A public R1 flagship in College Park, MD, admitting 44.79% of applicants with a $2,962 average net price for the lowest-income families and $82,860 median ten-year earnings.
College Park, Maryland
Thinking about University of Maryland-College Park, a college in Maryland where more students graduate in Business 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.
The University of Maryland is a public R1 research university in College Park, Maryland, founded in 1856 as the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland. It enrolls 30,760 undergraduates and 10,592 graduate students across thirteen schools and colleges, including the A. James Clark School of Engineering, the Robert H. Smith School of Business, the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, and the School of Public Policy.
Computer science, engineering, business, biological sciences, and social sciences account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees. The University of Maryland is accredited through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). The University of Maryland is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. The University of Maryland's College Park location, immediately adjacent to the Washington DC metro area, provides direct access to federal government agencies, federal contractors, research institutions, and national media organizations.
Official website: umd.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), the University of Maryland scores 88.31 overall, rated Strong, one of the highest scores among public flagships in this peer group. Outcomes (95.33) reflects an 88.59% six-year graduation rate and an exceptional 95.94% first-year retention. Value scores 92.35, reflecting outstanding ten-year earnings of $82,860 relative to an average net price of only $15,678. Selectivity scores 89.76, reflecting a 44.79% admit rate. All scores use verified federal data only.
The University of Maryland admits 44.79% of applicants, and the university has become substantially more selective over the past decade as its national profile has grown. The University of Maryland is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. The University of Maryland uses the Common App. The early action deadline is November 1 (non-binding); the regular decision deadline is January 20.
Applicants apply to specific colleges or to the Letters and Sciences program; the Clark School of Engineering and the Robert H. Smith School of Business are the most competitive programs. Maryland residents make up the largest share of undergraduates, but UMD attracts strong applicants from across the mid-Atlantic and nationally.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether University of Maryland-College Park is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
The University of Maryland charges $11,809 in in-state tuition and $41,186 in out-of-state tuition, plus room and board, bringing the estimated in-state total cost of attendance to approximately $27,000 before aid. The average net price after all grants and scholarships is $15,678, among the lowest of any selective public flagship. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $2,962, making UMD essentially free for the lowest-income Maryland families.
For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the net price averages $6,051. For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $18,250. The federal loan rate of 21.52% and median debt of $19,000 are among the lowest in this peer group for a university with this level of selectivity, reflecting UMD's strong state and institutional financial aid. The endowment stands at approximately $1.17 billion.
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.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $75 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
The University of Maryland graduates a very high share of students. The six-year graduation rate is 88.59% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students. First-year retention stands at 95.94%, one of the highest of any public university in the country. The federal loan rate of 21.52% and median debt of $19,000 are low, reflecting strong financial aid support and the overall financial health of the student population.
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.
University of Maryland graduates earn strongly above the national median, particularly from engineering and computer science programs. Median earnings are $67,785 six years after first enrolling and $82,860 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 89.91% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate. The strong ten-year earnings reflect the Maryland location's proximity to the Washington DC economy: federal government agencies (NSA, NIH, FDA, NIST), federal contractors (Leidos, SAIC, Northrop Grumman), and the growing technology sector in the DC metro area.
The Clark School of Engineering is consistently ranked among the top 20 public engineering schools nationally; the CS program is top five nationally among public universities. The Robert H. Smith School of Business places graduates in consulting, finance, and technology firms in DC, New York, and nationally.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
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.
The University of Maryland enrolls 30,760 undergraduates in College Park, Maryland, approximately 10 miles northeast of Washington DC. White students account for 38.76% of undergraduates; Asian 23.88%, Hispanic 11.17%, and Black 13.01%. The 23.88% Asian student share is unusually high for a public flagship, reflecting the university's engineering and CS strength and the demographics of the DC-Maryland-Virginia corridor.
Approximately 19.39% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 22.43% are first-generation college students. College Park is accessible via the Washington Metro (Green Line); downtown DC is approximately 30 minutes by subway. The proximity to DC provides access to internships at federal agencies, think tanks, lobbying organizations, news bureaus, and technology companies throughout the semester.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at University of Maryland-College Park. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
After that comes the national picture for Computer Science graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.
University of Maryland-College Park offers an extensive catalog of programs: 239 distinct programs across 26 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 University of Maryland operates at a student-to-faculty ratio of approximately 17:1. 82.58% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $20,217 per year. The endowment stands at approximately $1.17 billion. The university has strong research connections to the NSA (the NSA is located in adjacent Fort Meade), NIH, FDA, and NIST, all within 20 miles of campus. The Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2) and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) are nationally recognized research institutions.
1,967 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 | 705 | 36% | $201,508 |
| Associate Professors | 409 | 21% | $143,963 |
| Assistant Professors | 278 | 14% | $124,060 |
| Instructors | 4 | 0% | $88,365 |
| Lecturers | 571 | 29% | $90,898 |
The University of Maryland's defining strengths are its UCD 88.31 Strong score, outstanding value (net price $2,962 for families earning under $30,000; $15,678 average), exceptional first-year retention of 95.94%, ten-year earnings of $82,860 among the strongest of any public flagship, and a DC location providing access to unmatched internship and employment opportunities in government, policy, technology, and defense. UCD 88.31 Strong.
The considerations: College Park's neighborhood is not the most vibrant college town environment; the campus can feel transient given proximity to DC; out-of-state tuition at $41,186 significantly changes the value calculation; and engineering and CS programs are competitive enough that not all students who intend to major in those fields gain direct admission. Best fit for Maryland residents who want a flagship research university with outstanding value, strong engineering and CS programs, and the career access that the DC location provides.
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.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about University of Maryland: how the CS program compares nationally, what the DC location provides, how the admissions process works, and how net price compares to comparable universities.
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