15 Top Maryland Colleges and Universities

Maryland has excellent higher education options for both public and private institutions. From a large public university like the University of Maryland to tiny St. John's College, Maryland has schools to match a wide range of student personalities and interests. The 15 top Maryland colleges listed below represent diverse school types and missions, so I have simply listed them alphabetically rather than force them into any sort of artificial ranking. That said, Johns Hopkins is the most selective and prestigious institution on the list. The schools were chosen based on factors such as academic reputation, curricular innovations, first-year retention rates, six-year graduation rates, selectivity, financial aid and student engagement. Not all of the schools are highly selective, so applicants don't need to be to be in the top of their class to get into some of these colleges and universities.

Compare Top Maryland Colleges: SAT Scores | ACT Scores

Annapolis (United States Naval Academy)

Location: Annapolis, Maryland
Enrollment: 4,528 (all undergraduate)
Type of Institution: miltary academy
Distinctions: one of the most selective colleges in the country; impressive 8 to 1 student / faculty ratio; no costs (but 5-year service requirement); strong engineering programs; competes in the NCAA Division I Patriot League
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Annapolis profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Annapolis admissions.

Goucher College

Location: Towson, Maryland
Enrollment: 2,172 (1,473 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
Distinctions: 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; new $48 million student center; eight miles from downtown Baltimore; chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society for strong programs in the liberal arts and sciences
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Goucher College profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Goucher admissions.

Hood College

Location: Frederick, Maryland
Enrollment: 2,144 (1,174 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private master's-level college
Distinctions: impressive 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; high graduation rate for its student profile; one hour from Washington D.C. and Baltimore; good grant aid
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Hood College profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Hood admissions.

Johns Hopkins University

Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Enrollment: 23,917 (6,042 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private research university
Distinctions: 10:1 student / faculty ratio; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; membership in the AAU for strong research programs; multi-billion dollar endowment; one of the country's top universities
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Johns Hopkins University profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Johns Hopkins admissions.

Loyola University Maryland

Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Enrollment: 6,084 (4,104 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private Catholic university
Distinctions: 12 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 25; popular business and communications programs; member of the NCAA Division I Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC); located near Johns Hopkins University
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Loyola University Maryland profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Loyola admissions.

McDaniel College

Location: Westminster, Maryland
Enrollment: 2,750 (1,567 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
Distinctions: 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 17; located half an hour from Baltimore and one hour from D.C.; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong programs in the liberal arts and sciences
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the McDaniel College profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for McDaniel admissions.

MICA, the Maryland Institute College of Art

Maryland Institute College of Art, MICA. Elvert Barnes / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Enrollment: 2,112 (1,730 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private college of art
Distinctions: one of the country's top studio art programs; rich history (founded in 1826); 9 to 1 student / faculty ratio; students come from 48 states and 52 countries; impressive number of Presidential Scholars and Fulbright Scholars
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the MICA profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for MICA admissions.

Mount St. Mary's University

Location: Emmitsburg, Maryland
Enrollment: 2,186 (1,729 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private Catholic university
Distinctions: 12 to 1 student faculty ratio; average class size of 20; identity built on four pillars of "faith, discover, leadership, and community"; member of the NCAA Division I Northeast Conference
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Mount St. Mary's University profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Mount St. Mary's admissions.

St. John's College

Location: Annapolis, Maryland
Enrollment: 484 (434 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
Distinctions: no textbooks (only great works of Western civilization); common curriculum for all students; excellent 7 to 1 student / faculty ratio; 20 student seminars taught by two faculty members; extremely high placement rate for law school, med school and graduate school
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the St. John's College profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for St. John's admissions.

St. Mary's College

Location: St. Mary's City, Maryland
Enrollment: 1,629 (1,598 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public liberal arts college
Distinctions: 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; attractive 319 acre water-front campus; historic location; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the St. Mary's College profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for St. Mary's admissions.

Salisbury University

NCAA Lacrosse - Division III - Championship Game - Salisbury vs Middlebury — Drew Hallowell / Getty Images

Location: Salisbury, Maryland
Enrollment: 8,748 (7,861 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public master's-level university
Distinctions: 16 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 26; students come from 37 states and 68 countries; popular professional programs in business, communications, education and nursing
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Salisbury University profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Salisbury admissions.

Towson University

Location: Towson, Maryland
Enrollment: 22,343 (19,198 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public university
Distinctions: 328-acre campus located eight miles north of Baltimore; over 100 degree programs; 17 to 1 student / faculty ratio; competes in the NCAA Division I Colonial Athletic Association
Explore Campus: Towson University Photo Tour
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Towson University profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Towson admissions.

UMBC, the University of Maryland Baltimore County

Library at University of Maryland Baltimore County. Tim Menzies / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Enrollment: 13,640 (11,142 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public university
Distinctions: ranked as the #1 "up-and-coming" national university by U.S. News & World Report in 2010; chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society for strong liberal arts and sciences; member of the NCAA Division I America East Conference
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the UMBC profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UMBC admissions.

University of Maryland at College Park

University of Maryland McKeldin Library. Daniel Borman / Flickr

Location: College Park, Maryland
Enrollment: 38,140 (27,443 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public research university
Distinctions: one of the country's top public universities; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; membership in the AAU for strong research programs; member of the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the University of Maryland profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Maryland admissions.

Washington College

Location: Chestertown, Maryland
Enrollment: 1,479 (1,423 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: liberal arts college
Distinctions: founded in 1782 under the patronage of George Washington; opportunities to explore the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the Chester River; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences
For acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Washington College profile.
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Washington College admissions.