Maryland regulates paralegal work through the attorneys who supervise it. Its court rules let fee claims count paralegal pay as a separate expense, and a task force has recommended new tiers of legal service that the Judiciary has yet to adopt.
Harford Community College leads Maryland's ABA-approved certificate programs, ahead of Anne Arundel Community College.
As a Maryland resident you'd pay $6,302 to $39,708 in tuition and fees for a full-time year at Maryland's ranked programs. The median for its 3 ranked certificates is $6,918, above the $5,155 median for ranked certificate programs nationally.
3 approved programs in Maryland can be finished at least partly online, by each school's own page or, where a page says nothing, the federal record or the ABA's online flag.
ABA-approved programs conferred 68% of the 147 paralegal credentials Maryland schools awarded in 2023-24.
Paralegals in Maryland earn a median $65,640, above the national $62,890.
In Maryland, 4 approved schools charge residents of their own college district less than other state residents. Harford Community College, ranked first for the certificate, charges residents of its district $3,974 in tuition and fees for a full-time year, against $6,302 for other Maryland residents. The rankings below cover 3 certificate programs, 3 associate degrees and 1 bachelor's degree. Another 7 schools in the state conferred paralegal credentials in 2023-24 without ABA approval. They are listed at the foot of the page with their federal figures.
Approved programs are ranked within each award level on tuition and fees (what a full-time year costs a Maryland resident), graduation rate and paralegal graduates. Positions below are within Maryland,
but each score compares a program with every approved program at its level in the country.
How the ranking works.
Supervised Work, And The Rules That Name Paralegals
Maryland law bars anyone not admitted to the Bar from practicing law (Business Occupations and Professions 10-601), and the court rules make room for paralegals through the attorneys who supervise them. The comment to Rule 19-305.5 lets an attorney employ paraprofessionals and delegate work to them so long as the attorney supervises it and keeps responsibility for it, and Rule 19-305.3 requires a supervising attorney to make reasonable efforts to keep a non-attorney's conduct within the attorney's own professional obligations.
Two procedural rules name paralegals directly. Under Rule 20-108, once an attorney has signed a submission, the attorney may authorize a paralegal in the office to file it electronically, and the filing counts as the attorney's. Under Rule 2-701, the related expenses that can be claimed with attorneys' fees include compensation for paralegals and law clerks. The rule's committee note says the aim is to encourage attorneys to let lower-paid paralegals do the tasks they properly can.
The intent of this Rule is to allow the compensation paid to paralegals and law clerks for work done in connection with a claim permitting the recovery of attorneys' fees to be included as a separately identified related expense.
The Bar Association, And A Proposed Legal Practitioner Tier
Paralegals can join the Maryland State Bar Association, a voluntary bar association, in a paralegal membership at $125, and its Paralegal Section exists to serve the interests of the paralegal community in Maryland.
Maryland may add new tiers of legal service. A task force co-chaired by Justice Angela Eaves of the Supreme Court of Maryland finished a 20-month study, and its final report, presented in September 2026, recommends a community justice worker tier, a legal practitioner tier and a legal technology tier. A legal practitioner would be trained, tested and licensed to give civil legal help in specific high-need areas. The recommendations go to partner organizations for endorsement, and whether rule changes follow is for the Maryland Judiciary. No rule changes had been adopted when this page was checked.
Akin to a Nurse Practitioner, a Legal Practitioner would be trained, tested and licensed to provide civil legal aid in specific, high-need areas where people are currently underserved.
ABA-Approved Paralegal Certificate Programs In Maryland
3 approved programs in Maryland conferred undergraduate paralegal certificates in 2023-24. Paralegal certificate programs in Maryland are ranked here only when a new student can start them. Tuition is a full-time year of in-state tuition and fees. The out-of-state or in-district figure is beside it where it differs.
Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland offers its ABA-approved paralegal program as a 60-credit Associate of Applied Science concentration and a 35- to 37-credit Paralegal Studies Certificate designed for students who already hold an associate or bachelor's degree, and both require an internship or cooperative education placement of about 135 hours in a law office.
Key Program Details
AAS: 60 credits in a recommended four-semester sequence
Certificate: 35 to 37 credits, for associate or bachelor's degree holders
About 135 hours of internship or co-op in a law office
No more than 15 transfer credits toward paralegal courses
$146 per semester credit
Read more
The certificate requires Introduction to Law, Legal Research, Legal Writing, Technology in the Legal Profession, Torts and Insurance, Civil Litigation and Procedure, Contract Law, Law Practice and Professional Conduct, Real Estate Transactions and either Internship in Paralegal Studies or Cooperative Education III: Paralegal, plus five to seven credits of electives such as Business Law, Procedural Law and Evidence, Principles of Criminal Law, Bankruptcy and Collections Law, Constitutional Law, Probate Practice and Procedure, Family Law and Litigation and Administrative Law and Procedure. The AAS places the same paralegal courses, plus paralegal electives, in a recommended four-semester sequence with English Composition, Technical Writing, American National or State and Local Government, speech or interpersonal communication, a mathematics elective, a lab science, an arts or humanities elective and a physical education elective. The internship and the co-op each require about 135 hours in law office settings during normal business hours, and Technology in the Legal Profession is generally offered in the fall semester, in the evening.
