I am not going to answer that for you. I cannot. But I can help you read what Marymount University, in Arlington, Virginia, has already reported about itself to the United States government. The data is the foundation. What you do with it, together with what your child wants and what your family can afford, is what builds the plan.
What kind of school it is, in its own words
Marymount is a private, nonprofit, four-year university, and the highest level it reports offering is the doctoral degree. That does not mean every major reaches that level; it means the institution as a whole does. The Carnegie Classification—the system that organizes the country’s universities by what they do—places it among schools with a doctoral and professional profile and, separately, using graduate-degree data, classifies it in the master’s category, not the research-doctoral category. That history does not tell you which programs exist today; confirm that with the school.
One fact worth keeping in mind if your child is coming from another university: Carnegie places Marymount among institutions that enroll a substantial number of transfer students. That does not say how many credits they bring with them or how many are lost in the transition. If that is your child’s path, ask in writing which courses will count before enrolling.
It is in the city of Arlington, Arlington County, within the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metropolitan area. That tells you where it is, not how to get there. If your child planned to live at home, drive the route yourself on a weekday at the exact time of your child’s classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map says.
And one clarification that can prevent confusion: Marymount is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. That is neither a flaw nor a virtue; they are three different designations, and it simply does not fall under any of them. That does not say which communities it serves today or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist, which student organizations are active, and, better yet, speak with someone who already studies there.
A community where being Latino is not the exception
Here is a number I want you to look at closely. Of every 100 Marymount undergraduate students, 35 identified as Hispanic or Latino. That is more than one in three. And compared with 941 selective private four-year universities that report this same data, Marymount is among those reporting the highest shares: nine out of ten schools in that group reported an equal or lower proportion.
Put simply: on this campus, being Latino would not be the exception.
But I want to be honest with you about what this figure does not say. A high percentage of Latino students is not the same thing as support for Latino students. The data counts how many there are, not whether there is a Spanish-speaking counselor, targeted tutoring, or whether those students complete their degrees. And it is the percentage for the entire school, not for the specific major that interests your child.
Other features of this community: looking at men and women, the undergraduate population is almost evenly split, with women accounting for 55 out of every 100 students. Adults from ages 25 through 64 are a minority, accounting for just 12 out of every 100 students. And among entering students, 59 out of every 100 reported a Virginia address when they applied. A little more than half come from the same state; the rest come from elsewhere.
As for size: Marymount had 3,667 students enrolled in the official count, placing it in the middle range among its peers. But that number hides something important: it is divided between 2,216 undergraduate students and 1,451 graduate students. Nearly 40% of the school’s students are people who have already completed one degree and returned for another. If your child is entering a bachelor’s degree program, the number that really matters is not the total. It is 2,216.
How the academic year works and what they do with what your child already knows
The calendar is semester-based: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. Nothing unusual there.
What is worth noting is that Marymount reported accepting credit in two distinct ways: through AP exams and through what the government calls “credit for life experience”—independent study, work experience, licenses, previous certifications, and even military training. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal program.
Now for the hard truth: reporting that it accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam. It does not say what score is required or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific major. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for what students study there: in the latest year reported, Marymount awarded 468 bachelor’s degrees across 18 fields of study. But the distribution is uneven: health professions accounted for 144 of those 468 degrees, or 31 out of every 100. It is a school with a strong identity in health, although it has a broad range of offerings around that area. Eighteen fields in the report do not mean eighteen complete, active degree programs; verify the exact program that interests your child.
Regarding the relationship between students and faculty: the official ratio is 13 students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member. That is generally a low figure, but compared with similar schools, it is above the median—meaning other similar universities have even lower ratios. Keep in mind: this number does not tell you the size of a first-year class. It is an institution-wide average, not a promise of a small classroom.
Marymount also reports structured opportunities worth exploring with your child: study abroad, undergraduate research, a complete program that can be taken during evenings or weekends, and pathways to teacher certification, including state approval for initial certification.
The way in: what it requires, what it considers, and what you cannot change
Marymount does not have open admission. It reviews several components before saying yes, and three of them are required: the high school transcript, the high school GPA, and an English proficiency exam when applicable.
Other components are not required but are considered if you submit them: your child’s class rank, whether your child completed the college-preparatory program recommended by the university, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, work experience, and whether a relative studied there. On that last point: if it does not apply to you, do not waste energy worrying about it. Spend that energy on what your child can control.
One figure that may ease the financial burden from the very first step: the published undergraduate application fee is $0.
And regarding standardized tests: Marymount reported that it does not consider SAT or ACT scores in the admission decision, even if they are submitted. That does not say whether it uses them for scholarships or placement; ask about that separately.
Now, the numbers that truly show how accessible admission is
| Measure | Figure | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Applicants admitted | 81 out of every 100 | Of 3,598 applicants in 2023, 2,897 received an offer |
| Compared with similar schools | Near the middle, slightly above | It is neither among the most selective nor among the most open |
| Admitted students who enrolled | 14 out of every 100 | Most admitted students chose another school |
Two truths coexist here without contradicting each other. In terms of acceptance, admission to Marymount is relatively accessible: seven or eight out of every ten applicants receive a yes. But of every seven who receive that letter, only one decides to enroll there. The others had a place available and did not take it.
