need to write excellent University of Maryland supplemental essays. But, before we jump in, let’s start with some UMD Admissions Quick Facts.

UMD Supplemental Essays: Quick Facts

University of maryland admissions quick facts.

• University of Maryland Acceptance Rate:  44% – If you’re considering applying early, note that the early acceptance rate at UMD is 47.7%.
• 1 (~650 word) personal essay
• 6 (~650 character) short answer questions
• University of Maryland Application:  Students must submit their UMD application through the  Common Application or the StandOut Admissions Network . Prepare your  required application materials , including your University of Maryland supplemental essays, before applying . 
• Early Action: November 1
• Regular Decision: January 20 
• University of Maryland Essay Tip:  Don’t overthink your responses to the University of Maryland supplemental essays. Go with an answer that feels authentic and then write concise and clear answers to the prompts. 

Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website.

Does the University of Maryland have supplemental essays?

Yes – there are six University of Maryland supplemental essays. However, the UMD supplemental essays are very different from most other schools’ essay prompts. Let’s look at a few ways they differ.

Short Essays

First, the University of Maryland supplemental essays are very short. On average, supplemental essays range in word count from 150-300 words. The University of Maryland supplemental essays are described as short answer questions, and rightly so. The maximum length is 650 characters, which amounts to anywhere from 92 to 163 words, depending on your word length. With such limited space, you’ll need to be concise in your answers to the UMD College Park supplemental essays.

Quirky Questions

Secondly, the University of Maryland supplemental essays are focused on understanding who you are through different snapshots of your life. Many supplemental essays focus on your academic interests or why you want to attend a given college. However, the UMD supplemental essays ask seemingly random questions like “What did you do last Thursday?”. While the UMD essay prompts might seem random, they’re there for a reason: to take the pressure off! These fun prompts allow students to showcase a realistic and holistic perspective on who they are beyond being a student.

Six Prompts

Finally, there are six UMD supplemental essays. Most commonly, schools have one to two required supplemental essays and potentially an optional one. By offering six University of Maryland supplemental essays, UMD seeks to give students many ways to showcase who they are. And, since they’re all required, applicants have no choice but to make the most of their responses.

Next, let’s look at each of the UMD College Park supplemental essays and talk about how you might respond to each one.

UMD Supplemental Essay Requirements

As we shared above, there are six required University of Maryland supplemental essays. The word limit for each is 650 characters (between 92 and 136 words). In this section, we will start by breaking down what each of the UMD essay prompts is looking for. Then, we’ll get into how you can provide an answer that will impress University of Maryland admissions officers.

Here are the six UMD essay prompts, followed by some guidance about how to respond.

University of Maryland Prompt 1

If i could travel anywhere, i would go to….

The first of the UMD supplemental essays is a fun one. With this question, the school is looking to see your adventurous spirit come through. Answer authentically, while being specific. Avoid being too general by stating the name of a continent or a country. Instead, choose a city, town, or even neighborhood. And, avoid cliches that are overused, such as “I would travel to another time period.” You can generally avoid falling into the trap of cliches if you’re specific and answer in a heartfelt, honest manner.

University of Maryland Prompt 2

The most interesting fact i ever learned from research was… .

In the second of your University of Maryland supplemental essays, UMD is looking for evidence of your curious mindset. Feel free to interpret the word “research” broadly. While actual scientific research is valid to highlight, it’s not the only avenue to choose. You could also talk about a topic you did a deep dive on the internet to learn more about. Again, be specific about why this fact interested you. 

Second, connect your interest back to a personal value or an academic subject you enjoy. For example, maybe you were fascinated to learn that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch contains enough trash to fill 500 Jumbo Jets. You’d want to then speak to why this was important to you and if learning it had any impact on your future thoughts or actions.

University of Maryland Prompt 3

In addition to my major, my academic interests include… .

The third of your UMD supplemental essays is focused on your academic interests. The key to this prompt are the words, “In addition to my major.” This question is looking for insight into other fields of interest besides your stated major. The University of Maryland supplemental essays create space for you to highlight your various interests and demonstrate your intellectual curiosity.

To answer this question, consider other academic subjects that interest you. Note that you do not have to list a field, like mechanical engineering or business. Instead, you can provide specific topics that interest you. For example, maybe your academic interests include reading Shakespearean plays or learning Italian. Include a few sentences about why you are interested in this topic. Do you have fond memories of acting out Shakespearean plays in sophomore English? Maybe you have plans to one day travel to Florence, so learning Italian inspires you. Whatever you choose, be genuine.

University of Maryland Prompt 4

My favorite thing about last thursday was… .

Some students may read this UMD supplemental essay prompt and wonder why the school wants to know what happened last Thursday. The answer is simple – they want to know what you really value in your daily life. Don’t overthink your response. Rather, try to reflect upon your previous Thursday with wonder. What did you enjoy about that day? What was exciting, inspiring, or special? Maybe the weather was so cool and crisp that you felt inspired to go for a run. Or perhaps, you found out a friend won an award, and it made you happy to see that person honored. 

If you can’t remember what you did last Thursday, then pick any recent day you do remember. The school does not actually care about Thursday in particular, but rather the way in which you reflect upon your life. Use sensory details and explain why your answer is meaningful to you. Remember, even the little things can give your University of Maryland supplemental essays extra flair. 

University of Maryland Prompt 5

Something you might not know about me is… .

For some students, the most challenging of the UMD College Park supplemental essays is this one because of its open-endedness. However, rather than stress about trying to guess what might impress University of Maryland admissions officers, simply be yourself. This prompt allows you to highlight something that does not fit into any of the other prompts. So, you might wish to answer this question last.

Indeed, there is no “right” answer to this question. But you should still take time to think of something about yourself that is actually meaningful to you. Maybe you love waking up early on Saturdays to have pancakes with your family because it reminds you of how much you are loved. Maybe you paint portraits of your favorite hip-hop artists because you admire their music so much. As with all the UMD supplemental essays, being genuine and explaining why you chose your answer will be key.

University of Maryland Prompt 6

Because we know that diversity benefits the educational experience of all students, the university of maryland values diversity in all of its many forms. this includes (but is not limited to) racial, socio-economic, gender, geographical, and sexual orientation. we are interested in hearing about your own individual life experiences. in a few sentences, will you please describe how you have learned, grown, been inspired or developed skills through one or more components of diversity. .

The last, but certainly not least important, of the UMD College Park supplemental essays is the diversity question. The first step in answering this question is to remember that diversity is a broad term. Diversity can include things like your race, culture, or socioeconomic status. But it can also include where you grew up, unique childhood experiences, or challenges you may have faced. 

The key is to reflect upon your life experiences and how they have shaped you. For example, maybe you grew up in a family of self-starters, and this shaped your own desire to one day own a business. Or perhaps you were very sick as a child, and overcoming your illness taught you about patience and self-care. Whatever you choose, be sure to explain what this aspect of your life experience taught you. 

Besides your six University of Maryland supplemental essays, you will also submit a personal statement. Keep reading to learn more about what goes into your personal statement.

University of Maryland Personal Statement

In contrast to the six UMD College Park supplemental essays, your personal statement can be up to 650 words long. As such, you have much more space to express your thoughts. Your essay will respond to one of the seven Common App essay prompts.

To clarify, your University of Maryland personal statement is the same as your Common App personal statement. As such, your UMD personal statement will not be school-specific, but will instead contribute to your overall college application brand . So, think of your personal statement as a chance to write about a key part of your identity.

