Roberta Ma Scholarship
2024 Scholarship Announcement
The Office of International Student & Scholar Services welcomes eligible international students at the University of Maryland, College Park, to apply for the Roberta Ma Scholarship. In order to be eligible for the scholarship, you must be an F-1/J-1 international student, have been enrolled at UMD in good academic standing (GPA 3.0) for the last academic year (Fall and Spring). Undergraduate applicants should have earned 84 credits or more at the time of the application. Graduate students without assistantships for the year are eligible to apply.
All applicants are required to provide proof of financial need. ISSS encourages all eligible students to apply; the Roberta Ma Scholarship fund offers $10,000 to benefit F-1/J-1 students with an average non-renewable scholarship of $500.00 per awardee. ISSS is appreciative to Dr. Ma for endowing this fund, especially since scholarship opportunities for international students are scarce. Dr. Ma dreamt of building international understanding and contributing to the achievement of world peace by assisting international students.
We expect the average award to be $500.00 and will be applied to the UMD accounts of individual students who receive the award. The award can only be used for qualified educational expenses.
Eligibility to apply:
- Must be an F-1 or J-1 Degree seeking students sponsored by UMD
- In good academic standing (GPA of at least 3.0)
- Undergraduate students need to have completed at least 84 credit hours at the time of application.
- Graduate students need to have completed at least 15 credit hours at the time of application.
- Enrolled at UMD for the previous academic year (must have completed a Fall and a Spring semester)
- Demonstrated financial need
The deadline to apply for the scholarship is November 15, 2024. Applicants must submit materials via Scholarship Universe. If the application is not visible to you on Scholarship Universe, you do not meet the criteria to apply.
Scholarship History
The Roberta M. Ma Fund was established, through the University System of Maryland Foundation, Inc., in September 1985 by friends of Roberta Ma and the officers of Koinonia Agapes, Inc. At the request of the donors, the Fund was transferred to the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., in February 2001. Spendable income from the Roberta M. Ma Fund provides scholarships and other forms of assistance to international students.
Donor Statement
Dr. Roberta M. Ma was born in China. She came to the United States in 1924 to attend the University of Texas, where she received a B.A. and and M.A. in botany, and later a Ph.D. in plant physiology. After returning to China to teach at various universities, Dr. Ma returned to the United States in 1938, eventually becoming a biochemist researcher for the FDA.
In 1960, Dr. Ma first opened her Maryland home to international students from the University of Maryland. She provided these young people a place to gather, share meals, and celebrate. Dr. Ma's residence became a home away from home for the international students. This evolving international fellowship group was transformed into a non-profit organization in 1963 and named Koinonia Agapes, Inc., which is Greek for "Fellowship of Love." As the number of participants grew, it became apparent that Dr. Ma's home was no longer a sufficient gathering place and that a larger meeting site was needed. In 1966, Dr. Ma purchased property near Route 1 in College Park, Maryland with the intention of building an international fellowship hall that could accommodate 50-90 students.
Unfortunately, Dr. Ma passed away on December 30, 1975, before the center could become a reality. The Board Members of Koinonia Agapes, Inc. decided that an international student scholarship would fulfill Dr. Ma's dream of building international understanding and contributing to the achievement of world peace by assisting international students.
The Roberta Ma Scholarship is awarded annually to international students meeting the academic qualifications and possessing a demonstrated financial need.