Harford designed the certificate for students who want to work as paralegals and already have an associate or baccalaureate degree, and it describes the AAS concentration as also designed for practicing paralegals who want to advance their education. Certificate students must show basic competencies in English, reading and mathematics by completing Integrated Reading and Writing and Pre-Algebra I and/or passing a qualifying exam. Transferring more than eight credit hours of required paralegal courses into the program needs the program coordinator's permission, and no more than 15 transfer credits are allowed for all paralegal courses.
Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Maryland offers its ABA-approved paralegal program as a 60-credit Paralegal Studies A.A.S. and a 31-credit certificate open only to students who have completed an associate or bachelor's degree, and its catalog says both can be completed fully online, with courses also offered in day, evening and weekend formats.
Key Program Details
Certificate: 31 credit hours, for associate or bachelor's degree holders
A.A.S.: 60 credit hours
Both can be completed fully online
Day, evening, weekend and online courses; also offered at AACC at Arundel Mills
Statewide Tuition Reduction Program
$135 per semester credit
Read more
The 31-credit certificate requires Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Law Office Practice and Technology, Electronic Legal Research, Legal Research and Writing 1 and 2, Civil Procedure, Legal Ethics, Criminal Law and Business Law 1, plus six credits of legal specialty electives, with suggested electives grouped by civil, criminal, domestic and transactional practice. The 60-credit A.A.S. adds general education (English composition, Civil Rights Law as its arts and humanities course, a laboratory science, mathematics, a social or behavioral science and a wellness requirement) and a program core that also includes Evidence and Electronic Discovery, Domestic Relations or Tort Law, and at least nine credits of legal specialty electives. Paralegal courses are taught by judges, practicing attorneys and experts in the field, courses run in day, evening, weekend and online formats, the program can also be completed at AACC at Arundel Mills, and students must take at least nine semester credits of legal specialty courses through synchronous instruction.
Certificate students must hold, before enrolling, a bachelor's degree or an associate degree from a regionally accredited college or university whose program included at least 18 hours of general education, including ENG 101 and ENG 102 and courses in at least two other disciplines, and must send an official transcript. Students can attend full- or part-time, and certificate courses are also offered in an accelerated format. Both credentials are designated Statewide Tuition Reduction Programs, so some Maryland residents may be eligible for in-county tuition for required courses, and some online courses may require proctored exams or on-campus assessments at a testing center.
The Community College of Baltimore County offers an ABA-approved Legal Studies AAS and Paralegal Studies Certificate that can be completed entirely online or in person at its Catonsville, Maryland and Essex, Maryland campuses.
Key Program Details
AAS: 60 credits
Certificate: 30 credits
Entirely online, or in person in Catonsville, Maryland and Essex, Maryland
Three-credit internship
Discounted NFPA Paralegal Core Competency Exam after completion
$124 per semester credit
Read more
The Legal Studies AAS is a 60-credit degree with courses including Introduction to Law, Legal Research and Writing I and II, Law Office Practices/Legal Ethics, Civil Litigation, Torts, Business Organization and Contracts, and Criminal Law and Procedure. The 30-credit Paralegal Studies Certificate covers the same core legal courses plus program electives. Both include a three-credit internship, and AAS graduates are also eligible to apply for the certificate. Classes are offered in person at the Catonsville, Maryland and Essex, Maryland campuses or online, either credential can be earned entirely online, and at least 9 of the 18 required legal specialty credits must be completed through synchronous instruction.
The certificate is for students who already hold an associate or baccalaureate degree in another field, or who have completed 30 college credits including 18 credits of general education across at least three disciplines; students who do not meet either criterion are encouraged to enroll in the AAS. Students completing 30 credits a year can finish the AAS in two years. Through NFPA's Assurance of Learning Program, students can take NFPA's Paralegal Core Competency Exam at a discount after completing the program, and CCBC has transfer partnerships with Wilmington University and Stevenson University for a bachelor's degree in legal studies.
AASCertificateOnline
ccbcmd.eduOctober 1, 2026
ABA-Approved Associate Degrees In Paralegal Studies In Maryland
An associate's degree adds general education to the paralegal courses and usually takes two years full time.
Montgomery College leads Maryland's 3 approved associate programs, conferring 12 paralegal degrees in 2023-24.
Montgomery College's ABA-approved Paralegal Studies AAS is a 60-credit degree taught on its campuses in Rockville, Maryland; Germantown, Maryland; and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, Maryland, with several courses available online and a curriculum that reaches into immigration, family, cyber and health law, eDiscovery and alternative dispute resolution.
Key Program Details
60 credit hours
Courses on campuses in Rockville, Maryland; Germantown, Maryland; and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, Maryland
Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Maryland offers its ABA-approved paralegal program as a 60-credit Paralegal Studies A.A.S. and a 31-credit certificate open only to students who have completed an associate or bachelor's degree, and its catalog says both can be completed fully online, with courses also offered in day, evening and weekend formats.