A well-written personal statement usually contains a story-like approach. This includes engaging elements like a hook and a story arc with a beginning, middle, and end. Many personal statements also include reflective moments where the student shares what they learned from the experience they are sharing. Read more about how to begin in this CollegeAdvisor resource on How to Start a Personal Statement.

UMD Essay Requirements – Transfer Students

If you are a transfer student, your University of Maryland supplemental essays will include a college transfer essay. What constitutes a transfer student? A transfer student is:

• Any student that has at least 12 semester or 18 quarter hours after high school graduation AND
• Is applying for admission at a new college

Your transfer application must accomplish a slightly different task of explaining to UMD why you wish to transfer schools.

Instead of a personal statement, transfer students will write a college transfer essay for their transfer application. Below is the prompt:

University of Maryland Transfer Students Essay Prompt

Please describe your past academic experiences and your reasons for wishing to enroll at umd at this point in your academic career. (300 words or less).

To effectively answer this question, transfer students must be clear about what specific aspect of studying at UMD appeals to them. Students who have been out of school for some time or have faced academic challenges should share more about those experiences in their responses. While there may be numerous reasons why you want to transfer, avoid speaking poorly of another school. Instead, focus on what makes you believe you will thrive at UMD.

Please note that your transfer application can only be submitted through the StandOut Admissions Network platform. The early action deadline for submitting a transfer application is: 

• March 1 of the spring before the fall semester in which you wish to enroll OR
• August 1 of the summer before the spring semester you wish to enroll

Next, we will explore some tips for writing your UMD supplemental essays.

Tips for approaching the UMD Supplemental Essays

Without a doubt, it can be daunting to see the six UMD essay prompts you have to respond to. After all, that’s a lot of UMD supplemental essays! Below are some tips for ensuring your responses are interesting and showcase the best version of yourself to UMD Admissions.

1. Be authentic

As always, authenticity is key. With these UMD College Park supplemental essays, the school is really trying to get to know multiple sides of you. If you try too hard to impress them, you are defeating the purpose of the UMD essay prompts. Ask friends and family to double-check your ideas and see whether they sound like you. Those who know you best can give valuable input.

2. Write first, then edit down

Some students feel frozen when they see the word count, not knowing how they can respond with only 650 characters. However, don’t worry about the length of your University of Maryland supplemental essays. Instead, write drafts that are as long as you need them to be. Then, go through your drafts and find the most critical ideas. These can be interesting details or insights that you believe are important. 

3. Avoid repetition

Since there are six UMD supplemental essays, you might be tempted to repeat topics or ideas. However, each 650-character essay is valuable real estate. Show something new about yourself in each of your UMD supplemental essays. Remember, Admissions is reading all six as a collection, not each one individually!

4. Share your why

For each of your University of Maryland supplemental essays, answer the question directly but be sure to share your why . Indeed, sharing why you chose an answer can often say as much or more about you than the answer itself. If I tell you my favorite color is blue, you’ve learned one simple fact. Now let’s say I add that my grandmother always wore blue at Sunday dinner and it reminds me of her. Now, you’ve learned that I value my family, miss my grandmother, and am nostalgic for dinners with her.

Next, we will take a deeper look at what the University of Maryland – College Park is known for. With this knowledge, you can write University of Maryland supplemental essays that demonstrate qualities that align with the school’s values.

What is the University of Maryland – College Park known for?

If you are considering applying to the University of Maryland, there is a lot you should know about the school. For one, the University of Maryland – College Park is a competitive public institution. According to U.S. News , the UMD acceptance rate is 44% and the school ranks #19 among top public universities . Similarly, Forbes ranked UMD #34 amongst its top colleges for 2023. As such, writing strong UMD supplemental essays is important to stand out against other qualified applicants. 

The University of Maryland – College Park is known for being the first campus in the UMD college system . The school is located in the suburb of College Park, Maryland. However, students also have easy access to the big cities of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. With over 30,000 undergraduates, UMD is a large campus with 12 colleges and more than 800 clubs and organizations. UMD is known for its excellent James Clark School of Engineering and Robert H. Smith School of Business, as well as its research initiatives. Lastly, UMD is known for its sustainability initiatives, with a plan in place to be carbon neutral by 2050.

As such a large school with so many resources, UMD College Park is likely to be a great fit for your studies . If you want to attend, keep reading to learn more about how to make your UMD supplemental essays stand out. 

How to make your University of Maryland Essays stand out!

If you want to beat the UMD acceptance rate, you’ll want your UMD supplemental essays to stand out from the pack. Here are a few tips for ensuring that they do:

1. Edit them well

Your UMD College Park supplemental essays are a chance to showcase who you are. But, they are also a chance to showcase your writing skills. Be sure to spend time editing for proper grammar, varied sentence structure, and clear transitions. Consider reading your essays out loud to catch errors. Also, ask a trusted advisor, like your CollegeAdvisor admissions expert or a teacher, to review your essays.

2. Include specific details

In each of your responses, include details that bring your response to life. Only having 650 characters for your UMD supplemental essays may feel limiting. But you can still include vivid imagery that helps to add some color to your essays.

3. Showcase your unique personality

As you write each of your UMD supplemental essays, make sure your voice is coming through. Avoid letting someone else edit your essays to the point where the voice no longer sounds like yours. The University of Maryland admissions officers want to know who you are, not an uncle or a friend. 

Next, we have even more places to find expert advice on how to write your University of Maryland supplemental essays.

More supplemental essay resources from CollegeAdvisor

Below are three CollegeAdvisor resources that might help you as you write your UMD College Park supplemental essays.

• 8 College Essay Topics : This resource covers the most common types of supplemental essays. Two of the types described in this article – the personal statement and the diversity essay – are ones you will have to write for your UMD College Park supplemental essays.
• How to Write Better Essays : This article provides tips for how to write essays of all kinds. From tips about your writing approach to ideas for how to choose topics, this article covers a lot of essay-writing ground. Review it before writing your University of Maryland supplemental essays.
• Common App Essay Examples : Looking for examples of strong personal statements? This article will highlight ten of them and explain why each one was successful. Understanding what makes an essay strong can help you write even stronger University of Maryland supplemental essays.

Continue browsing through CollegeAdvisor’s resources to find lots of free advice for your University of Maryland supplemental essays.

The University of Maryland Supplemental Essays – Final Thoughts

Now that you’ve read this guide on the University of Maryland supplemental essays, you should be ready to start writing. In this article, we reviewed the UMD essay prompts, both for a freshman UMD application and a transfer UMD application. We also broke down tips for writing your UMD College Park supplemental essays. 

Inevitably, the college process has a lot of unknowns, which can be stressful. However, writing good University of Maryland supplemental essays is entirely in your control. With this guidance and support from trusted advisors, you can beat the UMD acceptance rate and pursue your college dreams.

This essay guide was written by senior advisor, Courtney Ng . Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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University of Maryland, College Park | Maryland’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Diversity essay.

Because we know that diversity benefits the educational experience of all students, the University of Maryland values diversity in all of its many forms.  This includes (but is not limited to) racial, socio-economic, gender, geographical, and sexual orientation.  We are interested in hearing about your own individual life experiences. In a few sentences, will you please describe how you have learned, grown, been inspired or developed skills through one or more components of diversity.

Select-A-Prompt Essay

Short Answers

If I could travel anywhere, I would go to…

The most interesting fact I ever learned from research was…

In addition to my major, my academic interests include…

My favorite thing about last Thursday was…

Something you might not know about me is…

What will first-time readers think of your college essay?

