Garrett College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in McHenry, Maryland. It enrolls 411 students (a very small, intimate student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (2-Year). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Good
56/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes20
Value53
Affordability48
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, Garrett College generally admits all qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Garrett College isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $9,228 per year. That's well below the typical net price for public colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$9,228
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
31%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
31%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$4,144
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$12,040
Room & Board (on-campus)
$8,384
Room & Board (off-campus)
$8,391
Books & Supplies
$1,000
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,700
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,251
Total Cost of Attendance
$14,342
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$7,387
$30,001 – $48,000
$7,231
$48,001 – $75,000
$10,686
$75,001 – $110,000
$12,624
Over $110,000
$13,398
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$2,75010%percentile
$4,37525%percentile
$10,750Medianpercentile
$12,00075%percentile
$19,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $6,750
↓ $4,000
No Pell $6,086
↓ $4,664
Dependent students $5,672
↓ $5,078
Independent students $9,500
↓ $1,250
Female students $7,500
↓ $3,250
Male students $5,500
↓ $5,250
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($10,750), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
21% of full-time students who enrolled at Garrett College graduate within six years, and 53% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
21%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
53%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Garrett College earn a median of $35,823 ten years after first enrolling. That's close to the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$35,823
Earning > $25K
61%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$29,900
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$33,500
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$29,300
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$32,700
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$35,900
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
16.2 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Moderate. Only 63% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Garrett College is home to 411 students, an intimate, close-knit community. Some distinctive traits: 41% are first-generation college students.
Total Enrolled
411
Part-Time
15%
First-Generation
41%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 75.4%310
Black 10.7%44
International 5.4%22
Hispanic 5.1%21
Other 2.9%12
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Garrett College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Rural: DistantMcHenry, Maryland
Housing
Partly residential164 beds available
Adult Learners
8%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
What You Can Study
Garrett College offers
a varied set of programs:
13 distinct programs across
9 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Garrett College is 14:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
14:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$13,888
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$8.0M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$68,015
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
20 instructional faculty across 3 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
7
35%
$75,113
Associate Professors
6
30%
$68,826
Assistant Professors
7
35%
$60,222
Pros & Cons of Garrett College
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Garrett College tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Very affordable net price after aid
Open admissions
Reasonable class sizes
Tight-knit, close community feel
Low typical debt at graduation
First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
First-year retention is below typical
Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
Best for:
Based on the data, Garrett College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Garrett College
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Garrett College.
Is Garrett College hard to get into?
Garrett College has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted.
What is the acceptance rate at Garrett College?
Garrett College has an acceptance rate of 0%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Garrett College cost?
The average net price after aid at Garrett College is $9,228 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Garrett College worth it?
Solid return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $35,823 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $9,228 per year. That's roughly 3.9x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Garrett College known for?
Garrett College is best known for its programs in Liberal Arts, Business, Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Garrett College graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Garrett College are $35,823, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Garrett College accredited?
Yes. Garrett College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Garrett College?
Garrett College enrolls 411 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Garrett College?
Garrett College graduates 21% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Garrett College a public or private college?
Garrett College is a Public institution.
Where is Garrett College located?
Garrett College is located in McHenry, Maryland.
What programs does Garrett College offer?
Garrett College offers 13 distinct programs. The most popular include Liberal Arts, Business, Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Garrett College?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Garrett College is 14:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Maryland
Other colleges in Maryland share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
