What Kind of School It Is and Where It Stands
St. Mary's College of Maryland is a public four-year institution classified as a bachelor's college focused on arts and sciences. The federal system that categorizes colleges in the United States also places it in a specific group: a small, highly residential, selective four-year school. “Highly residential” is not a decorative phrase: it means that, at the time of that classification, at least half of degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in institution-owned or affiliated housing, and that at least 80 out of every 100 studied full-time.
That tells you something real about the pace of life there, but it does not tell you the price of room and board. That cost almost never appears alongside tuition in the brochure. Ask for it separately, including the meal plan, before comparing this school with any other.
The physical address is in St. Mary's City, Maryland, within St. Mary's County. The area around the campus is rural and near a town, not within a large urban area. If your family does not live nearby, this truly matters: calculate separately where your child would live and how your child would get to campus. This information only locates the school; it does not measure how long the trip from your home takes.
As an institution, it reports the master's degree as its highest level and is classified primarily as awarding bachelor's degrees or higher. That does not tell you whether the major that interests your child is available there or whether it connects to a graduate program—that must be asked program by program.
One more simple but useful point about its identity: St. Mary's College of Maryland is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this directory, 138 have at least one of those three designations; this one is not among them. That does not tell you which students it serves or how your child will feel there. You investigate that by speaking with the school and, if possible, with someone who already studies there.
A Small Campus, Mostly In-State
St. Mary's College of Maryland had total official fall enrollment of 1,587: 1,577 undergraduates and only 10 graduate students. It is primarily an undergraduate college, and it is among the smallest of its peers: compared with 519 selective public four-year schools, at least nine out of ten have more students.
Within that undergraduate population, 8 out of every 100 students are Hispanic or Latino—a small minority, below the midpoint of the comparison group. That neither removes the school from your list nor puts it on the list. If your child will be one of the few, ask during the visit which student group, cultural center, or person in the admissions office can provide support in Spanish.
There are more women than men—61 out of every 100—and there are almost no adult students: only 2 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old. And the great majority of incoming students, 86 out of every 100, already lived in Maryland when they applied. In that sense, it is a college that primarily attracts people from within the state.
None of these figures measures whether your child will be happy there. They measure who is enrolled today. Ask about the specific major that interests your child, not only about the school as a whole.
How the Academic Year Works and How Broad the Offerings Are
The year is organized into two semesters of about 15 weeks each—the standard calendar. The institution accepts credit for AP exams, did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience, and does report accepting credit for military training. Saying “we accept AP” does not tell you how many points are required or how many credits are awarded toward your child's particular major. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling—do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
In one year, the school awarded 291 bachelor's degrees across 16 program families. The largest, social sciences, accounted for 22 out of every 100 degrees—it does not dominate the picture, but it is not marginal either. Compared with 514 similar schools, St. Mary's falls in the quarter with the fewest program families represented in its bachelor's-degree detail. This counts degrees awarded, not people or the current catalog of majors. Before deciding, ask directly how many students graduated in the exact major that interests your child, how long it took them, and what the curriculum is like.
The official student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 10 to 1—low, and among the lowest of its 519 peers. It is an aggregate figure: it does not show the actual size of a first-year class or guarantee more attention for your child in particular.
Academic Opportunities the School Reports Offering
St. Mary's College of Maryland reports offering study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, and several pathways related to teacher certification: preparation for certification below the postsecondary level, preparation in certain teacher-specialization areas, and state approval of the program for initial teacher certification. If your child is interested in any of these pathways, this is a good starting point for asking admissions directly how it works today.
Getting In: What the School Requires and How Realistic It Is
This is not an open-admission school. St. Mary's reviews specific materials before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marks five as required: the high school record, high school GPA, personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency exam for applicants who must submit one. Put simply: assembling paperwork is not enough here. The essay is required, so your child has to write.
It also considers, without requiring, class rank, the academic program completed, work experience, and whether a family member studied there. This last point—legacy—is something your child cannot change. If it does not apply, do not spend energy on it. Spend it on what is within your child's control.
The application fee is $50.
How selective is it in practice? Of 3,109 first-year applicants in the 2023 cycle, 2,344 were offered a place. That is 75 out of every 100—among the common rates for its peers, slightly below the comparison group's midpoint. Seven or eight out of ten are admitted. That does not make admission automatic, but it does give your child a real reason to apply and not leave it until the last minute. That figure comes from a single cycle: when it is your child's turn, check the number again for the applicable year.
Here is a figure that often surprises people: out of every 100 admitted applicants, only 19 ultimately enrolled. The other 81 had a place and did not take it. Receiving the letter is not the same as deciding to attend, and this is not a mark against the school—the record does not say why each person made that choice. What does matter is that other people's decisions do not predict what your family will be offered. Wait for your own letter with the net price before deciding whether this school stays on the list.
The SAT and ACT are optional. Among enrolled students, only 33 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores, and the middle half of those students scored between 570 and 690 in reading and writing and between 540 and 640 in math. That 570 is not a minimum, nor is the 690 a guarantee—they are only the results of those who chose to submit scores.