Do not read that as a mark against the school. The federal record does not say why each person made that choice. What I can tell you is this: what others decided does not predict what you will be offered. Wait for your letter with the net price—what it will actually cost you—before drawing any conclusions.
And remember that the acceptance rate reflects a single cycle, not a permanent rule of the institution. When it is your child’s turn, check the figure again for the applicable year.
About transfers: what you need to know before comparing
Of the cohort that entered in 2017 seeking a bachelor’s degree, 30 out of every 100 transferred to another school without completing here. That is a high proportion compared with similar schools. And there is something almost no one knows that matters greatly here: a student who transfers does not count as a Marymount graduate, even if that student completes a degree elsewhere. Keep this fact in mind when comparing graduation rates among universities; it will help you interpret them correctly.
The price: the big number and the one that really matters
At Marymount University, among 59 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $21,888. Among 40 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 through $75,000, it was $24,661; among 51 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $28,619. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, which included 59 students, and the average for the highest-income band, which included 51 students, is $6,731. Among first-year students who received any scholarship or grant aid, the average was $28,147.
Even after scholarships and grants were subtracted, the average net price for families in the lowest-income band was $21,888 in academic year 2022-23. If that number does not fit your budget, it is better to see it today than in August.
An average does not show how different the cases were within that band; this data cannot establish that some families were far below or above the published figure. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with scholarship or grant aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants.
The aid students actually receive and what that money really buys
Of every 100 degree-seeking students at Marymount, 86 received some scholarship or grant aid that does not have to be repaid. Among those who received it, the average was $23,865 per year. It is real money, but it is not a price: that average includes scholarships and grants that are much larger and much smaller. What determines the outcome is not the size of the discount they advertise, but the amount your family is left to pay out of pocket.
The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—reached 29 out of every 100 students.
Regarding loans: 35 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan during the year, with an average of $6,967 among those who borrowed. Compared with similar schools, Marymount is on the low side in the proportion of students with debt. But that percentage describes other families, not yours. And this average covers only one year and only federal loans in the student’s name: it does not include what parents may borrow separately or add up the four years of the degree.
Marymount also offers an installment tuition payment plan, if that helps manage your family’s cash flow.
Campus life: housing, ROTC, sports, and the library
Marymount does have its own housing, although it is not required for all first-time students. It also offers meal plans, but the number of meals per week varies by the plan you choose. The reported maximum capacity of institutional housing is 1,022 students. The existence of housing does not guarantee an available bed: ask for this year’s exact rate and the application deadline.
For students interested in ROTC, Marymount reported two branches as available in writing: Army and Air Force. Navy is not marked as available. Its inclusion in the report does not necessarily mean it is offered on this campus; confirm exactly who provides it and where before building a plan around it.
In sports, Marymount competes and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. If your child plays, the next step is to write directly to the coach for that sport and ask about roster availability, division, and scholarship possibilities.
It offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although only 5 out of every 100 undergraduate students take all their classes that way; the other 95 combine them with in-person classes.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual expenditure exceeds the $100,000 threshold tracked by the government. It has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. Among the forms of support the institution reports are combined academic and career counseling, employment services, job placement for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for military families, and a services page for people with disabilities.
They stay, they leave, and they graduate: the complete picture
Of the cohort that entered in 2022 seeking a bachelor’s degree full time, 76 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion: one year later, they were still enrolled there or had already graduated. That is a clear majority, although it is slightly below the median compared with similar schools.
As for graduation, the six-year figure Marymount reports is 58 out of every 100. At four years, it falls to 48 out of every 100. Compared with similar schools, it ranks below the midpoint of the group.
It is worth looking at the full breakdown of that cohort of 399 students who entered in 2017: 231 graduated here within the measured period; 119 transferred to another institution without completing at Marymount; 2 were still enrolled without having completed; and 47 fell into the “no longer enrolled” category, which does not explain the reason and may include students who graduated after the measured time limit.
There is also a longer-term, eight-year view of a different cohort—the one that entered between 2015 and 2016: 70 out of every 100 had earned a Marymount degree or certificate by August 2023. Among those who received a Pell Grant, the figure was 61 out of every 100, twelve points below the figure for those who did not receive one. If your family would qualify for Pell today, it is worth asking the school directly what counseling and emergency aid are available for that specific group and requesting the answer in writing.
What this piece gives you and what is up to you
You now know, as deeply as the official data allows, what kind of university Marymount is: a midsize school with a strong Latino presence, expensive at its listed price but with real aid behind it, moderately selective in acceptance but with low enrollment among those admitted, with graduation outcomes that rank below the median among its peers, and with specific support services and programs that need to be verified one by one with the school.
None of this tells you whether your child will be okay there. That depends on three things only you know: what your child wants to study and has built so far, what your family can and is willing to pay, and what both of you decide to do with this information. The university does its part by admitting, denying, and offering aid. Your child is responsible for the effort and the decision. You are responsible for the money, the documents, the deadlines, and providing support without carrying alone a system you are only beginning to learn how to read.
Put this piece together with the other two. A plan emerges from that combination.
Note on sources: The information in this article comes from data reported by Marymount University to the United States Department of Education’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), primarily for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Marymount University or any government agency; this piece organizes and explains public information that has already been reported.