Key Program Details
Certificate: 31 credit hours, for associate or bachelor's degree holders
A.A.S.: 60 credit hours
Both can be completed fully online
Day, evening, weekend and online courses; also offered at AACC at Arundel Mills
The Community College of Baltimore County offers an ABA-approved Legal Studies AAS and Paralegal Studies Certificate that can be completed entirely online or in person at its Catonsville, Maryland and Essex, Maryland campuses.
Key Program Details
AAS: 60 credits
Certificate: 30 credits
Entirely online, or in person in Catonsville, Maryland and Essex, Maryland
Three-credit internship
Discounted NFPA Paralegal Core Competency Exam after completion
$124 per semester credit
AASCertificateOnline
ccbcmd.eduOctober 1, 2026
ABA-Approved Bachelor's Degrees In Maryland
One approved program in Maryland conferred a paralegal bachelor's degree in 2023-24.
Stevenson University in Owings Mills, Maryland offers an ABA-approved Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies on campus and fully online, taught by attorneys and judges, with an internship that can begin in the sophomore year.
Key Program Details
BS: 120 credits, on campus or fully online
Second bachelor's degree: 33 credits, at least 21 legal specialty credits
120-hour internship, as early as sophomore year
Weekday and evening classes in Owings Mills, Maryland
3+3 early entry options with UB Law and Delaware Law
$38,970 per year
BSJoint Degree
stevenson.eduOctober 1, 2026
What A Paralegal Program Costs In Maryland
Across Maryland's ranked approved programs, you'd pay between $6,302 and $39,708 for a full-time year of tuition and fees as a Maryland resident,
with a median of $8,186. The median for its 3 ranked certificates is $6,918, above the $5,155 median for ranked certificate programs nationally. 4 approved schools in Maryland charge less again to residents of their college district: Anne Arundel Community College ($4,178), Community College of Baltimore County ($4,062), Harford Community College ($3,974) and Montgomery College ($5,394).
Tuition and fees are what each school reported to IPEDS for a full-time undergraduate year in 2023-24, tuition plus required fees, before books, supplies or aid. A certificate of about 30 semester credits is roughly a full-time year of coursework, but programs differ in length and many students take them part-time, so read the figure as a way to compare schools. Colleges set new rates every year. It is not the price of a post-baccalaureate or extension certificate, which schools price separately.
What Paralegals Earn In Maryland
BLS puts the median for paralegals and legal assistants (SOC 23-2011) in Maryland at $65,640 a year,
$2,750 above the national median of $62,890, 11th highest of the 51 states and districts BLS reports.
The 10th percentile is $48,260 and the 90th is $108,380. 6,460 people in Maryland hold the job. Figures are from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release. Paralegal pay in every state sets them side by side.
Every Paralegal Program In Maryland
Every school in Maryland that the ABA lists or that conferred a paralegal credential in 2023-24 is here, approved
programs first. Awards are the paralegal credentials each school reported to IPEDS for that year.
Common Questions About Paralegal Certificates In Maryland
Do you need a certificate to be a paralegal in Maryland?
Maryland's court rules let attorneys employ paraprofessionals and delegate work to them, so long as the attorney supervises the work and keeps responsibility for it, and they attach no credential to the role. A certificate is a common way to prepare, and the national certifications are voluntary.
Can paralegal fees be recovered in Maryland?
Yes, as a related expense. Under Maryland Rule 2-701, compensation for paralegals and law clerks can be claimed as a separately identified expense alongside attorneys' fees, where the claim allows recovery of attorneys' fees.
How many ABA-approved paralegal programs are in Maryland?
The ABA's directory lists 5 approved programs in Maryland. IPEDS shows 12 schools in the state conferring paralegal credentials in 2023-24, and 7 of them run a program the ABA has not approved.
What are the best paralegal certificate programs in Maryland?
On this ranking, Harford Community College, which charges $6,302 a year in in-state tuition and fees, graduates 38% of its first-time students and conferred 7 paralegal certificates in 2023-24. Anne Arundel Community College and Community College of Baltimore County are next. Every program ranked here is ABA-approved.
What is the cheapest ABA-approved paralegal program in Maryland?
Of the programs ranked here, you'd pay the least as a Maryland resident at Harford Community College, $6,302 for a full-time year of tuition and fees in 2023-24, or $3,974 if you live in its district. That's the figure the school reports to IPEDS, and schools reset it every year.
What do paralegals make in Maryland?
BLS puts the median for paralegals and legal assistants (SOC 23-2011) in Maryland at $65,640 a year, $2,750 above the national median of $62,890, with 6,460 people in the job. The 10th percentile is $48,260 and the 90th is $108,380. Figures are from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release.
Paralegal Programs In Other States
A campus program usually means the state you live in, but an online one does not. These are the
other states with enough ABA-approved programs for a page of their own.