About transferring: from a cohort that entered in 2017 seeking bachelor's degrees, 23 out of every 100 transferred to another school without finishing here. Transferring is not failing, but your child should know in advance how to request the documents if a move becomes necessary. Separately, in fall 2023, 72 transfer students arrived from other institutions—a modest flow in both directions. If your child arrives as a transfer student or transfers later, ask in writing which credits will be accepted before making the move: this figure does not tell you.
The Sticker Price and What Each Family Actually Pays
At St. Mary's College of Maryland, among 30 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $3,618. Among 27 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $14,955; among 97 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $25,256. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
Between the average for the lowest-income band (30 students) and the average for the highest-income band (97 students), there is a difference of $21,638. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any grant aid, the average was $20,679.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this measure with the same time coverage, this one falls in the lowest-cost quarter for the lowest-income families after grants are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a consideration that carries weight when you build the list of schools to apply to.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours comes first. 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 grant aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter you receive is what governs your decision.
How It Is Paid For: Grants, Loans, and How Common Each Path Is
Nine out of every 10 degree-seeking students receive some form of grant or aid that does not have to be repaid—it is the norm here, not the exception. Among recipients, the annual average was $10,542. Compared with its 519 peers, St. Mary's falls in the quarter where grants reach the most students.
The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—reached 20 out of every 100 students. That is fewer people than receive some form of grant aid overall; the difference may come from state, institutional, or other sources, and the report does not make it possible to know exactly which ones. A high aid figure is not a promise for your child: ask in writing which applications must be completed, the deadlines, and what happens to the grant if grades fall.
For loans, 42 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in 2022-23—more than two out of ten, but less than half. Those who borrowed took out an average of $6,272 that year. That average does not include parent PLUS loans, debt owed to banks, or credit cards, and it is not the accumulated debt at graduation—only one year of federal borrowing in the student's name. This percentage describes other families, not yours. The amount your child would need to borrow comes from your child's own financial-aid letter.
To manage payment, the institution reports offering a prepaid tuition plan and an installment payment plan.
Campus Life: Housing, Sports, and Support
St. Mary's has institution-controlled housing, with a reported capacity of 1,499 students. It does not require all first-time students to live there—but that does not tell you whether a particular program does, or whether a place is guaranteed. It also offers meal plans, with the number of meals varying by plan. Ask in writing for this year's rate, the housing application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or you will be put on a waiting list.
In its most recent report, the school did not mark any ROTC opportunity, either the general checkbox or any of the three branches—unlike 926 of the 1,786 four-year institutions in this guide that did. The fact that it is not marked does not prove there is no option nearby; if that scholarship matters to you, ask admissions directly before ruling it out.
It does compete in intercollegiate sports and is affiliated with the NCAA, as well as another association, with reported participation in basketball, baseball, and cross-country/track and field. If sports are part of the plan, write directly to the coach: ask whether there is a place available, which division they compete in, and whether that sport offers scholarships.
It offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the fall count no undergraduate student took an entire course load remotely, and the institution reported that it does not have a complete program that can be completed entirely that way. If that matters for your child, confirm it in writing, program by program.
The library operates with paid staff, reports spending above the federal threshold of $100,000, has physical and digital materials, and participates in interlibrary loan. The school also reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services upon program completion, participation in Yellow Ribbon, and a webpage for services for students with disabilities.
Do Students Stay? Do They Graduate?
Of the first-time, full-time cohort that entered in fall 2022, 81 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. That is a high proportion compared with its 519 peers—it ranks in the upper part of the group. The source does not separate how many are still studying from how many have already graduated, and it does not say what happened to the rest.
Regarding graduation, of 341 students who began bachelor's-degree study in 2017 on a full-time, first-time basis, 68 out of every 100 had graduated from that same institution within six years. At four years, the figure falls to 58 out of every 100—a ten-point difference between the two time frames. Compared with 518 similar schools, St. Mary's ranks in the top quarter: three out of four peers report an equal or lower proportion.
This count follows only students who entered for the first time and full-time. It does not include those who transferred in or those who began part-time, and the available data do not make it possible to reconstruct with certainty what happened to the rest—a missing row is not equivalent to failure.
Over a longer window of eight years, following a cohort of 527 students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016: 72 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this institution by the August 2023 reporting date. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was almost identical: 73 out of every 100. Compared with its peers, it also ranks in the top quarter.
A high figure does not predict the outcome of any particular student. It describes what happened to an earlier cohort. It is worth asking about the program's current support services and the outcomes of more recent cohorts.
What You Already Know and What Remains to Be Built
You now know something real about St. Mary's College of Maryland: a small, highly residential public college, with an admissions process that requires an essay and letters, a relatively accessible acceptance rate but low enrollment yield, a high sticker price compared with its peers and, at the same time, a notably low net price for lower-income families. It has solid retention and a graduation rate above most of its peers.
None of these figures tells you whether your child will be happy there, whether the desired major exists with the quality your child is seeking, or whether your family can or wants to pay its share. That depends on what your child wants and has built, and on what you, as a family, can and are willing to pay. This piece could only show you one part of the map precisely: the institution itself.
Combine it with the other two, and that is where a real plan begins.
Source: official IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) data from the United States Department of Education, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, depending on the indicator. Best College Aid does not represent St. Mary's College of Maryland or any government agency; this piece organizes public information to help you understand it.