University of Maryland

The University of Maryland (UMD), College Park is the state of Maryland’s flagship institution and one of the United States’ top-ranked public research universities. We are home to students, faculty and staff, and nearly 405,000 alumni all dedicated to moving Fearlessly Forward in pursuit of excellence and impact for the public good. At UMD, students have the opportunity to work side-by-side with faculty at the top of their fields. We are a global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, and our unbeatable location just outside Washington, D.C. allows students to take advantage of the vast cultural, internship and learning opportunities nearby. Our campus community is strengthened by the richness of perspectives, lifestyles and personalities brought together here. Apply to #BeATerp and be part of a community that reflects the diversity of our world. UMD At A Glance: Read more Accepts first-year applications Mid-Atlantic Public Urban Large (15,000+) Co-Ed Test Optional/Flexible - First Year Virtual Tour Academic Programs

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Find out about requirements, fees, and deadlines

High school students and students with fewer than 12 semester hours or 18 quarter hours of university-level credit beyond secondary school should apply as freshman applicants.  Requirements : In addition to the online application and $75 application fee, freshman applicants need to submit a number of additional required application materials. Visit our website for a full list, and details on specific international student requirements. Deadlines : Applicants applying for the fall are strongly encouraged to apply by the November 1 early action deadline to receive priority consideration for admission to the university, merit-based scholarships and invitations to special programs. Freshman applicants who apply for admission to the fall semester are also automatically considered for admission to the spring semester. For assistance as you complete your application, reference our Freshman Application FAQs .

At this time, transfer applicants must use StandOut Admissions Network to apply to UMD. High school graduates who've completed at least 12 semester hours or 18 quarter hours at a regionally accredited university should apply as transfer applicants. Requirements : Besides the online application and $75 application fee, transfer applicants need to submit additional required application materials. Visit our website for a full list, and details on specific international student requirements. Deadlines : Applicants applying for the fall are encouraged to apply by the March 1 early action deadline to receive priority consideration for admission and merit-based scholarships. Visit our website for a full list of application deadlines for transfer students. For assistance as you complete your application, reference our Transfer Application FAQs .

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The University of Maryland is a public research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, it is the largest university in the state as well as in the Washington metropolitan area, with more than 40,700 students and 12 schools and colleges. A leader in research, entrepreneurship, and innovation, UMD is known for its abundance of research opportunities for undergraduates. First year students have the chance to join the FIRE program, a faculty-mentored research experience that helps drive student research, develops career readiness, and equalizes opportunity. 

For the 2019–2020 admissions cycle, the University of Maryland received 32,211 applicants, of which 16,437 were accepted. This means that last year, UMD’s acceptance rate was 51% , making it an unselective school. UMD does not have a binding early decision application option, but it does have a non-binding early action option .  

Want to get a better idea of your personal chances of admission into the University of Maryland? Our free chancing calculator can help you better understand your chances of acceptance into any college. By taking into account multiple elements of your profile, including your grades, test scores, extracurriculars, and more, we’ll estimate your odds of acceptance, and give you tips on improving your profile! 

The average high school GPA of UMD’s Class of 2024 was 4.36. 93.6% had a GPA of 4.0 . 1.4% had a GPA below 3.0.  

Of the 40% of UMD’s class of 2024 who submitted class rank, 73% graduated in the top 10% of their high school class, and 89% graduated in the top 25%. 98% graduated in the top half. 

While standardized test scores are normally required for applicants, University of Maryland is test-optional for students applying for the Spring or Fall semesters of 2022 and 2023. Of the students who enrolled in Fall 2020, the top 25% of students scored above a 1460 on the SAT , with the average student scoring 1375. For the students who submitted ACT scores, the top 25% scored a bove a 34, with the average student scoring a 32 . 

University of Maryland uses a holistic process to evaluate applications. The school’s thorough review process considers 26 factors , including progression of performance, socio-economic background, written expression of ideas, learning differences, and many more. 

If you are considering applying to UMD, it will be useful to know that some majors are Limited Enrollment Majors : majors with limited space which are more competitive. UMD will ask you to list your preferred majors in your application. However, UMD is major-blind; you will be reviewed for admissibility to the university and then, if needed, for admission to their major of choice. 

How the University of Maryland Evaluates Applications

According to their 2020-2021 Common Data Set, the University of Maryland considers the following factors “very important” :

• Course rigor
• Academic GPA
• Standardized test scores

These factors are “important” :

• Application essay
• Recommendation letters
• Talent/ability
• First generation
• State residency 

These are “considered” :

• Extracurricular activities
• Character/personal qualities
• Alumni/ae relation
• Geographical residence
• Racial/ethnic status
• Volunteer work
• Work experience 

And these are “not considered” :

• Religious affiliation/commitment
• Level of applicant’s interest 

Discover your chances at hundreds of schools

Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admission—and how to improve them.

1. Aim for all A’s while taking the most challenging classes available

As the average GPA of enrolled UMD students last year was a 4.36, in order to be a competitive candidate, you should aim to get all A’s. Though a 4.36 GPA may be intimidating, many of these students are likely taking advanced honors, AP, or IB classes, which gives them a weighted GPA. To show that you have challenged yourself, try to take honors, AP, or IB classes. 

If your GPA is lower, and you’re still a freshman or sophomore in your high school, check out our tips for increasing your GPA . If you’re a junior or senior, it will be harder to increase your GPA, so the easiest way to increase your Academic Index is to get a higher test score.

2. Report your SAT scores if above 1460, and ACT if above 34

While standardized test scores are optional for students applying for 2022 and 2023 enrollment, University of Maryland will still consider your test scores if you submit them. For the next two years, students who do not submit test scores will not be at a disadvantage from those who do. That being said, a high standardized test score is a valuable way to display your academic aptitude in addition to your transcript. If you do take the SAT or ACT and score in the 75th percentile of UMD students, which is a 1460 on the SAT or a 34 on the ACT, reporting your scores will likely give you a boost.

To improve your SAT/ACT score, check out these free CollegeVine resources:

• How to Get a Perfect 1600 Score on the SAT
• How to Get a Perfect 36 Score on the ACT
• More SAT Info and Tips
• More ACT Info and Tips

3. Highlight your academic talents and abilities and out-of-classroom achievements  

The University of Maryland has a history of fostering trailblazers, and today is still a national research powerhouse. While UMD will want to see your extracurricular activities, it is most prominently interested in accomplishments that demonstrate particular academic talents and abilities, and how you have applied your skills outside of the classroom. If you are a senior, highlight any awards or recognition you’ve earned, research you’ve done alongside a high school teacher or family member, as well as any notable leadership positions. If you’re a junior, sophomore, or freshman, continue working on pursuing any intellectual interests you have, and aim to win local or regional awards or recognition.  

4. Ask the right teachers for recommendation letters

UMD requires two letters of recommendation: one from a teacher, and one letter from a school counselor. Letters of recommendation should come from teachers who know you the best and who can speak positively of your character and abilities. Your letters of recommendation will show admissions officers what kind of student and peer you are. Take some time to think about which teacher will write you the most promising recommendation letter, and take a look at tips from CollegeVine to help guide you through the process. 

5. Apply early action 

Though the University of Maryland doesn’t have early decision, it encourages students to apply early action. Students who apply by the early action November 1 deadline receive priority consideration for admission, merit-based scholarships, and special programs. Since your application won’t be binding, applying early action is a great way to get your foot in the door early. 

