Chess Scholarships to UMBC

UMBC Chess Ad UMBC Chess Scholarships

Caution: The information on this page is out of date and under revision.

UMBC offers four types of scholarships to UMBC to qualified chess-player scholars. We welcome candidates of traditional college age who are excellent students, strong chess competitors, and congenial people who like to play on a team and contribute to the activities of the UMBC Chess Club. UMBC fields three chess teams, each with approximately five members. All team players must be under age 26 as of September 1 of the academic year.

Chess-Player Scholar Awards


Chess-player scholar awards are for applicants coming directly from high school in the top 10% of their graduating class with SAT > 1400 and USCF rating > 2000. These awards include up to full four-year tuition, room and board, with the amount of the award depending on the qualifications and competition. There is no limit on the number of scholarships offered, and foreign students are eligible for these and for all other awards. Over four years, the current value of this award is over $98,000.

Special Merit Scholarships for Chess


Scholarship money is available for exceptionally strong chess players (USCF > 2300), in much the way some colleges offer scholarships to exceptional musicians and artists. These awards are for good students (including transfer students) who do not qualify for our prestigious chess-player scholar awards. The amount of the award varies with qualifications and competition from approximately $1,000 to $10,000 per year including scholarship money and a possible out-of-state tuition differential award (currently worth over $8,000 per year).

Tournament-Based Chess Scholarships
Each year, UMBC offers two full four-year tuition scholarships. One award goes to the winner of the US Cadet (invitational) Championship. The other goes to the Maryland Scholastic Chess Champion (for in-state tuition), as determined by the Sweet 16 Championship. These awards cover tuition and fees; they do not cover room and board. Over four years, the current value of this award is over $34,000 for Maryland residents, and over $66,000 for non-residents.

UMBC Coca-Cola Chess Fellows


At any time, there are up to four chess fellows on campus. Each must be an International Grandmaster (or grandmaster strength player with USCF > 2500). Each undergraduate fellow receives full tuition plus a housing stipend of $15,000 per year. Each fellow must perform 100 hours of community service through chess per year. As for all scholarships, each fellow must be a full-time student (12 credits/semester) in a degree-seeking program and maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a four-point scale. Graduate fellow awards are also possible.

All scholarships are only for students who are accepted to and matriculate at UMBC. To maintain the award, the student must earn at least 12 credits per semester and maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 out of 4.0. All recipients of chess scholarships are required to qualify for and play on a UMBC Chess Team and contribute to the community service activities of the UMBC Chess Club.

To apply for any chess scholarship, simply submit a standard undergraduate application to UMBC. In your essay, state your interest in chess. In addition, please contact Dr. Alan Sherman. For full consideration, chess scholarship applications for fall 2007 must be received by December 15, 2006. All applicants for any chess scholarship must take the SAT or ACT (GRE for graduate students). Non-native speakers must also take the TOEFL. Most scholarship decisions are made by the end of March.

Graduate students should seek academic support from their Departments. On a case-by-case basis, special graduate chess scholarships may be possible, especially for students who pledge to teach chess in public schools.

Contact
Dr. Alan T. Sherman ( )
Director, UMBC Chess Program
Dept of CSEE, UMBC
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250
Tele: (410) 455-2666.
Fax: (410) 455-3969.

URL: UMBC Chess Club