I am going to walk you through what the United States government reports about this school in Chestertown, Maryland: who studies there, how much it costs, who gets in, who stays, and who finishes. I am not going to tell you whether it is the right college for your son. No one knows that yet, not even me. But if, at the end of the process, you decide that it is or is not, I want that decision to come from understanding this piece of the map, not from whether the name sounded good or bad to you.
A Small School in a Small Town, Where Students Live on Campus
Washington College is a private, nonprofit college of arts and sciences, and the highest degree it reports offering is a bachelor's degree. It is not a university with graduate programs everywhere, nor is it a technical school. It is one of the institutions Carnegie classifies as “highly residential”: at least half of its undergraduate students live in institution-provided housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attend full time. That tells you something real: the expected experience here is not driving in during the morning and going back home in the afternoon. It is moving there.
And moving there has a cost separate from what you will see in the tuition notice. Keep that in mind until we get to the money, because it will matter.
The school is in Chestertown, in Kent County, Maryland. The area surrounding the campus is a small town, far from any large urban area. If your family lives nearby, this makes almost no difference to you. If you live far away, it means your son will not have the city just around the corner, and coming and going over a long weekend will not be as simple as getting on a bus. Calculate separately how he would get there and where he would live, because the code that classifies the town as a town does not solve that logistical question for you.
One more thing before moving on: Washington College has none of the three federal designations that families sometimes look for—it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this national directory, 138 do carry at least one of those three labels. Washington College's lack of those designations does not tell you which students it serves or how your son will feel there. Ask about that directly by talking with someone who already studies on campus.
A Small Community, with Few Latino Students Within It
This is where size really starts to matter. In fall 2023, Washington College had 916 enrolled students, all of them undergraduates. It is a small school: compared with the 941 selective private four-year colleges and universities in this census that report the data, seven out of ten have more students.
Of those 916 students, 9 out of every 100 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and the school ranks below the midpoint of its comparison schools on that same measure. There are more women than men—56 out of every 100 are women—there are almost no students older than age 25, and fewer than half of first-time students had their permanent residence in Maryland: 42 out of every 100. The rest come from out of state or from another country, although the data does not separate those two categories.
Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, nor would having many make it good on its own. It is simply a fact about who is enrolled today. If your son would be part of that small group, the question worth asking during a visit is specific: what student organization exists, what cultural center is available, and is there someone in the office who speaks Spanish? And talk with a Latino student who is already there before deciding. The number describes the entire school; your son's specific major may look different.
Being small is not automatically good or bad either. It is more useful to ask something very specific: whether the courses in the major he is interested in are offered every semester or only once a year, because that affects how long it takes him to finish.
Academics: Semesters, Few Degrees in Each Field, and a Ratio That Does Not Explain Everything
The academic year at Washington College is organized into semesters, two periods of about 15 weeks. It accepts credit for AP exams—it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience—and enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program. Saying that it accepts AP credit does not mean that every exam automatically qualifies: request a written equivalency evaluation before enrolling, and do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
In the most recently reported year, the school awarded 217 bachelor's degrees across 17 families of majors. No field accounts for a large share: the most popular, social sciences, represented only 18 out of every 100 degrees. The offerings are broad and distributed, rather than being built around two or three flagship majors. But with numbers this small, the count can change considerably from one year to the next. If your son's program matters to you, ask for the last three years of data for that specific major, not a snapshot of a single year.
The student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 9 to 1, one of the lowest among its comparison schools: it falls in the lowest quarter of the 941 selective private schools in this census. It is a number that sounds good, and there is nothing wrong with that, but on its own it does not measure class size or actual individual attention. Ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.
Washington College also reports structured academic pathways: study abroad, undergraduate research alongside a faculty member, preparation for teacher certification below the postsecondary level, and state approval for initial teacher certification. These are opportunities the institution says are available; the data does not say how many students use them or how they gain access. Ask admissions about that.
Getting In: Selective, with Requirements and a Time-Consuming Application
There is a truth worth stating plainly: Washington College does not have open admissions. It reviews application materials before saying yes.
