Private Nonprofit Graduate Good 67/100

McDaniel College

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

Compare This College

Westminster, Maryland

About McDaniel College

Thinking about McDaniel 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.

McDaniel College is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Westminster, Maryland. It enrolls 1,617 students (a mid-sized 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
77.9%
Graduation
66.2%
Net Price
$21,916
Median Earnings (10yr)
$60,663
Enrollment
1,617
Student : Faculty
13:1

Accreditor Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic Calendar 4-1-4 Plan

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
67/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 58
Value 53
Affordability 50
Selectivity 47

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

McDaniel College admits 77.9% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
77.9%
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 McDaniel College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Getting more selective ↓ 8.3 pts since 2019
91.8%201981.1%202086.7%202182%202283.6%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 $21,916 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
$21,916
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
36%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
58%
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
$52,081
Room & Board (on-campus)
$12,974
Room & Board (off-campus)
$14,250
Books & Supplies
$1,522
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,643
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,872
Total Cost of Attendance
$65,294

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
    $12,210
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $17,261
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $19,796
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $21,408
  • Over $110,000
    $30,694

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.

$5,347
10% percentile
$9,500
25% percentile
$25,000
Median percentile
$28,500
75% percentile
$35,485
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 $15,000 ↓ $10,000
No Pell $15,125 ↓ $9,875
Dependent students $15,000 ↓ $10,000
Independent students $16,683 ↓ $8,317
Female students $16,250 ↓ $8,750
Male students $13,500 ↓ $11,500
Pell recipients: 16.4% (4,096 students)No Pell: 16.5% (4,130 students)Dependent students: 16.4% (4,096 students)Independent students: 18.2% (4,555 students)Female students: 17.7% (4,437 students)Male students: 14.7% (3,686 students)Overall Median$25,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($25,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

66% of students who start here finish within six years, and 78% 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
66%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
78%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $60,663 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$60,663
Earning > $25K
83%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$46,000$50,000$54,000$58,000$63,0006 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
$47,900

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$61,500

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$62,200

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$52,400

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$52,700

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $13,600, about 22% 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 ↑ 12.3 pts across 6 years
79.3%1yr83.5%3yr86%5yr91.5%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 92% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,617 students, a mid-sized community.

Total Enrolled
1,617
Part-Time
1%
First-Generation
26%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 53.5% 865
Black 23.7% 383
Hispanic 10.5% 170
Other 7.7% 124
Asian 2.1% 34
International 0.6% 9
White: 53.5% (865 students)Black: 23.7% (383 students)Hispanic: 10.5% (170 students)Other: 7.7% (124 students)Asian: 2.1% (34 students)International: 0.6% (9 students)Total1,617

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at McDaniel College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Fringe Westminster, Maryland
Housing
Strongly residential 1,446 beds for 1,617 students
Adult Learners
2% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
4-1-4 Plan scheduling structure

What You Can Study

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

McDaniel College offers an extensive catalog of programs: 50 distinct programs across 22 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.

5 Programs
1 Program
3 Programs
4 Programs
2 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 13 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
13:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$177M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$73,011
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

124 instructional faculty across 5 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 34 27% $89,296
Associate Professors 33 27% $78,612
Assistant Professors 23 19% $70,317
Instructors 1 1% $45,660
Lecturers 33 27% $53,336

Pros & Cons of McDaniel College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where McDaniel 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
  • Reasonable class sizes
  • Above-average graduation rate
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Modest first-year retention
  • High published cost of attendance before aid
Best for: Based on the data, McDaniel College is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about McDaniel College

The questions families ask most about McDaniel College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is McDaniel College hard to get into?
Not especially. McDaniel College admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 77.9%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at McDaniel College?
77.9% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does McDaniel College cost?
Budget around $21,916 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 McDaniel College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $60,663 a year against a net price of $21,916, about 2.8 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 McDaniel College known for?
Mostly Educational Administration, Curriculum & Instruction, Psychology. 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 McDaniel College graduates earn?
About $60,663 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 McDaniel College accredited?
Yes. McDaniel College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend McDaniel College?
1,617 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 McDaniel College?
66% 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 McDaniel 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 McDaniel College located?
McDaniel College is located in Westminster, Maryland.
What programs does McDaniel College offer?
50 different programs, most commonly Educational Administration, Curriculum & Instruction, Psychology. 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 McDaniel College?
13 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Continue Exploring

Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.