Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich has proposed a $4 million bill to shift financial aid from merit- to need-based qualifications in hopes of reaching students with financial restrictions.

In recent years, Maryland’s public universities have experienced sharp budget cuts that have forced the education system to compensate through tuition increases. In the past year alone, tuition at the University of Maryland at College Park has increased by 21 percent.

“As tuition has gone up dramatically, there is an added pressure for need-based aid,” said Janice Doyle, assistant secretary for finance policy of the Maryland Higher Education Commission. “More than 5,000 students have not been funded despite their eligibility. It’s an issue of determining what the highest priority is.”

The movement of money from merit-based scholarships to need-based scholarships is one that has raised some eyebrows within the higher-education community. Part of the movement involves the cancellation of the HOPE Scholarship, a program that awards student residents of Maryland based on merit, a proposition that has angered some high school seniors and parents who feel entitled to such scholarships.

“Since the state has limited resources, he used some of the funding from the HOPE program to do that,” Doyle said. “Ten million dollars was put into need-based programs.”

Another facet of those against the budget bill involves the negative connotations surrounding a “need-based” scholarship.

“Many of those people who have responded negatively associate ‘need-based’ with individuals from extremely low-income families who are not academically prepared for school,” said Marie Janiszewski, program manager in the Office of Student Financial Assistance of the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

A key point of the budget change Janiszewski feels has been overlooked is that middle-income families are a main component of those who will receive assistance.

“One thing that’s being missed is that we’re talking about moderate-income families too,” she said. “You can be a family making in the mid-$70,000 range, but with two students in college, you may now qualify for one of these grants.”

Despite criticism from members of the Maryland community, the budget bill has been praised for its efforts to increase need-based scholarship funds.

“There were a number of articles in The Sun [Baltimore’s major newspaper] that applauded the governor’s efforts to do this,” Doyle said. “It’s being talked about as a good policy, particularly in these financially difficult times. We’ve have good reactions in that way.”

On a national scale, the amount of money being put into merit-based scholarships has increased. As Doyle noted, many national associations dealing with financial aid are calling for more need-based programs.

“It’s important not to lose sight of the fact that financial aid originally made sure that a low family income would not be a barrier for students to go to college. That is probably the highest priority,” she said.