Best Private Colleges in Maryland 2025

Badge for BEST IN MARYLAND PRIVATE COLLEGES
By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Chloe Dembski
Published:
Updated:

Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges in Maryland.

Key Takeaways

  • The best private colleges in Maryland are globally recognized for their research programs, providing students with access to cutting-edge facilities and the chance to engage in groundbreaking projects across various disciplines.
  • The best private colleges in Marylands emphasize small class sizes and a discussion-based curriculum, fostering close faculty-student relationships and personalized educational experiences.
  • Many of the colleges in our ranking are located near major urban centers like Baltimore and Washington, D.C., offering students ample internship, networking, and cultural opportunities, enhancing both their academic and professional development.

10 Best Private Colleges in Maryland in 2025

  1. Johns Hopkins University
  2. Goucher College
    +1
  3. Loyola University Maryland
    –1
  4. Washington College
  5. McDaniel College
  6. Mount St. Mary's University
    +3
  7. Hood College
  8. Stevenson University
  9. Washington Adventist University
    –3
  10. Notre Dame of Maryland University

2025 Ranking Update

Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.

In 2025, the top ten schools in our ranking of the best private colleges in Maryland saw a fair amount of movement. Mount St. Mary’s University gained the most ranking positions as the university introduced a Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies program, with the first cohort anticipated to begin in January 2026, pending accreditation approval.

Additionally, the university is expanding its athletic offerings by adding women’s flag football as a varsity sport in the 2025-26 academic year, providing new opportunities for student-athletes. These initiatives reflect Mount St. Mary’s commitment to broadening academic and extracurricular opportunities for its students.

This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 11 private universities in Maryland. To be included in the list below of the best private universities in Maryland, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.

Best Private Colleges in Maryland

  1. #1

    Johns Hopkins University

    Baltimore , MD
    #11 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2025 #11 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2025 #11 50 Best Research Universities Ranked for Undergrads in 2024 #14 50 Best Colleges and Universities Ranked for Undergrads in 2025
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $60K

    Acceptance

    7%

    Graduation

    94%

    Student body

    40K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1545/34

    Career Outlook for degree at Johns Hopkins University

    Cost of Degree: $62,840
    Expenses: $22,725
    Starting Salary: $89,300
    Cost Recoup Time: 16 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Johns Hopkins University known for?

    Johns Hopkins University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  4. #4

    Washington College

    Chestertown , MD
    #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Maryland 2024 #3 Best Small Colleges in Maryland 2025 #10 Best Colleges in Maryland 2024

    Tuition + fees

    $52K

    Acceptance

    75%

    Graduation

    71%

    Student body

    1K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1290/27

    Career Outlook for degree at Washington College

    Cost of Degree: $53,776
    Expenses: $19,540
    Starting Salary: $56,500
    Cost Recoup Time: 19 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Washington College known for?

    Washington College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  6. #5

    McDaniel College

    Westminster , MD
    #5 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Maryland 2024 #6 Best Small Colleges in Maryland 2025 #6 Best Online MBA Programs in Maryland 2025 #8 Best Online Master's Programs in Maryland 2025

    Tuition + fees

    $47K

    Acceptance

    82%

    Graduation

    66%

    Student body

    4K

    Career Outlook for degree at McDaniel College

    Cost of Degree: $49,647
    Expenses: $16,498
    Starting Salary: $54,000
    Cost Recoup Time: 18 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is McDaniel College known for?

    McDaniel College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  7. #6

    Mount St. Mary's University

    Emmitsburg , MD
    #2 Best Christian Colleges in Maryland 2025 #7 Best Small Colleges in Maryland 2025 #7 Best Online MBA Programs in Maryland 2025

    Tuition + fees

    $46K

    Acceptance

    80%

    Graduation

    65%

    Student body

    3K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1145/22

    Career Outlook for degree at Mount St. Mary's University

    Cost of Degree: $47,240
    Expenses: $17,500
    Starting Salary: $56,600
    Cost Recoup Time: 17 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Mount St. Mary's University known for?