How to Apply to the University of Maryland 

Planning on applying to UMD? Here are some dates to keep in mind for the 2021–2022 application cycle for first-year students applying for fall enrollment. 

Application Requirements

The University of Maryland accepts applications through the Common Application and the Coalition Application. To apply, you will need the following materials:

• All parts of your Common or Coalition Application, including the essay and non-refundable application fee (option to request fee waiver) 
• Official high school transcript
• Two letters of recommendation (one from a counselor and one from a teacher) 
• SAT or ACT scores (optional for 2022 and 2023 enrollment)
• Extracurricular activities list (including any awards, work experience, research opportunities, or family involvement) 
• School of Music application (for applicants to the School of Music only) 

Learn more about the University of Maryland 

What does it cost to attend The University of Maryland, College Park?

How to Write the University of Maryland College Park Essays 2021-2022

Student Life at Big 10 Schools: What It’s Really Like

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Home — Application Essay — University — University of Maryland, College Park

University of Maryland, College Park Admission Essays

Global engagement at umd: a path to impact.

Introduction As a passionate advocate for global engagement and an enthusiastic learner, I am excited to submit my application to the University of Maryland, College Park. Recognized as a prestigious institution with a strong commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive community, UMD aligns perfectly…

Embracing Knowledge, Resilience, and Growth at UMBC

I find myself irresistibly drawn to the intellectual environment and collaborative opportunities that the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) provides. With an unwavering passion for learning and an insatiable curiosity, I am ready to embark on this transformative experience that will shape my path…

Psychology at The University Of Maryland College Park

During my time in high school, I have developed a deep passion for psychology. The human mind and behavior have always fascinated me, and I have been eager to further explore this subject in my college years. At the University of Maryland, I plan to…

University Of Maryland College Park: Pursuing a Degree in Computer Science

Ever since I was young, I have had a passion for using technology to solve problems and make a positive impact on people’s lives. This passion has guided my career goals and aspirations, shaping my desire to pursue a degree in computer science at the…

Community Service: Igniting Passion and Commitment

As a high school student, I have always strived to embody the core values of diversity, excellence, and community engagement that the University of Maryland values. Throughout my four years in high school, I have had the opportunity to engage in numerous activities and experiences…

Expanding Horizons at University of Maryland College Park

Introduction As a college student who strives to expand my horizons and embrace the diversity that the world offers, I am excited to apply to the University of Maryland College Park. With its rich cultural tapestry and commitment to academic excellence, I believe that my…

Why I Choose to Study at the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland is rich in diversity and has many excellent academic strengths that offer high educational opportunity to those who attend. As a Latina Female student, being accepted to the University of Maryland would be a great achievement for myself, my family, and…

Writing and Failure: College Admission Essay Sample

The concept of failure has never consciously affected what I aim to achieve, or the manner in which I achieve it. It is a given in life that failure will come as easily as success; in my own life, I simply strive to succeed as…

Thinking Big: Solving Suicide Among Veterans: College Admission Essay Sample

As a member of a military family and a resident of a military community in Hampton Roads, Virginia, I found a passion for a problem that not many people acknowledge: the high rate of veteran suicide. Tragically, an average of 22 United States veterans attempt…

The Awakening of a Spoiled American Girl: College Admission Essay Sample

An average fifteen year old, I was selfish, ungrateful, and convinced that the world was against me. My unproductive summer was passing by as usual, until a friend of mine invited me to travel to Paraguay with her for an international service project: constructing a…

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First-year applicants to UMD are automatically considered for invitation to the Honors College when they submit a complete undergraduate application by the early action deadline of November 1 and are admitted to UMD. There is no separate application for the Honors College.

Invitations to the Honors College are extended to new first-year students who demonstrate exceptional academic ability and promise. Students’ applications are carefully evaluated on the basis of academic achievement in high school, rigor of high school program, application essays, letters of recommendation, participation in extracurricular activities and standardized test scores. Please note, UMD is currently test-optional. Applicants have the option of choosing whether to submit an SAT/ACT score and whether those scores will be considered in the review of their application for admission. If students choose not to submit test scores, they will still be fully evaluated for admission, invitation to Honors and considered for all merit scholarships. Please see the Office of Undergraduate Admissions website for further information.

After students are invited to the Honors College, they are asked which living-learning programs capture their interest. The available living-learning programs are: 

Learn more about  visiting the Honors College .

University of Maryland 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Early Action: Nov 1

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 20

You Have: 

University of Maryland 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 6 short answers of 650 characters

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Short Answer , Additional Information  

“At the University of Maryland, we encourage our students to go beyond the classroom to engage in opportunities that further both their academic and personal growth.”

The University of Maryland application is all about budgeting your words and energy. With a list of rapidfire short answer questions at the heart of this supplement, prepare to make every character count!

To tell us more about yourself, please complete the following sentences using only the space provided. (650 characters)

* if i could travel anywhere, i would go to…, * the most interesting fact i ever learned from research was…, * in addition to my major, my academic interests include…, * my favorite thing about last thursday was…, * something you might not know about me is…, * because we know that diversity benefits the educational experience of all students, the university of maryland values diversity in all of its many forms.  this includes (but is not limited to) racial, socio-economic, gender, geographical, and sexual orientation.  we are interested in hearing about your own individual life experiences.  in a few sentences, will you please describe how you have learned, grown, been inspired or developed skills through one or more components of diversity..

The key to nailing this section is brainstorming. When you see fill-in-the-blanks like these, it’s easy to assume that admissions is looking for a specific response, but (surprise!) they’re not. To avoid falling into this trap, free your mind and spend a few minutes jotting down as many answers as you can think of for each prompt. Literally set a timer and force yourself to keep your pencil moving (or fingers typing) for the entire time. No idea is too silly! The more you go with your gut, the more likely you are to come up with a unique and truly personal answer, and in the end, that’s really what admissions is looking for. Short answers like these present a great opportunity for you to show off your creativity, ingenuity, and sense of humor. When curating your brainstormed ideas, aim for breadth and variety. If you’ve always wanted to travel to Easter Island to measure the moai (🗿) and perform engineering experiments, then your interesting fact had better not be located anywhere near the Pacific Ocean. As with any other essay type, each micro answer should tell admissions something new about you.

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University of Maryland - College Park

Writing and failure charles sebian-lander, if you could do anything at all without failing, what would it be.

The concept of failure has never consciously affected what I aim to achieve, or the manner in which I achieve it. It is a given in life that failure will come as easily as success; in my own life, I simply strive to succeed as much as possible. However, there are things which frustrate me from time to time. My writing, though it is often a source of great creative output, can be devastatingly challenging to bring fully to completion. I will often produce ideas of magnificent and grandiose breadth, yet finding the will and the determination to reach these lofty goals will sometimes fail me. Therefore, the one thing which I would want to be able to do more than anything, without the possibility of failure or simple exhaustion lurking behind me, is to write out all of my ideas, and to publish them as novels for the whole world to read.

I attempted to begin this process by writing my first piece which could be considered more than a short story, a 50,000 word science-fiction novel. I attempted to explore my characters with careful depth through both their actions and thoughts in each page of the work, carefully balancing action with introspection. However, I found with each passing day of writing that my words were more difficult to...

