Resources › For Students and Parents Top Maryland Colleges Learn about 15 of the Best Maryland Colleges and Universities Share Flipboard Email Print For Students and Parents College Admissions College Rankings College Admissions Process College Profiles Choosing A College Application Tips Essay Samples & Tips Testing Graphs College Financial Aid Extracurricular Activities Advanced Placement Homework Help Private School Test Prep College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More By Allen Grove College Admissions Expert Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. our editorial process Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Allen Grove Updated July 10, 2019 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) Annapolis - United States Naval Academy. Michael Bentley / Flickr Location: Annapolis, MarylandEnrollment: 4,528 (all undergraduate)Type of Institution: miltary academyDistinctions: 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 LeagueFor acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Annapolis profile.GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Annapolis admissions. Goucher College Goucher College Athenaeum. Photo Credit: Allen Grove Location: Towson, MarylandEnrollment: 2,172 (1,473 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private liberal arts collegeDistinctions: 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 Hood College. Sarah Camp / Flickr Location: Frederick, MarylandEnrollment: 2,144 (1,174 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private master's-level collegeDistinctions: impressive 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; high graduation rate for its student profile; one hour from Washington D.C. and Baltimore; good grant aidFor acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Hood College profile.GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Hood admissions. Johns Hopkins University Mergenthaler Hall at Johns Hopkins University. Daderot / Wikimedia Commons Location: Baltimore, MarylandEnrollment: 23,917 (6,042 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private research universityDistinctions: 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 universitiesFor acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Johns Hopkins University profile.GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Johns Hopkins admissions. Loyola University Maryland Loyola University Maryland. Crhayes31288 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Location: Baltimore, MarylandEnrollment: 6,084 (4,104 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private Catholic universityDistinctions: 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 UniversityFor acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Loyola University Maryland profile.GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Loyola admissions. McDaniel College McDaniel College. Alan Levine / Flickr Location: Westminster, MarylandEnrollment: 2,750 (1,567 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private liberal arts collegeDistinctions: 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 sciencesFor 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, MarylandEnrollment: 2,112 (1,730 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private college of artDistinctions: 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 ScholarsFor acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the MICA profile.GPA, SAT and ACT graph for MICA admissions. Mount St. Mary's University Bradley Hall at Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland. Breenhonda / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Location: Emmitsburg, MarylandEnrollment: 2,186 (1,729 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private Catholic universityDistinctions: 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 ConferenceFor 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 St. John's College Annapolis. smi23le / Flickr Location: Annapolis, MarylandEnrollment: 484 (434 undergraduates)Type of Institution: private liberal arts collegeDistinctions: 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 schoolFor 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 St. Mary's College of Maryland. Elvert Barnes / Flickr Location: St. Mary's City, MarylandEnrollment: 1,629 (1,598 undergraduates)Type of Institution: public liberal arts collegeDistinctions: 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 sciencesFor 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 Drew Hallowell / Getty Images Location: Salisbury, MarylandEnrollment: 8,748 (7,861 undergraduates)Type of Institution: public master's-level universityDistinctions: 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 nursingFor acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Salisbury University profile.GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Salisbury admissions. Towson University Hawkins Hall at Towson University (click image to enlarge). Photo Credit: Allen Grove Location: Towson, MarylandEnrollment: 22,343 (19,198 undergraduates)Type of Institution: public universityDistinctions: 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 AssociationFor 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, MarylandEnrollment: 13,640 (11,142 undergraduates)Type of Institution: public universityDistinctions: 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 ConferenceFor 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 Casey Academic Center at Washington College. Photo Courtesy of Washington College Location: Chestertown, MarylandEnrollment: 1,479 (1,423 undergraduates)Type of Institution: liberal arts collegeDistinctions: 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 sciencesFor acceptance rate, costs and other information, visit the Washington College profile.GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Washington College admissions. More Top Colleges and Universities Check Out These Other Top Ranked Colleges: Universities | Public Universities | Liberal Arts Colleges | Engineering | Business | Women's | Most Selective