Best Colleges in Maryland – 2024

Academic Highlights: Boasting an enviable 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and with close to 80% of course sections possessing an enrollment under 20, face time with professors is a reality. That presents a phenomenal opportunity to learn directly from a group that includes four Nobel Laureates, four Medal of Science winners, and two recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Fitting for America’s first research university, 70% of JHU undergraduates complete a research experience while working closely with a faculty member. Each year, hundreds of students receive significant funding for independent projects through the Hopkins Office for Undergraduate Research.

Professional Outcomes: Ninety-four percent of recent graduates successfully land at their next destination within six months of exiting the university; 69% of graduates entered the world of employment and a robust 20% went directly to graduate/professional school. The median starting salary across all majors was $80,000 with top employers including Amazon, DCPS, Deloitte, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon. Blue Jays pursue further education at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, NYU, Northwestern, Stanford, and JHU.

Academic Highlights: Close to three-quarters of course sections will contain fewer than 20 students, and the student-to-faculty ratio is a stellar 8:1. Undergraduate research can be accessed through research-focused courses, design projects, or the Trident Scholar Research Program, an independent study conducted during senior year. All in all, 117 midshipmen presented posters at last year’s Midshipman Research Poster Session. Many midshipmen have the chance to study abroad, and over 300 do each year through programs like the Semester Study Abroad Program or Language Immersion Program.

Professional Outcomes: USNA midshipmen have a mandatory five-year military commitment upon graduating, so the vast majority immediately become ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Very few are cleared to enter graduate school directly after receiving their bachelor’s. However, upon entering civilian employment/life, alumni flock to companies that include Booz Allen Hamilton, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Amazon, Microsoft, and Deloitte. They also enjoy some of the highest average salaries of any alumni group in the country.

Academic Highlights: Undergraduates can select from 100+ majors across twelve colleges and schools. 47% of class sections enroll fewer than twenty students. Undergraduate research opportunities are within reach as 21% of recent graduates completed one. The Office of Undergraduate Research facilitates numerous opportunities throughout the year, and hosts an annual Undergraduate Research Day and Summer Undergraduate Research Conference at which 550+ students make presentations. Fourteen percent of students also pursue a study abroad experience at one of 300+ destinations in 60 countries.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 94% of Class of 2023 grads had positive outcomes. 71% found employment; the companies/organizations that hired the greatest number of grads included Northrop Grumman, Deloitte, Capital One, and Montgomery County Public Schools. Amazon, Google, and Microsoft employ more than 900 alumni each.  The salary range for 2023 grads was between $60k and $86k. 21% of the Class of 2023 headed directly to graduate and professional school.

Academic Highlights: UMBC stands as a national leader in innovative education, offering 100+ academic programs across six colleges with an 18:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Renowned for its research intensity and undergraduate focus, 67% of classes maintain an intimate size of under 30 students, fostering close collaboration. The university’s signature Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) showcases its commitment to hands-on learning, where students present original work alongside faculty mentors. This interdisciplinary approach prepares graduates to solve complex challenges.

Professional Outcomes: UMBC’s Class of 2023 achieved a 93% success rate, with 90% of employed graduates working in their desired fields at leading employers like Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, AstraZeneca, and Deloitte. Graduates command strong average salaries ($60,891) while 72% choose to strengthen Maryland’s workforce, particularly in the growing Baltimore-Washington corridor. Those pursuing advanced degrees gain admission to elite institutions including Princeton, Duke, and Carnegie Mellon, demonstrating UMBC’s ability to prepare students for both immediate career impact and long-term professional growth.

Academic Highlights: Towson University provides students with exceptional academic choices through 110+ majors, concentrations, and tracks across diverse disciplines. The university maintains an ideal 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, creating a balanced learning environment where 36% of classes enroll fewer than 20 students (average class size: 24) and only 2% exceed 50 students. This thoughtful approach ensures students benefit from both personalized attention and the dynamic energy of medium-sized classes.

Professional Outcomes: Towson’s Class of 2024 achieved outstanding results, with 90% securing positive outcomes within six months—79% employed in Maryland and 17% enrolled in graduate programs at institutions like Georgetown and Johns Hopkins. Graduates command strong average starting salaries of $60,840 while contributing to top employers, including Northrop Grumman, Morgan Stanley, and Booz Allen Hamilton. These outcomes demonstrate TU’s dual strength as both Maryland’s workforce engine and a springboard to elite graduate programs.

Academic Highlights: Goucher College redefines liberal arts education through its signature Goucher Edge program, guaranteeing every student four transformative components: (1) The Commons core curriculum tackling complex global challenges, (2) a senior capstone project demonstrating mastery, (3) study abroad (100% participation across 100+ programs in 40+ countries), and (4) four years of career preparation through the Internship Accelerator. With an exceptional 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio and average class size of 16, students explore 42 academic programs while receiving personalized mentorship.

Professional Outcomes: Goucher’s innovative approach yields outstanding results: 96% of graduates secure employment or enter graduate programs within one year. Alumni thrive with top employers like Johns Hopkins and multiple public school systems, while others launch entrepreneurial ventures. The college’s strategic Mid-Atlantic location fosters strong career networks, with graduates predominantly building their careers in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore corridor and the New York City metropolitan area.

Academic Highlights: Loyola Maryland offers 45+ undergraduate programs through its three schools. A 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to average class sizes of only twenty students. The vast majority of courses enroll between ten and twenty-nine students, 13% have a single-digit enrollment, and of 889 total sections, only 14 contained 40 or more undergraduates. Students are encouraged to apply for undergraduate research opportunities such as the Hauber Summer Research Fellowship Program which, in one recent year, gave 12 students in the natural and applied sciences fields a chance to conduct ten weeks of independent research. There are 20 countries that students can choose from as study abroad options, and the participation rate exceeds 60%, one of the highest figures of any master’s-granting school in the nation.

Professional Outcomes: Members of the Class of 2023 found their way to their next employment, volunteer, or grad school home within six months of receiving their diplomas at a stellar 99% clip. Major companies and organizations employing members of this cohort include Accenture, Bloomberg, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, NBC Universal, and Viacom. Thirty-three percent of the Class of 2023 immediately enrolled in graduate or professional school after completing their undergraduate work at Loyola Maryland, enrolling at prestigious institutions like Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Northwestern, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: A 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio is almost beyond comprehension for a public school. As a result, 94% of course sections enroll fewer than 29 students, and 72% of classes enroll fewer than 20. Undergrads can access research opportunities through multiple avenues that include St. Mary’s Projects (senior year projects that 60% of students complete) and St. Mary’s Undergraduate Research Fellowships (eight-week summer program that culminates with a symposium). In a typical year, one of the 25 study abroad programs is taken advantage of by almost half of the undergraduate population.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of earning their bachelor’s degrees, 96% of recent St. Mary’s grads have landed a job or started an advanced degree.  Top employers of Osprey alumni include JPMorgan Chase, the Centers for Disease Control, BNY Mellon, Booz Allen Hamilton, the Smithsonian, and the US Department of Defense. 28% of alumni begin work on their next degree within six months of graduation, earning acceptances from the likes of Harvard, Yale, Rice, Penn, and the University of Chicago.