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• 17 May 2024

Reading between the lines: application essays predict university success

Analysis of more than 40,000 university application essays found that gradual transitions between chunks of text correlated with higher marks. Credit: Dusan Stankovic/Getty

Aspiring students who wrote content-rich university admission essays were more likely to end up with higher grades in their classes 1 .

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BSN: Bachelor of Science in Nursing

There's still time to apply for fall 2024 for the BSN program at the Universities at Shady Grove. The Baltimore location has a waitlist; however, we are accepting applications to both locations for spring 2025.

Become a Top-Tier Nurse .

Ranked in the top 10 nationwide by u.s. news & world report, o ur entry-into-nursing bsn is a rigorous and nationally respected program that transforms students who are new to the field into top-tier nurses — professionals who can make an immediate and lasting impact in any health care setting..

This program requires at least 59 prerequisite credits .

Seamlessly transfer credits when you start with a Pre-Nursing track or undergraduate degree at one of our partner four-year universities .

Find out how your prerequisites transfer.

Before you begin the admissions process, you can  submit copies of your unofficial transcript(s) to us for review, and an admissions counselor will advise you on your requirements for admission.

Do you currently attend a Maryland community college?

Visit our prerequisite course equivalencies page to identify equivalent courses that meet UMSON's prerequisite requirements.

The entry-into-nursing BSN program is offered at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland. 

Before beginning your studies at UMSON, you must complete your first two years of undergraduate education at another accredited college or university, ensuring you fulfill the necessary prerequisites .

As a BSN student, you will learn from:

• faculty who are leaders in their fields
• scientists who are on the cutting edge of nursing research
• expert clinicians with decades of experience.

While they're a diverse group, they have one main goal: Help you become an exceptional registered nurse. 

During your coursework, you will:

• prepare for a nursing career across a broad spectrum of acute, chronic, and community-based settings
• build your nursing competencies in state-of-the-art facilities
• develop relationships with bright, driven students like you
• take part in engaging clinical experiences that challenge you to succeed in real-life situations and teach you clinical decision making — simulation is integrated into all clinical courses. 

Once you've completed your degree, you will:

• be eligible to take the NCLEX-RN licensure exam, qualifying you for positions in a variety of health care settings
• be prepared to succeed in a wide range of health care environments
• have the qualifications you need to pursue graduate studies.

The entry-into-nursing BSN curriculum features:

• elective courses
• reflective practice
• community and clinical experiences
• a focus on resiliency and wellness for workforce retention
• a two-part professional development series in the first and four semesters, focused on wellness, mindfulness, and mental health
• exploration of a breadth of career options.

The BSN curriculum is aligned with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education , which focus on competency-based education (CBE). CBE is a student-centered approach that focuses on demonstrating knowledge, skills, and attitudes as students progress through their education. It prepares students to provide equitable care to diverse patient populations by encouraging cultural competence, understanding of social determinants of health, and the importance of addressing health care disparities. It also:

• fosters personal responsibility
• promotes equity by accommodating diverse learners
• provides individualized learning through focused feedback
• clarifies faculty expectations and enhances relationships between faculty and student
• connects curriculum to real-world scenarios
• fosters collaboration with shared goals
• ensures practice readiness for a seamless transition into the workforce
• promotes personal growth through motivation, collaboration, and lifelong learning

Nursing graduates with the competencies outlined in the Essentials will be well prepared to take the Next Generation NCLEX exam. CBE effectively develops critical thinking and judgment skills in graduates, enhancing their chances of passing the licensing exam and thriving in their nursing careers.

Program Snapshot: Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Tuition and fees  view overview, accreditation  read details, more information:, courses you'll take.

For financial aid purposes, there are credit minimums for full-time status that may differ from the plans of study. See details .

UMSON is leading nursing schools nationwide to reconceptualize its BSN curriculum to meet the new American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s  The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education Essentials and focus on competency-based education (CBE). CBE is a student-centered approach that focuses on demonstrating knowledge, skills, and attitudes as students progress through their education.  Below is the updated, enhanced curriculum for fall 2022 and beyond. 

A typical plan of study for full-time, upper-division BSN students enrolled:

• NURS 342 and NURS 346 are corequisites and prerequisites to other courses.
• All clinical courses must be successfully completed before moving to next semester.
• NURS 356 is not required concurrent with other second semester courses but must be completed before or during 3rd semester.
• View information on the  Foundations of Interprofessional Education and Practice Course .

Prior Plans of Study

• Enrolled Fall 2017 through Spring 2022
• Enrolled Fall 2014 through Spring 2017

Prerequisites

Find out how your prerequisites transfer.  

If you have taken coursework in Maryland, the  Articulation System for Maryland Colleges and Universities (ARTSYS)  is an online evaluation system that can help you determine how courses taken at any two-year college in Maryland transfer to UMSON.

Before you begin the admissions process, you can  submit copies of your unofficial transcript(s) to us for review, and an admissions counselor will advise you on your requirements for admission. Visit the Prerequisite Course Information Resources webpage to learn more about prerequisite requirement.

Prerequisite Courses

The following lower-division, pre-professional courses may be completed at any accredited college or university. 

Bold: Applicants who have already earned a bachelor’s degree are required to complete only these prerequisite courses.

* These courses must have been taken in the past 10 years.

General Notes:

• Applicants who have not earned a bachelor’s degree are required to complete all 59 prerequisite credits.
• Courses may be taken online.
• No course can be used to fulfill more than one requirement.
• All prerequisite courses must be complete prior to enrollment at UMSON. 
• Accepted students must submit proof of enrollment for any outstanding prerequisite courses. Documentation must be received by June  1  for students admitted for Fall and Sept. 1  for students admitted for Spring. Acceptable documentation includes an official transcript, unofficial transcript or a letter from the registrar’s office stating that you are enrolled for those courses. Failure to provide documentation of coursework in progress may result in the cancellation of your admission. Proof of enrollment documentation can be uploaded on your student portal. All prerequisite courses must be complete prior to enrollment at UMSON
• Final transcripts and scores must be submitted one week prior to classes starting.

Scholarship Opportunities

Your nursing education is an important investment. financial aid and scholarships can help make your goals a reality..

UMSON offers multiple opportunities to help you afford your undergraduate education.

Learn More About Financial Aid and Scholarships

All students receiving funds through the University must:

• be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits) in a degree-seeking program
• complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year by UMB's award priority deadline
• FAFSA Submission period:  Oct. 1 (of the previous year) through Feb. 28
• FAFSA School code: 002104

The  UMB Office of Student Financial Assistance & Education  is available to guide prospective and current students through the FAFSA application process and the financial aid award package.

Contact Us:

UMSON Scholarships and Grants Office 410-706-0489 | [email protected]

UMB Student Financial Assistance and Education Office 410-706-7347 | [email protected]

Academic Partnerships

To help you get ahead, we've partnered with schools in Maryland to offer academic pathways that will simplify your busy life.

BSN Admission Information

In this section:.

• Qualifications
• Prerequisite Coursework
• Application Materials and Instructions
• Applicants without a High School Diploma or College Degree in the U.S

UMSON is leading nursing schools nationwide to reconceptualize its BSN curriculum to meet the new American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education Essentials .

For best consideration, applicants are encouraged to have all required application materials submitted by the respective deadlines to ensure your application is considered for admission and scholarships.

Qualifications:

• an overall GPA of 3.0
• a science GPA of 3.0 (chemistry, anatomy and physiology I and II, microbiology)
• a degree from a U.S. high school, college, or university; otherwise, you are required to take the TOEFL or IELTS to demonstrate English proficiency ( learn more ).
• a TEAS score of proficient or higher, overall and in each sub-category, which is a minimum of 58.7%. The TEAS is waived for those who hold a bachelor’s degree in another field.