    Mount St. Mary's University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  8. #7

    Hood College

    Frederick , MD
    #8 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Maryland 2024 #8 Best Small Colleges in Maryland 2025 #9 Best Grad Schools in Maryland 2024 #15 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Social Work Degrees

    Tuition + fees

    $45K

    Acceptance

    78%

    Graduation

    61%

    Student body

    2K

    Career Outlook for degree at Hood College

    Cost of Degree: $45,870
    Expenses: $19,272
    Starting Salary: $49,400
    Cost Recoup Time: 19 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Hood College known for?

    Hood College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  9. #8

    Stevenson University

    Owings Mills , MD
    #1 Best Online Bachelor's of Cybersecurity in Maryland #4 Best Online Master’s in Forensics Degree Programs 2025 #5 Best Online Master’s in Forensics Degree Programs 2025 #5 Best Online Bachelor's in Cybersecurity in the District Of Columbia
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $39K

    Acceptance

    84%

    Graduation

    65%

    Student body

    4K

    Career Outlook for degree at Stevenson University

    Cost of Degree: $39,708
    Expenses: $20,278
    Starting Salary: $54,600
    Cost Recoup Time: 17 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Stevenson University known for?

    Stevenson University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Stevenson University’s Online Degrees

    BS in Business Administration
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Business Communication
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Computer Information Systems
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Criminal Justice
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Cybersecurity And Digital Forensics
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Legal Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Interdisciplinary Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Professional Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Compare school
  10. #9

    Washington Adventist University

    Takoma Park , MD
    #3 Best Christian Colleges in Maryland 2025 #10 Best Online MBA Programs in Maryland 2025 #12 Best Online Master's Programs in Maryland 2025

    Tuition + fees

    $25K

    Acceptance

    51%

    Graduation

    50%

    Student body

    <1K

    Career Outlook for degree at Washington Adventist University

    Cost of Degree: $25,200
    Expenses: $12,640
    Starting Salary: $46,300
    Cost Recoup Time: 14 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Washington Adventist University known for?

    Washington Adventist University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  12. #10

    Notre Dame of Maryland University

    Baltimore , MD
    #4 Best Christian Colleges in Maryland 2025 #6 Best Online Colleges in Maryland 2024 #13 Best Online Master's Programs in Maryland 2025

    Tuition + fees

    $41K

    Acceptance

    70%

    Graduation

    60%

    Student body

    3K

    Career Outlook for degree at Notre Dame of Maryland University

    Cost of Degree: $41,910
    Expenses: $18,635
    Starting Salary: $56,400
    Cost Recoup Time: 17 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Notre Dame of Maryland University known for?

    Notre Dame of Maryland University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Notre Dame of Maryland University’s Online Degrees

    BA/MAcc in Business And Accounting
    • Required Credits: None Reported
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BSN in Nursing Rn To Bsn
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BSN in Nursing
    Degree Concentrations
    • Accelerated 2nd Degree
    • Required Credits: None Reported
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Compare school
  13. #11

    St. John's College, Annapolis

    Annapolis , MD

    Tuition + fees

    $37K

    Acceptance

    50%

    Graduation

    77%

    Student body

    <1K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1355/31

    Career Outlook for degree at St. John's College, Annapolis

    Cost of Degree: $39,126
    Expenses: $16,414
    Starting Salary: $42,000
    Cost Recoup Time: 19 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is St. John's College, Annapolis known for?

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
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Maryland’s Best Private Colleges in Your Area Interest

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2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2024 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2023. That’s because we took a fundamentally different approach. For 2024 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

  1. Johns Hopkins University
  2. Goucher College
  3. Washington College
  4. Loyola University Maryland
  5. Mount St. Mary's University
  6. McDaniel College
  7. Hood College
  8. Notre Dame of Maryland University
  9. St. John's College, Annapolis
  10. Stevenson University

Check out our directory of private colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top private schools in every state.

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