Private Nonprofit Graduate Good 64/100

Hood College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Frederick, Maryland

About Hood College

Thinking about Hood College, a college in Maryland where more students graduate in Education than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

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.

Acceptance
77.8%
Graduation
63.7%
Net Price
$20,873
Median Earnings (10yr)
$57,089
Enrollment
1,194
Student : Faculty
11:1

Accreditor Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic Calendar Semester

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
Outcomes 45
Value 52
Affordability 54
Selectivity 47

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 Policy Test Optional Applicants 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
65.3%201971.3%202076.8%202177.9%202278.1%2023

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.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$20,873
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
37%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
68%
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
$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.

$5,500
10% percentile
$10,250
25% percentile
$25,000
Median percentile
$27,500
75% percentile
$36,112
90% 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
Pell recipients: 18.5% (4,625 students)No Pell: 13.9% (3,468 students)Dependent students: 16.8% (4,190 students)Independent students: 17.3% (4,336 students)Female students: 17.1% (4,278 students)Male students: 16.4% (4,104 students)Overall Median$25,000
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.

$47,000$50,000$53,000$56,000$58,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

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
68.1%1yr77.2%3yr83%5yr88.5%7yr
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
White: 49.6% (592 students)Black: 17.6% (210 students)Hispanic: 16.7% (199 students)Other: 5.8% (69 students)Asian: 3.2% (38 students)International: 1.5% (18 students)Total1,194

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.

Setting
Small City Frederick, Maryland
Housing
Mostly residential 768 beds on campus
Adult Learners
6% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Computer Science graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

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.

6 Programs
5 Programs
6 Programs
2 Programs
4 Programs

Faculty & Resources

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.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Modest first-year retention
  • High published cost of attendance before aid
  • Most students take on federal loans
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.

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