Prerequisite Coursework:

Applicants are required to complete 59 credits of prerequisite course work from an accredited institution.

Prior to applying, applicants must complete a minimum of:

• two of the following science prerequisite courses:
• General Chemistry with Lab*
• Human Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab*
• Human Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab*
• Microbiology with Lab*
• one of the following prerequisite courses: 
• Human Growth and Development

Additionally, applicants can have no more than four courses in progress at the time of application.

See more information on BSN Prerequisite Requirements .

Accepted students must submit proof of enrollment for any outstanding prerequisite courses. Documentation must be received by June 1   for students admitted for Fall and Sept. 1  for students admitted for Spring. Acceptable documentation includes an official transcript, unofficial transcript or a letter from the registrar’s office stating that you are enrolled for those courses. Failure to provide documentation of coursework in progress may result in the cancellation of your admission. Proof of enrollment documentation can be uploaded on your student portal. All prerequisite courses must be complete prior to enrollment at UMSON. Applicants must submit final grades one week prior to classes starting.

Application Materials and Instructions:

Applicants without a high school diploma or college degree in the u.s:.

• If you do not have a degree from a U.S. high school, college, or university, you are required to demonstrate English proficiency.
• If you have completed coursework outside of the U.S., you must have your transcripts evaluated.

More information .

If you have questions regarding the admissions requirements or process,  contact the Office of Admissions and Student Scholarships  to avoid errors that could delay the processing of your application.

Transfer of Credit by Examination

What credit by examinations do you accept.

The University of Maryland School of Nursing recognizes the following proficiency examination programs for credit:

• Advanced Placement (AP)

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

International Baccalaureate Exams (IB)

Required tests scores, credits, and transfer equivalency are determined by UMSON. Credits earned through AP, CLEP, or IB may be used to fulfill UMSON prerequisite coursework requirements.

How do I know if my score can be used, and how do I request a score?

Advanced Placement (AP)  

UMSON will award credit on the scores listed on the AP Transfer Equivalencies for UMSON Chart .

Request your score .

UMSON will award credit on the scores listed on the CLEP Transfer Equivalencies for UMSON Chart .

UMSON will award credit on the scores listed on the IB Transfer Equivalencies for UMSON Chart .

Can I use a score that falls below the requirement?

No. Scores that fall below the listed requirements cannot be used towards credit.

My previous school accepted a score below your requirement so I did not have to take the course. Will UMSON?

No, if you did not meet UMSON’s minimum requirements you will need to take an appropriate course to satisfy the prerequisite.

My scores are listed on my transcript, do I still need to send an official AP, CLEP, or IB transcript?

Yes. Credit will not be awarded without an official AP, CLEP, or IB transcript.

How long does it take for an AP/CLEP/IB score to be received?

It often takes more than 10 business days. If your score is archived it takes much longer. It is best to make your request early.

Where do I submit my credit by exam transcript?

Official transcripts are required if requesting to use towards UMSON prerequisites. All AP, CLEP, or IB scores should be sent to: University of Maryland School of Nursing 655 West Lombard St., Suite 102 Baltimore, MD 21202

I requested my official score be sent to UMSON a while ago but it still hasn’t arrived and now the deadline has passed. Can my application still be reviewed? 

No, we require all transcripts by the deadline. It is recommended you request your score early to avoid this.

Program Outcomes

Program Outcomes for Students Enrolled Fall 2022 and Later

• Integrate knowledge from the liberal arts and sciences to enrich nursing knowledge and practice.
• Implement the nursing process to provide person-centered, holistic nursing care.
• Advance equity in all health care settings using principles of social justice, advocacy, and collaboration, both intra- and interprofessionally.
• Engage in scholarly inquiry to identify best evidence to deliver effective, innovative, and ethical nursing care.
• Incorporate quality improvement principles to promote a culture of safety.
• Coordinate care that anticipates and meets the needs of diverse populations, informed by an understanding of nursing practice, health policy, and social determinants of health.
• Integrate information management and patient care technologies to provide equitable and safe care for individuals and communities.
• Use self-reflection and feedback from others to promote personal well-being, leadership capacity, and lifelong professional development.
• Develop a nursing identity guided by principles of ethics, legal responsibility, emotional intelligence, and social justice to ensure excellence in nursing practice.
• Recognize and appreciate the unique aspects of being human within person-centered nursing practice with an emphasis on equity, cultural humility, and compassion.

Program Outcomes for Students Enrolled between Fall 2014 and Spring 2022

• Combine theoretical knowledge from the sciences, humanities, and nursing as a foundation to professional nursing practice that focuses on health promotion and prevention of disease for individuals, families, communities, and populations.
• Use the nursing process to manage care for individuals, families, communities, and populations integrating physical, psychological, social, cultural, spiritual, and environmental considerations. Integrate competencies in leadership, quality improvement, and patient safety to improve health and promote interdisciplinary care.
• Use the research process through translation of evidence-based findings to advance professional nursing and the delivery of health care.
• Incorporate information management and patient care technology in the delivery of quality patient-centered care.
• Integrate knowledge of health care policy from social, economic, political, legislative, and professional perspectives to influence the delivery of care to individuals, families, communities, and populations.
• Employ interprofessional communication and collaboration to ensure safe, quality care across the lifespan.
• Use principles of ethics, legal responsibility, and accountability to guide professional nursing practices across the lifespan and across the health care continuum.
• Accept personal accountability for lifelong learning, professional growth, and commitment to the advancement of the profession.

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International Students & Scholars

Apply for/renew your visa.

After receipt of your immigration documentation from UMD, and payment of the required SEVIS fee (F1/J1 only) , you can apply for your visa. An in-person interview is usually required. You should schedule your appointment as soon as possible. Some U.S. Embassies may have wait times for visa interviews and delays in visa processing.

To make your appointment and check wait times, visit the U.S. Visas - Department of State .

Note: You may not receive a U.S. visa more than 120 days before the reporting date on your I-20/DS-2019.

Attend the visa appointment and bring the application required documents listed below with you.

General Visa Application Required Documents

• U.S. Government Application form DS-160
• Payment of the U.S. Government Visa Application Fee
• U.S. passport-style photos for each visa applicant
• Passport(s) valid for at least 6 months into the future for each visa applicant 

Additional Requirements by Visa Category

• Dependent Visas
• Signed original I-20 or DS-2019 Form
• SEVIS Fee Receipt
• Proof of ties to your home country: F and J visas are non-immigrant visas. As such, you will need to show that you plan to return after your studies. You can do this by showing strong ties to your home country with evidence such as proof of property ownership, a job offer letter, or letters from family.
• Proof of financial support : You will need to present the financial documents you submitted for your I-20/DS-2019 checklist.
• Newly Admitted Student (F-1/J-1) – Admission Letter
• Any standardized test scores  you submitted to UMD
• Current Student (F-1/J-1) – Official Transcript and the Confirmation of visa status letter from iTerp
• Professors, research scholars, short-term scholars and interns (J-1) - Invitation letter from your sponsoring department
• OPT/STEM OPT (F-1) – Current OPT EAD Card and offer letter or proof of employment. If your STEM OPT application is still pending, ISSS does not recommend traveling abroad.
• Post-Completion Academic Training (J-1) – Offer letter or proof of employment

Note: Citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require visas to enter the United States as students. However, you must pay the SEVIS fee and present a valid Form I-20 at the time of admission. For more information see U.S. Department of State information for Citizens of Canada and Bermuda

Original bottom portion and a copy of the original I-797 H-1B Approval Notice and travel packet.   Appointment letter or job offer letter on university letterhead stating:

• Your position title and salary
• Academic Department
• Dates of Employment
• Brief job description  

Note: individuals in H-1B status are viewed as having a dual intent when entering the U.S. Dual intent means that the H-1B holder may intend either to return home at the end of the H-1B program or to apply for immigrant status.

