OSSE updates the list of institutions that are eligible to have students receive Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program (Mayor’s Scholars) awards annually.

2025-26 Award Year Eligible Institutions

The institutions that are eligible for the 2024-25 award year are:

• American University
• Bowie State University
• Capitol Technology University
• Catholic University of America
• College of Southern Maryland
• Gallaudet University
• George Mason University
• George Washington University
• Georgetown University
• Howard University
• Marymount University
• Montgomery College
• Northern Virginia Community College
• Prince George's Community College
• Trinity Washington University
• University of Maryland-College Park
• University of Maryland Global Campus
• University of the District of Columbia
• Washington Adventist University
• Yeshiva College of the Nation’s Capital

OSSE requests that each eligible institution provide support through its financial aid office in sharing the opportunity with eligible students. Student eligibility criteria can be found here.
If you represent one of these institutions and would like to discuss the program or the invoice process, please contact Melanie Fleming at [email protected] or (202) 741-6406.

Eligible Institution Criteria

Institutions may not apply to be eligible for their students to participate in the Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program. OSSE reviews institutional eligibility annually based on program offerings, distance/location, and accreditation/licensure. Institutions may be added or removed based on that review, and OSSE will notify the institution in either case.

Representatives from each institution are encouraged to be familiar with the student eligibility criteria.

Institutional Payment Processes

OSSE will provide Mayor’s Scholars funding directly to the approved college or university. Mayor’s Scholars approved colleges and universities are required to submit a payment request (invoice) for each Mayor’s Scholars recipient enrolled at their institution each semester, with a detailed cost breakdown.

Invoicing and Payments

Payment requests (invoices) are provided each semester by OSSE to the college or university (semesters include fall, spring, and summer) in the Scholarship portal in APS, and are requested from the colleges and universities as soon as possible to avoid delays in students’ course scheduling timeline. Colleges or universities may then follow up with a request payment starting the day after the course add/drop deadline for that institution each semester. To ensure payment is completed in a timely manner, OSSE will include with the original payment request language indicating that the institution must submit final invoices no later than February 1 following the fall semester, and no later than the last Friday in July following the spring/summer semester. OSSE will provide a list of student awardees for the given award year in the Scholarship portal on Aug. 1. Colleges and universities will be asked to submit an invoice to OSSE. After OSSE receives the invoice, payment will be sent to the college or university within 30 business days. Participating colleges and universities should not penalize the students for late payment.

OSSE is not responsible for a college or university’s failure to timely and/or properly request payment on behalf of a Mayor’s Scholars recipient. Please note: It is the student’s responsibility to work with the college or university to ensure its timely and proper submission of their payment request. Untimely or improperly submitted payment requests may prevent an eligible student from receiving their Mayor’s Scholars funding award or from receiving their funding award in a timely fashion.

Award Repayment

There are two ways that Mayor’s Scholars program staff may identify the need for an institution to reimburse OSSE for a Mayor’s Scholars award.

First, OSSE may calculate lifetime or annual award timelines and amounts and find that a student has received more than the maximum allowed. In this case, OSSE will request repayment from the institution that the student most recently attended.

Second, if a student is included on the payment request from the institution and is then found not to be enrolled at that institution, OSSE will notify the institution of the reimbursement amount.

Institutional Responsibility

Colleges and universities must agree not to request from or charge any student a fee for processing or handling any application, form, or data required to determine a student’s eligibility for, and amount of, financial assistance, including reimbursement to OSSE for amounts over the lifetime and annual award amounts and timelines.

Appeals Process

Should an institution receive a reimbursement request from OSSE, they may appeal the request within 15 business days by writing a letter including the amount, student name(s), and reasons for appeal. The letter must be mailed to OSSE using the mailing address below. Appeals letters must be postmarked within 15 business days of the reimbursement request. OSSE will respond with a determination for each appeal within 15 business days of receiving the institution’s appeal request.

Mailing Address for Appeals Letters:

District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education
C/O Melanie Fleming
1050 First St. NE, Floor 5
Washington, DC 20002

Mayor’s Scholars award funding is designed to be a last-dollar award and eligible students, through their financial aid office, must demonstrate they have exhausted all other funding available to them.

Program Point of Contact

For more information or questions, please contact Melanie Fleming at [email protected] or (202) 741-6406.