# Maryland SB 0324: Higher Education - Public Senior Higher Education Institutions - Direct Admission Program and Study Maryland SB 0324, Higher Education - Public Senior Higher Education Institutions - Direct Admission Program and Study, is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Malcolm Augustine (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-05-26 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 613); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-11). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0324-2026RS - As of: 2026-10-11 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Maryland SB 0324 - State: Maryland - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: Higher Education - Public Senior Higher Education Institutions - Direct Admission Program and Study - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-22 - Last action: 2026-05-26, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 613 - Sponsor: Malcolm Augustine (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: Higher Education, Primary and Secondary Education, Applicants and Applications, Classifications and Designations, Contracts -see also- Procurement, Curriculum, Data -see also- Census; Demographics, Education, State Department of, Fees -see also- Attys' Fees; Devt Fees & Taxes, Higher Education -see also- Comm Colleges; Med Schools; etc., Higher Education Commission, Intergovernmental Cooperation -see also- AdmAgn; Cmts; etc., Notices, Public Schools -see also- Primary Schools; Secondary Sch, Remote and Hybrid Education, Reports, Scholarships and Student Financial Aid, Secondary Schools -see also- Private Schools; Public Sch, Standards and Best Practices, State Universities and Colleges, Students, Studies -see also- Commitees & Commissions; Reports, Sunset, Waivers - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (177 yes, 1 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 3 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Automatic college offers for Maryland seniors: benefit, medium. Beginning in the 2028–2029 school year, Maryland runs a Direct Admission Program. The Maryland Higher Education Commission and the State Department of Education identify eligible high school seniors each year. The Commission sends conditional admission offers from participating public colleges to t… - Fee-free direct admission for eligible students: benefit, medium. State agencies and participating colleges set eligibility rules in a memorandum. The rules include completing the College and Career Readiness standard and a minimum high school GPA. Participating public colleges must waive application fees for students who apply through the Direct Admission Progra… - Colleges can revoke conditional admission: cost, medium. Participating colleges can verify your information after a conditional offer. They can withdraw the offer if you do not earn a high school diploma by the matriculation date, do not meet the memorandum rules, commit academic misconduct, or show a major grade decline that would justify revocation und… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Malcolm Augustine (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-13 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 136 | 1 | 3 | | 2026-03-20 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 41 | 0 | 1 | ## Actions (17) - 2026-05-26: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 613 - 2026-04-13: Returned Passed (Senate) - 2026-04-13: Third Reading Passed (136-1) (House) - 2026-04-09: Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed (House) - 2026-04-09: Favorable Report by Appropriations (House) - 2026-04-07: Hearing 4/07 at 1:30 p.m. (House) - 2026-04-07: Hearing canceled (House) - 2026-04-07: Hearing 4/07 at 1:15 p.m. (House) - 2026-04-07: Hearing canceled (House) - 2026-03-26: Hearing 4/07 at 1:00 p.m. (House) - 2026-03-21: Referred Appropriations (House) - 2026-03-20: Third Reading Passed (41-0) (Senate) - 2026-03-19: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate) - 2026-03-19: Favorable with Amendments {953921/1 Adopted (Senate) - 2026-03-18: Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate) - 2026-01-29: Hearing 2/10 at 1:00 p.m. (Senate) - 2026-01-22: First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate) ## Bill text - Enacted, 2026-05-26: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_613_sb0324t.pdf) - Third Reading, 2026-03-19: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0324t.pdf) - First Reading, 2026-01-22: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0324f.pdf) ## Related bills - SB 0496: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity - Authorization (became law) - SB 0366: Motor Vehicles - Intelligent Speed Assistance System Pilot Program - Establishment (became law) - SB 0244: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program (became law) - SB 0148: Income Tax - Credit for 9-1-1 Specialist Retirement Income (Supporting Our 9-1-1 Specialists Act) (became law) - SB 0016: Child Support - Earnings Withholdings Limits (became law) - HB 0529: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program (became law) ## Sources - [Enacted (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_613_sb0324t.pdf) - [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0324t.pdf) - [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0324f.pdf) ## Related - [SB 0496: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity - A…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0496-2026RS) - [SB 0366: Motor Vehicles - Intelligent Speed Assistance System Pilot Program - Establishm…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0366-2026RS) - [SB 0244: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0244-2026RS) - [SB 0148: Income Tax - Credit for 9-1-1 Specialist Retirement Income (Supporting Our 9-1-…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0148-2026RS) - [SB 0016: Child Support - Earnings Withholdings Limits](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0016-2026RS) - [HB 0529: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0529-2026RS) - [Maryland bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland/bills) - [Maryland state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0324-2026RS (as of 2026-10-11).