While the Federal Government generously covers the cost of tuition, room and board, uniforms, and books, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) does not offer any institutional or "in-house" financial aid. However, midshipmen are highly encouraged to apply for outside scholarships and utilize college savings plans to help defray their remaining Cost of Attendance (COA). 

Processing Outside Scholarships

Congratulations on receiving an outside award! If you have secured a private scholarship, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at (516) 726-5638 for further details. All scholarship award checks must be mailed directly to:

USMMA Office of Financial Aid
300 Steamboat Road
Kings Point, NY 11024-1699

Award Agency Refusals

Because USMMA is a Federal Service Academy, some scholarship funds may initially refuse to award you their scholarship. Many of these organizations are unaware that, unlike at other federal service academies, USMMA midshipmen do not receive a monthly stipend or have 100% of their attendance costs covered.

If an awarding agency refuses to release your scholarship funds for this reason, please contact the Office of Financial Aid immediately. Our office has a strong track record of successfully contacting these agencies, informing them of your true financial status, and overturning their decisions to withhold the award.

Impact on Federal Aid

Impacts are: Changes in SAI (student aid index), LEU (Lifetime Eligibility Used) 12 semesters or 600%, and Outside Scholarship Aid in conjunction with Federal Student Aid Awards that exceeds the students COA will impact the Financial Aid Award Package.

529 and College Savings Plans

Because USMMA is a fully accredited four-year degree-awarding university, you may absolutely use funds from any 529 College Savings Plan (or other college savings accounts) toward your Cost of Attendance. Parents should contact their plan administrators for payout requirements.

If your 529 Plan requires specific documentation to authorize the release of your savings, please contact the Office of Academy Financial Management (OAFM) for assistance. 

Additionally, some states allow state-funded college tuition programs to be used at USMMA. If you reside in a state that offers tuition programs for qualified residents, please contact your appropriate state office directly for more information.

External Scholarship Resources

The following links are provided for reference to help you in your scholarship search. Please note that USMMA has no affiliation with any of these award agencies.

• College Board: College Board's Scholarship Search.
• Federal Employee and Education Assistance (FEEA) Scholarships: FEEA has awarded over $3.5 million in college scholarships exclusively to federal and postal employees and their family members.
• Federal Student Aid: Student aid on the Web by the Department of Education, featuring sources of free information about scholarships.
• FinAid: A comprehensive guide to financial aid and scholarships.
• Fedmoney.org: A free guide to all government grants and scholarships.