Do Kentucky Residents Get In-State Tuition in Maryland? (Graduate, 2026)
ACM — in-state rate
Sometimes — Kentucky and Maryland both belong to Academic Common Market, which can bring graduate tuition at University of Maryland Graduate School down to the in-state rate of about $16,000 from $34,600, but only for approved majors. It is not automatic in-state status.
- You would pay
- $16,000/yr
- Resident pays
- $16,000/yr
- Non-resident rate
- $34,600/yr
- Saved over 2 yrs
- $37,200
Conditional: Applies only to approved majors at participating campuses — confirm both before you apply.
Tuition and mandatory fees only, compiled from published rates and rounded. Excludes housing, books and course differentials. Eligibility is decided by the institution, not by this page.
Open this pair in the checker to switch level, compare other states, or copy a link to the result.
Kentucky and Maryland both belong to Academic Common Market, and that program is the most generous of the four regional agreements: an approved student pays the receiving institution's full in-state rate. At University of Maryland Graduate School that is $16,000 against a $34,600 non-resident rate.
Seen from Kentucky, this is one option among 50. 17 other states offer Kentucky residents a reduced graduate rate, the lowest being Arkansas at about $9,500, against $14,000 for in-state study at University of Kentucky Graduate School.
Confirm the specific campus takes part. State-level membership is necessary and not sufficient, and several flagship universities either exclude their most competitive majors or sit out entirely.
Every route from Kentucky to Maryland
| Route | What it gives you | Per year | Saving | Guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Common Market | An approved ACM student pays the receiving institution's full in-state tuition rate. The gate is availability at home: the program must appear on SREB's approved inventory for your state, which in practice means your own state's public universities do not offer that specific degree. You are certified as ACM-eligible by your home state's ACM coordinator before the receiving institution will apply the rate. | $16,000 | $18,600 | Conditional |
Where Kentucky residents pay less
Staying home, a Kentucky resident pays $14,000 a year for in-state graduate tuition at University of Kentucky Graduate School. The cheapest Maryland option for you is $16,000 at University of Maryland Graduate School, which is $2,000 a year more than staying home, or $4,000 over 2 years.
Kentucky belongs to Academic Common Market (ACM) at graduate level, so 18 of 50 states offer Kentucky graduate students a reduced rate, and Maryland is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky to Arkansas | Academic Common Market · University of Arkansas Graduate School | $9,500 |
| Kentucky to Mississippi | Academic Common Market · University of Mississippi Graduate School | $9,800 |
| Kentucky to Indiana | Kentucky Regional Reciprocity Agreements · Indiana University Graduate School | $10,300 |
| Kentucky to Louisiana | Academic Common Market · LSU Graduate School | $10,300 |
| Kentucky to Oklahoma | Academic Common Market · OU Graduate College | $10,300 |
Kentucky's neighboring states, compared
What a Kentucky resident pays for graduate tuition in each state that borders Kentucky, cheapest first:
- Indiana$10,300/yr · Kentucky Regional Reciprocity Agreements
- Missouri$11,300/yr · Kentucky Regional Reciprocity Agreements
- West Virginia$12,000/yr · Academic Common Market
- Tennessee$14,000/yr · Academic Common Market
- Ohio$14,700/yr · Kentucky Regional Reciprocity Agreements
- Illinois$18,700/yr · Kentucky Regional Reciprocity Agreements
- Virginia$20,000/yr · Academic Common Market
Compare all 50 states from Kentucky in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
Maryland residency, in brief
Maryland grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Md. Code Regs. 13B.08.01), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to Maryland to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
Maryland residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Check that your chosen Maryland campus participates in Academic Common Market — membership is a state-level agreement, but each campus decides whether to offer it and how many awards to fund.
- Confirm your intended major is on the approved list. Applies only to approved majors at participating campuses — confirm both before you apply.
- Apply for the award at the same time as admission, and well before the campus deadline — most participating institutions award on a first-come basis and close early.
- Keep your Kentucky residency documentation current; the program is only open to residents of a member state.
- Compare the result against the residency route: Maryland grants in-state status after 12 months of domicile, currently $16,000 a year.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do Kentucky residents get in-state tuition in Maryland?
Effectively yes, through Academic Common Market, but it is not residency. You pay the in-state rate of about $16,000 while remaining a Kentucky resident for every other purpose, and the benefit ends if you leave the approved program.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in Maryland?
Maryland requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Md. Code Regs. 13B.08.01), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would graduate study in Maryland actually cost a Kentucky resident?
About $16,000 a year in tuition and mandatory fees under Academic Common Market, against $34,600 at the published non-resident rate and $16,000 for a Maryland resident. Over 2 years that is roughly $37,200 saved. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates and exclude housing, books and course-specific differentials.
›Where can Kentucky residents get reduced graduate tuition?
In 18 states at graduate level. Outside Maryland, the lowest are Arkansas ($9,500), Mississippi ($9,800), Indiana ($10,300). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in Maryland cheaper than staying in Kentucky?
No. Kentucky's in-state graduate rate is $14,000 a year at University of Kentucky Graduate School, and the cheapest Maryland option for a Kentucky resident is $16,000, so Maryland costs about $2,000 more a year, or $4,000 over 2 years, in tuition and fees alone.
Sources
Every eligibility rule on this page is checked against the operating compact commission or the state's own residency authority. Last verified 2026-08-07.
Tuition figures on this page are compiled 2025–26 published rates (basis: published compiled), rounded to the nearest $100 and refreshed each June. Eligibility rules are checked against the cited compact commission or residency authority.
- Maryland Higher Education Commission — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Maryland Graduate School — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Kentucky Graduate School — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
How this page was made
Compiled and checked by Billy Reiner, editor of In-State Check. Last verified 2026-08-07.
- Compiled from published rate pages
- The in-state and non-resident figures are tuition and mandatory fees for one full-time year, read from University of Maryland Graduate School’s own 2025–26 rate page and rounded to the nearest $100. Housing, books, travel and course-specific differentials are not included in them.
- Checked against the administering body
- Compact membership at this level was checked against the commission that runs the program (SREB). The residency test — the durational requirement, the domicile evidence and the dependent-student rule — was checked against Maryland Higher Education Commission, Md. Code Regs. 13B.08.01. Nothing here is taken from another comparison site.
Not advice. In-State Check is independent of every college, compact and state agency named here. Residency classification and award decisions are made by the institution you apply to. Found an error? Send the page URL and the source that contradicts it to [email protected], and the page is corrected and re-dated. Full methodology.