• Original certified and signed Labor Condition Application
• Proof of payment of the visa fee.

Important: A person in initial E-3 status can enter the U.S. up to 10 days before the E-3 start date

Mexican Citizens do need to apply for a visa using their original and signed TN letter provided by the department, or they may present the original bottom portion and a copy of the original I-797 TN Approval Notice.

Canadian Citizens do not need to apply for a visa. You can enter the U.S. using your original and signed TN letter provided by the department.  

Important: A person in initial TN status can enter the U.S. up to 10 days before the TN start date.

Immediate family members (spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21) who will come with you to the U.S. may apply for dependent visas. You need to bring documents that prove your relationship. These can include a marriage certificate, birth certificate, or official family registry.

If your dependents go to the visa interview alone, they will need to bring copies of all the documents listed above for your visa category.  

If all goes according to plan, you will receive a visa stamp in your passport. Congratulations! Check your visa for errors before you leave the U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

You may not enter the U.S. on your F-1 or J-1 visa more than 30 days prior to the report date on your I-20/DS-2019. Keep in mind the visa itself does not guarantee admission into the U.S.; all other documents must be in order as well . 

Individuals entering the U.S. in H-1B/O-1/E-3/TN status may enter the U.S. no more than 10 days before their start date.

Please contact ISSS if you received a late visa appointment and will not be able to enter the U.S. by the report date on your I-20/DS-2019, or if your visa application has been denied.

Note: For J-1 visa holders, the U.S. Embassies may put your DS-2019 in a sealed envelope and staple it to your passport. We recommended that you do not open this envelope. The Immigration officer at the U.S. port-of-entry will open it and check your documents when you arrive.   

If you have difficulty scheduling your visa appointment due to an unforeseen situation, such as a funeral or medical emergency, you may request an Expedited Visa Interview . Check the instructions posted on your U.S. Embassy website to schedule visa interviews. You will have to provide proof of your need for an early appointment.

Your I-20/DS2019 start date provides the necessary information you need to demonstrate your start date at UMD. Feel free to use our visa expedition letter if you feel it will assist your immigration case.

• Administrative Processing    The U.S. Embassy may inform you your visa requires Administrative Processing. This means the consular officer needs more information before deciding to issue you a visa. Administrative processing can result in significant delays in visa issuance. Contact us and your UMD department if you will be unable to arrive for the start of your program.    
• Visa Denial    Contact us if your visa application has been denied

You only need the visa stamp in your passport to enter into the United States. Once you are in the U.S. the visa stamp may expire as long as you have:

• A passport that is valid for at least six months into the future
• An unexpired I-20 (for F-1s) or DS-2019 (for J-1s)
• An I-94 that indicates D/S (F-1 and J-1 only) or a date into the future
• A valid I-797 Approval Notice or valid I-94 for H-1B, O-1, E-3 or TN

If you leave the country, you will need to apply for a new visa before returning to the United States.

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Brown v. Board of Education: 70 Years of Progress and Challenges

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After 70 years, what is left to say about Brown v. Board of Education ?

A lot, it turns out. As the anniversary nears this week for the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic May 17, 1954, decision that outlawed racial segregation in public schools, there are new books, reports, and academic conferences analyzing its impact and legacy.

Just last year, members of the current Supreme Court debated divergent interpretations of Brown as they weighed the use of race in higher education admissions, with numerous references to the landmark ruling in their deeply divided opinions in the case that ended college affirmative action as it had been practiced for half a century.

Meanwhile, some school district desegregation cases remain active after more than 50 years, while the Supreme Court has largely gotten out of the business of taking up the issue. There are fresh reports that the nation’s K-12 schools, which are much more racially and ethnically diverse than they were in the 1950s, are nonetheless experiencing resegregation .

At an April 4 conference at Columbia University, speakers captured the mood about a historic decision that slowly but steadily led to the desegregation of schools in much of the country but faced roadblocks and new conditions that have left its promise unfulfilled.

“I think Brown permeates nearly every aspect of our current modern society,” said Janai Nelson, the president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the organization led by Thurgood Marshall, who would later become a Supreme Court justice, during the Brown era.

“I hope that we see clearly now that there is an effort to roll back [the] gains” brought by the decision, said Nelson, whose organization was a conference co-sponsor. “There is an effort to recast Brown from what it was originally intended to produce. If we want to keep this multiracial democracy and actually have it fulfill its promise, because the status quo is still not satisfactory, we must look at the original intent of this all-important case and make sure we fulfill its promise.”

Celebrations at the White House, the Justice Department, and a Smithsonian Museum

On May 16, President Joe Biden will welcome to the White House descendants of the original plaintiffs in the cases that were consolidated into Brown , which dealt with cases from Delaware, Kansas, South Carolina, and Virginia. (The companion decision, Bolling v. Sharpe , decided the same day, struck down school segregation in the District of Columbia.) On May 17, the president will deliver remarks on the historic decision at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona marked the anniversary at an event at the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday.

“ Brown vs. Board and its legacy remind us who we want to be as a nation, a place that upholds values of justice and equity as its highest ideals,” Cardona said. “We normalize a culture of low expectations for some students and give them inadequate resources and support. Today, it’s still become all too normal for some to deny racism and segregation or ban books that teach Black history when we all know that Black history is American history.”

On May 17, 1954, then-Chief Justice Earl Warren announced the decision for a unanimous court that held that “in the field of public education, ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

That opinion was a compromise meant to bring about unanimity, and the court did not even address a desegregation remedy until a year later in Brown II , when it called for lower courts to address local conditions “with all deliberate speed.”

“In short, the standard the court established for evaluating schools’ desegregation efforts was as vague as the schedule for achieving it was amorphous,” R. Shep Melnick, a professor of American politics at Boston College and the co-chair of the Harvard Program on Constitutional Government, says in an assessment of the Brown anniversary published this month by the American Enterprise Institute.

The paper distills a book by Melnick published last year, The Crucible of Desegregation: The Uncertain Search for Educational Equity , which takes a fresh look at the 70-year history of post-Brown desegregation efforts.

Melnick argues that even after 70 years, Brown and later Supreme Court decisions remain full of ambiguities as to even what it means for a school system to be desegregated. He highlights two competing interpretations of Brown embraced by lawyers, judges, and scholars—a “colorblind” approach prohibiting any categorization of students by race, and a perspective based on racial isolation and equal educational opportunity. “Neither was ever fully endorsed or rejected by the Supreme Court,” Melnick writes in the book. “Both could find some support in the court’s ambiguous 1954 opinion.”

The Supreme Court issued some 35 decisions on desegregation after Brown , but hasn’t taken up a case involving a court-ordered desegregation remedy since 1995 and last spoke on the issue of integration and student diversity in the K-12 context in 2007, when the court struck down two voluntary plans to increase diversity by considering race in assigning students to schools.

