St. Mary’s College of Maryland is ranked as the nation’s eighth best affordable out-of-state public school in United States by AffordableColleges.com. AffordableColleges.com methodology weighed criteria, including financial metrics such as loan default rates and financial aid data; student success metrics such as retention and graduation rates, and student to faculty ratio; and program success metrics such as the number of programs offered at the college. The most recent data available from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) was used when calculating the rankings.
According to the website, “St. Mary’s tradition of academic excellence as Maryland’s public honors college dates back to its founding in 1840. With over 30 majors to choose from that focus on topics like the African diaspora, international languages, museum studies, neurosciences, and public policy, St. Mary’s students may pursue a distinctive variety of degrees at highly affordable prices. Already offering one of the cheapest out-of-state tuition rates in the country, the public college also awards merit-based scholarships to over half its students. Despite its name, the college has no religious affiliation.”
St. Mary’s College also was recognized recently as the fifth best public liberal arts college in the country by U.S. News & World Report, a 2017-18 College of Distinction, acknowledged in the 2018 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges, in The Best 382 Colleges review book by The Princeton Review, ranked one of the Best Colleges in Maryland by AdvisoryHQ News, and ranked among the “Best Colleges for Your Money” by Money magazine.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education through 2024-2025. St. Mary’s College, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Approximately 1,600 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary’s River in Southern Maryland.