Of nine possible considerations, it marks six as required: the high school record, GPA, completion of the required college-preparatory curriculum, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and—for applicants to whom it applies—an English-proficiency exam. It also considers, if you submit them, your son's class rank and work experience. It is a lengthy application, the kind that takes time to assemble, not something done in one night. The published application fee is $0.
In the 2023 cycle, 2,539 students applied for first-time admission. Of those, 1,664 were offered a place: 66 out of every 100. That is a common percentage among its selective comparison schools, slightly below the group average. Admission is not a sure thing, but neither is it a lottery. The application is reviewed.
And here is the number that surprises families most: out of every 100 students admitted, only 14 ultimately enrolled. Put another way, for every 7 young people who received a yes, approximately one ended up attending. The others had a place there and did not take it. That is a low rate compared with similar schools, and it does not mean the school is bad. The federal record does not say why each person made that choice. What other people decided does not tell you what the school will offer your son. What matters is waiting for his own letter with the net price—what it will actually cost your family—before removing this school from the list or putting it at the top.
The SAT and ACT are not required. Among the students who enrolled and submitted SAT scores—17 out of every 100—the middle half scored between 605 and 690 in reading and writing, and between 580 and 655 in math. Those numbers describe students who were already admitted and chose to submit scores; they are neither a minimum for admission nor a guarantee of anything.
Regarding transfers: among the bachelor's-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, 22 out of every 100 left to study at another institution without finishing here. That is a common percentage among its peers. Transferring is not failing. It is still wise for your son to know in advance how to request the paperwork needed to transfer, in case it becomes necessary.
The List Price: One of the Highest Among Its Comparison Schools
Here is the figure that probably matters most to you. For the 2023–24 year, Washington College reported a total cost of attendance of $73,896 for a first-time, full-time student living on campus. This figure is the same for Maryland residents and for students from out of state.
It breaks down as follows: $54,356 for tuition and fees, $15,814 for on-campus housing and food, and $900 for books and supplies. The remainder is an estimate by the financial aid office of other expenses—transportation, laundry, and everyday necessities.
Compared with 888 similar schools in this census, this cost of attendance ranks among the highest in the group. That is not a minor detail: when I say that “living on campus is almost never included in the tuition figure shown in the brochure,” this is exactly what I mean. Ask for a separate breakdown of room and board before comparing this school with any other.
But—and this is important—this figure is the list price, not your family's bill. It is the amount before any scholarship or aid. What you will actually pay depends on the next piece of data.
The Net Price: This Is Where the Story Changes
At Washington College, among 21 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 $13,498. Among 15 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $25,670; among 74 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $35,886. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
There is a difference of $22,388 between the average for the lowest-income band (21 students) and the average for the highest-income band (74 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any scholarship or grant, the average was $33,553.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same period coverage, Washington College falls within the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after scholarships and grants are subtracted. That does not mean it will be affordable for your family. It is a factor that carries weight when you decide where to apply.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, identifying yours correctly is the first step. 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 scholarships and grants, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants. The financial aid letter you receive is what matters.
Financial Aid: Almost Everyone Receives Something, and Half Borrow
At Washington College, 96 out of every 100 degree-seeking students receive some scholarship or grant aid that does not have to be repaid. Among those who receive it, the annual average was $34,373. That is real money, but it is not a price: what determines how much you will pay is the amount left after that aid, and you must request that figure from each school.
Pell—the federal grant for low-income families—was received by 21 out of every 100 students.
Now, here is the figure I want you to consider carefully: in the 2022-23 school year, 50 out of every 100 undergraduate students at Washington College received a federal student loan. Half. Among those who borrowed, each received an average of $6,285 that year. If your son borrowed a similar amount in each of the program's four years, the total would be close to $25,140, not including interest.
That percentage describes other families, not yours. How much your son would need to borrow depends on his own financial aid letter. But I want to say this plainly: financing an education here with debt is common, not the exception. Calculate the full amount before signing anything, and do it before the first signature, not at the end. In addition, this average covers only federal loans in the student's name. It does not include PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, debt from banks, or credit-card debt. And it is not the total debt someone has upon graduation; determining that would require adding all four years, and that figure is not in this report.
