The University of Maryland wants its students to stick around for the fourth quarter badly enough that it's dangling a free semester of tuition to make it happen. When the Terrapins host Illinois on Halloween, eligible students who remain in the stadium through the final period will have a shot at winning coverage of their spring 2027 in-state tuition, valued at $5,507.50.
How the Raffle Works
According to ESPN, Maryland will display a QR code on its video board for eligible students to enter, giving them a direct path into the drawing without leaving their seats. The school will cover the in-state tuition rate for the spring semester for whichever student's name is pulled, per the same report. It's a straightforward pitch from the athletic department: stay to the end, scan the code, and you're in the running.
The promotion, first reported by WBAL NewsRadio, was the brainchild of summer brainstorming sessions aimed at getting students to stay through the fourth quarter, according to Rachel Palmer, UMD's assistant athletic director for fan development and marketing. Students have to claim their student ticket, scan it at the gate, and then scan the on-screen QR code to enter, Palmer said. Five finalists will be chosen at random and brought down to the field during the fourth quarter, with one of them ultimately walking away with the tuition prize.
Students Weigh In
The incentive appears to be landing with at least some of the student body. Allison Reinhart said the team had played a rough few games and that the raffle was meant to encourage students to stay, and she added that she personally would stay at the game for the chance to win free tuition. Freshman Obi Mortanya said he hadn't planned to attend the game at all but decided to go specifically because of the tuition incentive.
Maryland isn't inventing the concept from scratch. The university tried something similar back in 2018, when it paid a total of $28,000 in scholarship money to students who attended home games and stayed in their seats through the fourth quarter, according to The Baltimore Banner. That history suggests the school has leaned on attendance incentives before when it needed a nudge to keep students in the building.
A Program Searching for a Spark
The timing isn't a coincidence. Maryland enters the Illinois matchup at 2-5 and riding a five-game losing streak, a stretch that has included 12 consecutive Big Ten losses, per ESPN's reporting. The Banner likewise noted the team's 2-5 record and lack of a conference win at the time of its report. Saturday's game also marks the debut of interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, according to UMTerps.com, giving the program a fresh face on the sideline even as the losing streak continues.
Beyond the tuition giveaway, the matchup carries some historical novelty. UMTerps.com notes that Maryland is hosting Illinois for the fifth meeting between the programs and just the second Halloween game in College Park, with the first dating back to 1992. The university's athletic site also reports that the first 7,500 fans through the gates will receive Bavarian Alpine Hats as part of the game's Oktoberfest theme, adding another layer of spectacle to an afternoon already built around keeping fans entertained.
Oktoberfest Meets Halloween at College Park
The tuition raffle is just one piece of a broader effort to juice attendance for a struggling team. Per WBAL NewsRadio, the game doubles as Maryland's second annual Oktoberfest celebration, featuring German-inspired stadium decorations, fan hats, Oktoberfest beer specials and souvenir cups. The university will also hold Halloween trick-or-treating at its fan fest before kickoff, along with costume contests for those who want to get in the spirit before the Terrapins take the field.
Kickoff against Illinois is set for noon this Saturday. For Maryland students weighing whether to brave a program that hasn't won since September 12, the combination of Oktoberfest hats, Halloween costumes, and a shot at a tuition-free spring semester may be exactly the kind of incentive the athletic department was hoping would get them through the fourth quarter.
