What are the best colleges and universities in Maryland if you reward schools for making the best use of their limited resources? Academic Stewardship asks how effectively schools manage their financial and human resources to gain the influence that makes them academically excellent. Schools that are exemplary in Academic Stewardship are doing everything in their power to help students and faculty achieve their full potential.
Colleges and universities in Maryland deserve to be recognized when they do more with less. It’s impressive when a large wealthy school can spend money lavishly on expensive buildings and programs. But it’s even more impressive when a small school with limited means is able to train and inspire students that the larger wealthier schools tend to ignore.
The American Association of Colleges and Universities reported in late 2021 that almost 75 percent of higher-education professionals at US colleges and universities felt financial constraints prevented their schools from effectively attracting students. Distracted by the size and amenities of larger schools, prospective students tended especially to be overawed by the big research universities.
Maryland’s smaller colleges, especially its liberal arts colleges, need effective ways of communicating their value to a world that celebrates “bigger is better” and “you need the best.” Unfortunately, most college ranking companies, such as U.S. News & World Report, define “best” in a way that devalues schools with smaller budgets and fewer students even when these schools do remarkable work in advancing their students’ education. By and large, college rankings penalize schools that serve underserved populations.
Inspired by Malcolm Gladwell, who for years now has criticized conventional college rankings for misrepresenting what’s good and valuable in education, we decided to construct a new ranking metric that highlights those schools that do more with less. That metric—called the Academic Stewardship metric—takes away both the size and the wealth advantage of schools, and focuses instead on how well schools use the resources available to them to advance the education of their students.
As a metric, Academic Stewardship is defined by a precise mathematical formula, which can be found in our Academic Stewardship white paper. Measuring the Academic Stewardship of Maryland’s colleges requires measuring two forms of stewardship: 1) Stewardship of financial resources (using the money they have responsibility without waste) and 2) Stewardship of human resources (doing their best to help students, faculty, and administration to flourish). Together, these two types of stewardship form what we call Academic Stewardship. If you want to learn more about the factors involved in Academic Stewardship, click the more button below.
Academic Stewardship as so defined is connected to keeping tuition and other costs down, but it should not be confused with affordability or frugality. The schools that this metric ranks as exemplary academic stewards tend to be all over the map when it comes to tuition and other costs. At issue is the influence of schools given the financial and human resources they have on hand. If a school is going to charge more for tuition, then that needs to be reflected in the school having proportionately greater influence.
The benefits of attending a school with strong academic stewardship include:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
66%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/25
Goucher College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
72%
Student body
1K
Washington College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
61%
Student body
2K
Hood College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
72%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1175/25
St. Mary's College of Maryland’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
34%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1052/20
University of Baltimore’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
40%
Graduation
30%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
895/18
Coppin State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$46K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
63%
Student body
2K
McDaniel College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$45K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
63%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1095/21
Mount St. Mary's University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
53%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1030/20
Frostburg State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
46%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
705/18
Morgan State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
43%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
945/18
Bowie State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
81%
Student body
5K
Loyola University Maryland’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
69%
Student body
8K
Salisbury University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
70%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1270/26
University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
The Old Line State has 46 colleges and universities, 30 of which are public and 16 of which are private. The United States Naval Academy offers programs in physical sciences, aeronautical engineering, and naval architecture. The largest private institution, Johns Hopkins University, has just over 24,000 students and a tuition rate of $54,000. Located in Baltimore, this research university is known for its science and medical discoveries.
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The University of Maryland in College Park boasts over 35,000 students with a price tag of $11,000. The school has 15 campuses, and students can choose from areas of study like criminal justice, communications, physics, and sociology. The most affordable school in the state, Baltimore City Community College comes in at $3,000 and has 37 associate degree programs to choose from. Maryland also provides loan forgiveness programs for its residents, including those for dentists and public servants. Students can also check out the Maryland SmartBuy Home Buyer Assistance and Forgiveness Program, where eligible applicants can receive up to 15% of the home purchase price toward outstanding student loan, to be paid off as part of closing.
Maryland is a state bursting with history, from its numerous museums to its historic battlegrounds. Students who attend school in Maryland can explore the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Park and walk the same streets as many influential Marylanders, including Francis Scott Key, Babe Ruth, Billie Holiday, and Thurgood Marshall.
Whether you’re looking to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree, Maryland offers its students history, legacy, and numerous degree paths.