Public Graduate Strong 76/100

St. Mary's College of Maryland

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

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St. Mary's City, Maryland

About St. Mary's College of Maryland

Thinking about St. Mary's College of Maryland, a college in Maryland where more students graduate in Social Sciences 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.

St. Mary's College of Maryland is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in St. Mary's City, Maryland. It enrolls 1,603 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
68.6%
Graduation
75.5%
Net Price
$18,441
Median Earnings (10yr)
$60,110
Enrollment
1,603
Student : Faculty
10:1

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.

Strong
76/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 74
Value 68
Affordability 40
Selectivity 71

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

St. Mary's College of Maryland admits 68.6% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
68.6%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1143 – 1340
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
26 – 31
Cumulative composite
Test Policy Not Considered Standardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether St. Mary's College of Maryland is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Getting more selective ↓ 8.9 pts since 2019
84.3%201979%202077.3%202177.3%202275.4%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 $18,441 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. 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
$18,441
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
21%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
43%
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)
$15,298
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$31,374
Room & Board (on-campus)
$16,079
Room & Board (off-campus)
$12,974
Books & Supplies
$1,000
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$1,795
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,335
Total Cost of Attendance
$31,865

Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)


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
    $2,889
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $12,053
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $15,033
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $19,796
  • Over $110,000
    $25,173

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.

$3,750
10% percentile
$8,250
25% percentile
$21,000
Median percentile
$25,624
75% percentile
$27,454
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 $17,000 ↓ $4,000
No Pell $16,817 ↓ $4,183
Dependent students $17,550 ↓ $3,450
Independent students $13,771 ↓ $7,229
Female students $18,250 ↓ $2,750
Male students $15,335 ↓ $5,665
Pell recipients: 17.2% (3,616 students)No Pell: 17.0% (3,577 students)Dependent students: 17.8% (3,733 students)Independent students: 13.9% (2,929 students)Female students: 18.5% (3,882 students)Male students: 15.5% (3,262 students)Overall Median$21,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,000, less than completers ($21,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

75% of students who start here finish within six years, and 84% come back after first year. Most people who start here leave with the degree they came for. 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
75%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
84%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Strong completion signals. Most students who start, finish.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $60,110 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$60,110
Earning > $25K
87%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

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

$51,000$54,000$56,000$59,000$61,0006 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
$52,200

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

Male graduates
$59,400

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

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $7,200, about 12% 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 ↑ 10.8 pts across 6 years
80.7%1yr83.7%3yr90.5%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: 1,603 students, a mid-sized community.

Total Enrolled
1,603
Part-Time
2%
First-Generation
23%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
White 68.8% 1,102
Black 11.4% 182
Hispanic 9.2% 148
Other 6.8% 109
Asian 2.7% 43
International 0.3% 5
White: 68.8% (1,102 students)Black: 11.4% (182 students)Hispanic: 9.2% (148 students)Other: 6.8% (109 students)Asian: 2.7% (43 students)International: 0.3% (5 students)Total1,603

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at St. Mary's College of Maryland. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Rural: Fringe St. Mary's City, Maryland
Housing
Strongly residential 1,499 beds for 1,603 students
Adult Learners
2% 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 Biology graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

St. Mary's College of Maryland offers a varied set of programs: 25 distinct programs across 16 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.

3 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
3 Programs
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 10 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
10:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$18,121
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$41M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$79,187
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

134 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 41 31% $101,226
Associate Professors 36 27% $79,591
Assistant Professors 47 35% $64,266
Instructors 5 4% $55,440
Lecturers 5 4% $59,547

Pros & Cons of St. Mary's College of Maryland

No college is right for everyone. Here is where St. Mary's College of Maryland 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
  • Below-average net price
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Strong six-year graduation rate
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families

Frequently Asked Questions about St. Mary's College of Maryland

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

Is St. Mary's College of Maryland hard to get into?
Admissions at St. Mary's College of Maryland are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 68.6%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at St. Mary's College of Maryland?
68.6% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for St. Mary's College of Maryland?
Aim for 1340 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1143 and 1340 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for St. Mary's College of Maryland?
Aim for 31 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 26 and 31 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does St. Mary's College of Maryland cost?
Budget around $18,441 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 St. Mary's College of Maryland worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $60,110 a year against a net price of $18,441, about 3.3 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 St. Mary's College of Maryland known for?
Mostly Psychology, Biology, Economics. 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 St. Mary's College of Maryland graduates earn?
About $60,110 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 St. Mary's College of Maryland accredited?
Yes. St. Mary's College of Maryland is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend St. Mary's College of Maryland?
1,603 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 St. Mary's College of Maryland?
75% finish within six years. Most people who start here graduate, which is the signal you want. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is St. Mary's College of Maryland a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is St. Mary's College of Maryland located?
St. Mary's College of Maryland is located in St. Mary's City, Maryland.
What programs does St. Mary's College of Maryland offer?
25 different programs, most commonly Psychology, Biology, Economics. 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 St. Mary's College of Maryland?
10 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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