Hood College is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Frederick, Maryland. It enrolls 1,194 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
64/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes45
Value52
Affordability54
Selectivity47
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Hood College admits 77.8% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
77.8%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Hood College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
12.8 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $20,873 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$47,700
Room & Board (on-campus)
$16,200
Room & Board (off-campus)
$14,442
Books & Supplies
$1,430
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,784
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,842
Total Cost of Attendance
$61,219
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
$12,424
$30,001 – $48,000
$14,454
$48,001 – $75,000
$19,837
$75,001 – $110,000
$23,638
Over $110,000
$29,078
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.
$5,50010%percentile
$10,25025%percentile
$25,000Medianpercentile
$27,50075%percentile
$36,11290%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 $20,000
↓ $5,000
No Pell $15,000
↓ $10,000
Dependent students $18,119
↓ $6,881
Independent students $18,750
↓ $6,250
Female students $18,500
↓ $6,500
Male students $17,750
↓ $7,250
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,842, less than completers ($25,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
64% of students who start here finish within six years, and 74% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
64%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
74%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $57,089 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$57,089
Earning > $25K
79%
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
$45,800
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$60,000
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$43,000
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$45,400
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$54,300
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $14,200, about 24% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
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 ↑
20.5 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 89% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,194 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 31% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
1,194
Part-Time
2%
First-Generation
31%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 49.6%592
Black 17.6%210
Hispanic 16.7%199
Other 5.8%69
Asian 3.2%38
International 1.5%18
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Hood College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Hood College offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
50 distinct programs across
21 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.
There are 11 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$190M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$73,627
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
96 instructional faculty across 4 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
21
22%
$87,247
Associate Professors
32
33%
$74,107
Assistant Professors
42
44%
$66,872
Instructors
1
1%
$55,945
Pros & Cons of Hood College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Hood College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, Hood College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Hood College
The questions families ask most about Hood College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Hood College hard to get into?
Not especially. Hood College admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 77.8%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Hood College?
77.8% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Hood College cost?
Budget around $20,873 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Hood College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $57,089 a year against a net price of $20,873, about 2.7 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Hood College known for?
Mostly Educational Administration, Business Administration, Mental Health Services. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Hood College graduates earn?
About $57,089 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Hood College accredited?
Yes. Hood College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Hood College?
1,194 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Hood College?
64% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Hood College a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Hood College located?
Hood College is located in Frederick, Maryland.
What programs does Hood College offer?
50 different programs, most commonly Educational Administration, Business Administration, Mental Health Services. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Hood College?
11 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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.
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