WHY THE MARYLAND college investment plan?
Why Save with the College Investment Plan?
It's flexible in more ways than one and offers a unique Maryland state income subtraction for Maryland taxpayers on contributions of up to $2,500 per beneficiary each year.
- Decide how much you want to contribute starting with as little as $25.
- Select your own investment options from Enrollment-Based Portfolio Solutions and Fixed Portfolios.
- Any earnings are federally tax-free when used for qualified education expenses at colleges and trade schools, K-12 tuition, and more.
- Your contributions may be eligible for a Maryland state income subtraction.
- You could be eligible to receive a $250 or $500 contribution through the State Contribution Program.
- Invite friends and family to be a part of your savings journey with a Ugift® code that links directly to your account.
Investment options
Choose a Target Year Portfolio or DIY. We've Got Options.
Choose the investment option that best meets your goals.
Morningstar, Inc., “Silver” Rating
The Maryland College Investment Plan was one of only 14 plans to receive a "Sliver" rating by Morningstar, Inc. in 2024.
Silver-rated 529 plans sport a combination of superior investment teams, robust investment processes, and/or good state stewardship.1
Top 10 Performance
The Maryland College Investment Plan was ranked #1 for 529 plan enrollment-based portfolio performance in the ten-year period, #2 in the five-year period, #7 in the three-year period, and #6 in the one-year period as of 9/30/24.
Saving For College conducts quarterly evaluations of the investment performance of thousands of 529 enrollment-based portfolios and ranks the plans based on the results.2 According to Saving For College, the rankings are "…a helpful tool for families and financial professionals looking to compare college savings options."
Saving For College has been the leading independent authority on 529 savings plans since 1999. The site compiles and analyzes data and creates content and tools to provide parents, financial professionals, and state policymakers with resources to help them understand how to meet the challenge of ever-increasing education costs.
2024 “Top of the Class” Award
The Maryland College Investment Plan earned the “Top of the Class” designation from Saving for College in their 2024 529 Ratings, placing it among only 9 directsold 529 plans recognized.3 This award signifies that these plans have outperformed more than 80% of their peers in the category.
OPENING AN ACCOUNT
How to Open a Maryland College Investment Plan Account
Take the first step on your education savings journey today.
Open a College Investment Plan Account
Save for your child's future education today with the Maryland College Investment Plan managed by T. Rowe Price, an investment management firm with more than 80 years experience.
Choose an Investment Option
We offer a variety of investment options whether you are new to investing or prefer a hands-on approach.
Contribute All at Once or Save Regularly
Once you open your account you can tailor your contributions to your current budget. It's easy to save with one time contributions or reoccurring contributions with the option of increasing over time.
Recurring ContributionsRoll over your 529 account
Make the Move to the College Investment Plan
Rollovers to the Maryland College Investment Plan are accepted from other qualified 529 plans, including the Maryland Prepaid College Trust.
How it works:
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1Verify whether the funds are eligible for a rollover to the Maryland College Investment Plan with your current 529 provider/manager, and review requirements for processing a rollover.
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2Open your Maryland College Investment Plan Account.
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3Complete the Rollover Form.
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4Mail the completed Rollover Form to the address listed on the form. Your rollover should be processed and completed within a few weeks.
UGIFT
Boost their future with Ugift®
Friends and family can join in the excitement, contributing to your child's educational future with our gifting program. All gifts that are invested into your child's College Investment Plan account are intended to be used for qualified education expenses.
Give a GiftGive a contribution gift any time of the year
Birthdays, holidays, or just-because, elevate their future year-round by gifting to their 529 account.
Conveniently and securely give a gift the way you want.
Friends and family can send easily a gift by mail or secure electronic transfer using a unique Ugift® code. All funds will go directly into their 529 account.
Printable gift certificates
College savings is an extraordinary gift - but it's tough to wrap. If you'd like to have something for the child to physically open, these printable gift certificates are a great option
Financing planner
Visualize their future
Our College Financing Planner helps families plan ahead for college expenses. Use this tool to create a savings plan to achieve your college funding goals.
See Our Planner1Morningstar analysts reviewed 59 plans for its 2024 ratings (10/29/24), of which 14 plans received a "Silver" rating. To determine a plan's rating, Morningstar's analysts organized their research around 4 key pillars: Process, People, Parent, and Price. Plans were then assigned forward-looking ratings of "Gold," "Silver," "Bronze," "Neutral," and "Negative." Each year, certain of the industry's smallest plans are not rated. Click here for additional information about Morningstar's methodology.
Analyst Ratings are subjective in nature and should not be used as the sole basis for investment decisions. Analyst Ratings are based on Morningstar analysts' current expectations about future events and, therefore, involve unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Morningstar's expectations not to occur or to differ significantly from what was expected. Morningstar does not represent its Analyst Ratings to be guarantees.
©2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete, or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
2Each quarter, Saving For College analyzes the investment performance figures for thousands of 529 portfolios, comparing the reported investment performance of a subset of portfolios from each 529 savings plan to produce their rankings. As of 9/30/24, the rankings for the Maryland College Investment Plan were: 1 out of 24, 2 out of 37, 7 out of 50, and 6 out of 55 for the 10-, 5-, 3-, and 1-year periods, respectively. Saving For College compares historical investment returns for all enrollment-based portfolios, including age-based and year-of-enrollment portfolios, within a given age band from 0 to 19+. A hypothetical average annual return is then calculated for each plan's enrollment-based portfolios along a glide path from 0 to 19+, and the plans are ranked from highest to lowest return. There are separate comparisons for direct sold and advisor-sold plans. More information about the methodology and the performance rankings can be found on savingforcollege.com.
3The factors Saving For College examined and scored for each 529 plan are grouped into four categories: Performance, Ease of Use, Savings Success, and Program Delivery. A plan's four individual category scores are computed on a scale of 1 to 5 and carried out to two decimal places. The overall 529 Rating is a weighted average of these four category scores.
Regularly monitor your account
Check your account balance, transaction history, and investment allocations.
Contribute at your pace
Add money to your balance as a one-time or recurring contribution.
Gifting from friends and family
Easily invite friends and family to help give your savings a boost with Ugift®.