The institution also offers an installment tuition-payment plan if that helps your family manage cash flow during the year.
Living There: Campus, Athletics, and What the Reports Do and Do Not Say
Washington College has its own housing and offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by plan. According to the institution's report, not all first-time students are required to live on campus. The reported maximum housing capacity is 1,168 students. The existence of housing does not guarantee that a bed will be available: request the year's rate, the housing application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or you will be put on a waiting list, all in writing.
Regarding ROTC, the school did not mark any opportunity in its most recent report. Among the four-year institutions in this guide, 926 out of 1,786 did mark one; Washington College was not among them. That does not prove that there is no nearby option—it only means none was reported in that field. If this matters to your family, ask admissions directly before ruling it out.
It does compete in intercollegiate athletics as an NCAA member, with reported teams in basketball and baseball. The membership belongs to the school, not to your son: if he is interested, write directly to the coach and ask whether there is a place for him, which division that sport competes in, and whether it offers athletic scholarships.
It offers undergraduate distance education, but in the most recent count, no students took their entire course load that way—all took at least one in-person class. The school also reported that it has no complete program in which every required course can be taken remotely. If this interests your family for a particular reason, confirm it in writing for your son's exact major.
The library has paid staff, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary lending. The services reported by the institution also include combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students and alumni, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a designated point of contact for veterans and military service members, and a published webpage about services for students with disabilities.
Who Stays and Who Finishes
We have now reached the part that almost always matters most to a family: if a student enrolls, will that student stay? Will that student finish?
Of the cohort that entered in fall 2022, 87 out of every 100 were still enrolled at Washington College one year later or had already completed a bachelor's degree. That is a high proportion compared with similar schools: it falls in the upper portion of its 930 comparison schools. But that figure combines two different groups—those still studying and those who had already graduated—and does not say what happened to the rest.
Of the cohort that started in 2017, six years later, 74 out of every 100 had earned a degree. At the four-year point, the figure falls to 66 out of every 100. Compared with its peers, this six-year rate falls in the top quarter: three out of four similar schools report an equal or lower proportion of graduates.
Of the remainder of that same cohort of 367 students, 82 transferred to another institution without finishing at Washington College, 1 student remained enrolled without having finished, and 12 were in the “no longer enrolled” category, which does not explain the reason.
There is also a longer cohort tracked over eight years: of the 451 students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, 73 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school by August 2023. Among those who received a Pell Grant, the figure was nearly identical: 72 out of every 100.
Here I want to be honest with you, without diminishing or exaggerating the number: a high graduation rate is not a promise about your son. It is what happened to a specific cohort during specific years. What is within your control, and your son's, is making sure that his credits are in order from the first semester, that he knows who his academic advisor is, and that he knows from the beginning when registration opens for the courses his major requires. IPEDS does not decide that. You do.
What You Now Know and What You Still Need to Find Out
You now know something real about Washington College: it is a small, highly residential school with selective admissions but low enrollment among admitted students, a high list price but a net price that can fall considerably depending on family income, where half of undergraduate students take out federal loans, and where most students who enroll ultimately stay and graduate.
None of this tells you whether your son should attend. That depends on three things this article cannot know: what he wants to study and what he has accomplished so far, how far from home he—or your family—is willing for him to live, and how much you can and are willing to pay once the letter arrives with the actual amount.
If you live near Maryland, the logistics change. If your family income falls within a lower band, the net price shown here may be much more manageable than the list price appears. If your son still does not know what he wants to study, this school, with broad offerings distributed across 17 fields, may give him room to explore. I cannot give you any of those answers. They are yours.
What I can tell you is this: you now have a solid piece of the map. Combine it with what your son wants, what he has done so far, and what your family can afford. A real plan grows from that combination, not from a hunch about a name that sounded good on a list.
Source note: the information in this article comes from data reported by Washington College to IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and other United States Department of Education databases, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, with graduation and persistence cohorts from prior years as indicated in each section. Best College Aid does not represent Washington College or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public data to help families understand it.