Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars Program

The A. James Clark School of Engineering is looking for tomorrow's leaders to invest in today. Students transferring in from Maryland community colleges or from another division or college within the University of Maryland may be eligible to apply.

Transfer Student Advising & Admission

Meet Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholar and mechanical engineering major, Gabrielle Ball.

The Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars Program at the University of Maryland is part of Building Together,  the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation's $219.5 million investment in the University of Maryland announced in October 2017.  The goal of the program is to support hard-working engineering students who transfer to the University of Maryland from Maryland community colleges, connecting effort to opportunity.  The Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars Program offers a need-based scholarship of in-state tuition, mandatory fees and differential tuition (if applicable) for four semesters of study—and includes comprehensive academic, career, and research supports.  The program supports approximately 20 new transfer students each year, for a maximum of 40 students when fully enrolled.

To be eligible, you must: 

  • Be a transfer student from a Maryland community college, admitted to the Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland for the Fall 2025 semester, or a student at the University of Maryland who attended a Maryland community college and will be transferring to the Clark School of Engineering as an internal transfer student in Fall 2025
  • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
  • Demonstrate financial need as indicated by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and as determined by the Office of Student Financial Aid

*Preference will be given to students who will be eligible to take junior-level engineering coursework upon entry to the Clark School of Engineering.

Our Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars at a glance (2024-2025):

  • The Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars Program at the University of Maryland is currently home to 46 students.
  • 74% of our Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars identify as male and 26% identify as female.
  • 32% are from underrepresented minority groups.
  • The Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars come from 12 of the 16 Maryland Community Colleges.
  • The majors pursued by the Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars include Aerospace Engineering, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

Incoming Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars (COTS) will participate in summer programming in late August via the ClarkLEAD Transfer Welcome as well as the COTS Welcome Program.  The goals of the summer programming are to expose COTS students to campus resources, begin to establish connections with the Clark School, and develop community with their peers as a cohort.

In the following summer, Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars will participate in a paid summer internship or research experience.  Students will be supported in securing an internship or research experience aligned with their career goals by the COTS Faculty Advisor, Dr. Alison Flatau, and workshops and resume critiques provided by Engineering Career Services.

Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars will engage in semesterly advising meetings with Dr. Alison Flatau, Faculty Advisor, and Guerda Mervilus, Coordinator for Retention, to discuss their educational and professional goals.  They will also participate in program meetings focused on professional development during each semester they are in the program. In previous semesters, students have had presentations about building a LinkedIn profile, navigating salary negotiation, and also had the opportunity to have a free professional headshot taken!  Past program events also include a field trip to Wheaton, MD to visit an active construction site, managed by Clark Construction.  The visit to the Wheaton Revitalization Project allowed students got an inside look at the scope of the project from start to finish, and gave them an opportunity to network with field engineers and project managers, learning about each of their roles and their career paths.   

  • Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars must be active program participants, attending mandatory cohort meetings and advising meetings with program faculty, staff, and Clark School administrators.
  • Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars must maintain a 3.0 cumulative UMD grade point average, remain enrolled in the A. James Clark School of Engineering, make satisfactory progress toward a degree in engineering, and complete a minimum of 12 credits per semester/24 credits per year.
  • Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars must meet the campus financial aid deadlines on an annual basis, including filing a FAFSA annually by the university's priority deadline. 
  • Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars will participate in summer programming in late August, including attending the Clark School’s ClarkLEAD Transfer Welcome and the Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars Welcome Program.
  • Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholars are required to participate in a paid internship or on-campus research experience during the summer following their first year of enrollment.  

Visit our team page for our contact information!


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