Citations to Brown pervade last year’s sharply divided opinions over affirmative action

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., in his plurality opinion in that voluntary integration case, Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District , laid the groundwork for last year’s affirmative action decision, which fully embraced Brown’s “race-blind” interpretation.

Last term, the high court ruled that race-conscious admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. (The vote was 6-2 in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College , with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson not participating because of her recent membership on a Harvard governing board. The vote was 6-3 in SFFA v. University of North Carolina .)

The Brown decision was a running theme in the arguments in the case, and in the some 230 pages of opinions.

Roberts, in the majority opinion, said a fundamental lesson of Brown in 1954 and Brown II in 1955 was that “The time for making distinctions based on race had passed.”

Brown and a generation of high court decisions on race that followed, in education and other areas, “reflect the core purpose of the Equal Protection Clause: doing away with all governmentally imposed discrimination based on race,” the chief justice wrote.

Justice Clarence Thomas, who succeeded Thurgood Marshall, joined the majority opinion and wrote a lengthy concurrence that touched on views he had long expressed about the 1954 decision. He cited the language of legal briefs filed by the challengers of segregated schools in the Brown cases (led by Marshall) that embraced the view that the 14th Amendment barred all government consideration of race.

Thomas said those challenging segregated schools in Brown “embraced the equality principle.”

Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh also joined the majority and acknowledged in his concurrence that in Brown , the court “authorized race-based student assignments for several decades—but not indefinitely into the future.”

(The other justices in the majority were Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.)

Writing the main dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor rejected the view that Brown was race-blind.

“ Brown was a race-conscious decision that emphasized the importance of education in our society,” she wrote, joined by justices Elena Kagan and Jackson. “The desegregation cases that followed Brown confirm that the ultimate goal of that seminal decision was to achieve a system of integrated schools that ensured racial equality of opportunity, not to impose a formalistic rule of race-blindness.”

Jackson, in a separate dissent (joined by Sotomayor and Kagan), said, “The majority and concurring opinions rehearse this court’s idealistic vision of racial equality, from Brown forward, with appropriate lament for past indiscretions. But the race-linked gaps that the law (aided by this court) previously founded and fostered—which indisputably define our present reality— are strangely absent and do not seem to matter.”

Amid reports on resegregation, some legal efforts continue

As the Brown anniversary arrives, there are fresh reports about resegregation of the schools. Research released this month by Sean Reardon of Stanford University and Ann Owens of the University of Southern California found that students in the nation’s large school districts have become much more isolated racially and economically in recent years.

The Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles, which has been sounding the alarm about resegregation for years, says in a new report that Black and Latino students were the most highly segregated demographic groups in 2021. Though U.S. schools were 45 percent white, Blacks, on average, attended 76 percent nonwhite schools, and Latino students went to 75 percent nonwhite schools.

The CRP says the Brown anniversary is worth celebrating, but “American schools have been moving away from the goal of Brown and creating more ‘inherently unequal’ schools for a third of a century. We need new thought about how inequality and integration work in institutions and communities with changing multiracial populations with very unequal experiences.”

At the Columbia conference, Samuel Spital, the litigation director and general counsel of the Legal Defense Fund, noted that many jurisdictions are still under desegregation orders, some going back decades.

He highlighted one where LDF lawyers have been in federal district court, involving the 7,200-student St. Martin Parish school district in western Louisiana. Black plaintiffs first sued over segregated schools in 1965. In a 2022 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, in New Orleans, noted that the case had been pending for “five decades,” though largely inactive for long stretches. The court nonetheless affirmed the district court’s continued supervision of a desegregation plan that addressed disparities in graduation tracks and student discipline, though it said the court overstepped in ordering the closure of an elementary school in a mostly white community.

As recently as this month, the LDF and the Department of Justice’s civil rights division joined with the St. Martin Parish school board in a proposed consent order for revised attendance zones for the district’s schools. The proposed order suggests that court supervision of student assignments could end sometime after June 2027.

“We try to make sure that with the vast docket of segregation cases we have, that we have not lost sight of what Brown’s ultimate intent was,” said LDF’s Nelson, which was not just “to make sure that Black and white children learn together” but also to foster principles of equity and citizenship.

With a hostile federal court climate, advocates more recently have turned to state constitutions and state courts to pursue desegregation. Last year, a state judge in New Jersey allowed key claims to proceed in a lawsuit that seeks to hold the state responsible for remedying racial segregation in its many “racially isolated” public schools. In December, the Minnesota Supreme Court allowed a suit under the state constitution to move forward, ruling that there was no need for plaintiffs to prove that the state itself had caused segregation in its schools.

“We see a path forward through state courts with the very specific goal of trying to challenge state practices, which really boil down to segregative school district lines,” Saba Bireda, the chief legal counsel of Brown’s Promise , said at the Columbia conference. Bireda, a former civil rights lawyer in the Education Department under President Barack Obama’s administration, co-founded the Washington-based organization last year to help address diversity and underfunding in public schools.

A Supreme Court exhibit offers the idealized take on Brown

At the Supreme Court, there has been no formal recognition of the 70th anniversary of Brown . But the court did open an exhibit on its ground floor late last year that tells the story of some of the first desegregation cases, including Brown .

The exhibit is primarily about the Little Rock integration crisis of 1957, when Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus defied a federal judge’s order to desegregate Central High School. The exhibit is built around the actual bench used by Judge Ronald N. Davies when he heard a challenge to Faubus’ use of the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the nine Black high school students from entering the all-white high school that year. (Davies withstood threats and intense opposition from desegregation opponents, but he ruled for the Black students. The Supreme Court itself supported desegregation in Little Rock with its 1958 decision in Cooper v. Aaron .)

To tell the Little Rock story, the exhibit starts with Brown (and some of the prior history). A central feature is a 15-minute video featuring all current members of the court.

In the video, the justices set aside their differences over the meaning of Brown and provide a more idealized perspective on the 1954 decision.

“ Brown was a godsend,” Thomas says in the video. “Because it said that what was happening that we thought was wrong, they now know that this court said it was also wrong. It’s wrong not just morally, but under the Constitution of the United States. It was like a ray of hope.”

Kavanaugh says: “ Brown vs. Board of Education is the single greatest moment, single greatest decision in this court’s history. And the reason for that is that it enforced a constitutional principle, equal protection of the laws, equal justice under law. It made that real for all Americans. And it corrected a grave wrong, the separate but equal doctrine that the court had previously allowed.”

Jackson, the court’s third Black justice, who has spoken of her family moving in one generation from “segregation to the Supreme Court,” reflects in the video on Brown ‘s legacy.

“I think I’m most grateful for the fact that my parents have lived to see me in this position, after a history of them and others in our family and people from my background not having the opportunity to live to our fullest potential,” she says.

As the video comes to a close, Roberts speaks with evident pride in his voice.

“The Supreme Court building stands as a symbol of our country’s faith in the rule of law,” the chief justice says. “ Brown v. Board of Education , the great school desegregation case, was decided here.”

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• 4:00pm To - 5:00pm UMD at Shady Grove Application Workshop

25 Select May 25th, 2024

26 Select May 26th, 2024

27 Select May 27th, 2024

28 Select May 28th, 2024

29 Select May 29th, 2024

30 Select May 30th, 2024

31 Select May 31st, 2024

UMD at Shady Grove Early Action Application Deadline - For Spring Admission UMD at Shady Grove Early Action Application Deadline - For Spring Admission on Friday, Nov 15

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