2023 best colleges in Maryland

Featuring a wide range of high ranking public institutions and liberal arts colleges, Maryland is home to top schools like Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. Although the state is relatively small, it also hosts a number of special-interest colleges, such as the United States Naval Academy and the Maryland Institute College of Art, one of the oldest art schools nationwide. Additionally, the Maryland University of Integrative Health offers the only regionally accredited Master of Science in Clinical Herbal Medicine program.

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Net cost: The median annual cost of all students that receive any aid. This does not refer to the “sticker price”, the price listed by the college.

Earnings: The median earnings of all bachelor-level students 10 years after enrollment. This includes both students that do and do not graduate, across all majors.

Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.

EarningsPlus compares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.

Rankings: The ranking order is based on the economic score.The economic score is the combination of payback and earningsplus, and is how we determine a school’s rank. The lower the economic score the better.

Net cost
Payback
Earnings
EarningsPlus
Rankings
Ranking methodology
#1 in Maryland | #43 in Liberal Arts

Washington College

Chestertown, Maryland

Economic score: 2.79

The Economic Score is the combination of payback and earningsplus, and is how we determine a school’s rank. The lower the economic score the better. For an analysis of how we arrive at the economic score, and a description of our data sources, please visit our methodology page.

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Net cost: $27,088

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Payback: 2.9 years

Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.

Earnings: $64,846

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

EarningsPlus: + $2,112

EarningsPlus compares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.

Admission rate: 70%
Graduation rate: 66%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not ranked and are displayed at the end of the ranking list.

#2 in Maryland | #44 in Liberal Arts

St. Mary's College of Maryland

St. Mary's City, Maryland

Economic score: 2.80

The Economic Score is the combination of payback and earningsplus, and is how we determine a school’s rank. The lower the economic score the better. For an analysis of how we arrive at the economic score, and a description of our data sources, please visit our methodology page.

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Net cost: $19,448

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Payback: 2.8 years

Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.

Earnings: $55,342

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

EarningsPlus: - $659

EarningsPlus compares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.

Admission rate: 77%
Graduation rate: 75%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not ranked and are displayed at the end of the ranking list.

#3 in Maryland | #139 in Liberal Arts

Goucher College

Baltimore, Maryland

Economic score: 5.44

The Economic Score is the combination of payback and earningsplus, and is how we determine a school’s rank. The lower the economic score the better. For an analysis of how we arrive at the economic score, and a description of our data sources, please visit our methodology page.

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Net cost: $25,366

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Payback: 4.8 years

Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.

Earnings: $48,027

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

EarningsPlus: - $5,852

EarningsPlus compares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.

Admission rate: 82%
Graduation rate: 64%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not ranked and are displayed at the end of the ranking list.

#4 in Maryland | #148 in Liberal Arts

St. John's College

Annapolis, Maryland

Economic score: 6.13

The Economic Score is the combination of payback and earningsplus, and is how we determine a school’s rank. The lower the economic score the better. For an analysis of how we arrive at the economic score, and a description of our data sources, please visit our methodology page.

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Net cost: $27,993

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Payback: 4.9 years

Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.

Earnings: $48,751

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

EarningsPlus: - $7,241

EarningsPlus compares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.

Admission rate: 53%
Graduation rate: 67%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not ranked and are displayed at the end of the ranking list.

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