Best Small Colleges in Maryland 2024

Published: Mar 26, 2021
Updated: Oct 26, 2023

Small colleges in Maryland are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

Stevenson University 91%
University of Baltimore 89%
McDaniel College 87%
Frostburg State University 86%
Loyola University Maryland 84%
University of Maryland Eastern Shore 82%
Mount St. Mary's University 82%
Goucher College 82%
St. Mary's College of Maryland 77%
Hood College 77%

Stevenson University 15 to 1
Frostburg State University 14 to 1
Mount St. Mary's University 14 to 1
McDaniel College 13 to 1
University of Baltimore 13 to 1
Coppin State University 12 to 1
Loyola University Maryland 12 to 1
Hood College 11 to 1
Washington Adventist University 11 to 1
University of Maryland Eastern Shore 10 to 1

Loyola University Maryland $53,530
Washington College $49,768
Goucher College $48,200
McDaniel College $46,336
Mount St. Mary's University $44,750
Hood College $43,140
Notre Dame of Maryland University $39,745
Stevenson University $38,168
St. John's College, Annapolis $36,170
Washington Adventist University $25,200

St. John's College, Annapolis $19,116
Loyola University Maryland $18,540
St. Mary's College of Maryland $16,530
University of Baltimore $14,094
Mount St. Mary's University $13,676
Notre Dame of Maryland University $13,321
Washington Adventist University $11,160
McDaniel College $9,468
Goucher College $9,180
Hood College $8,820

St. John's College, Annapolis
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Stevenson University
Washington Adventist University
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Coppin State University
Frostburg State University
Hood College
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Mount St. Mary's University

Coppin State University 48%
St. John's College, Annapolis 53%
Washington Adventist University 62%
Notre Dame of Maryland University 65%
Washington College 70%
Hood College 77%
St. Mary's College of Maryland 77%
Goucher College 82%
Mount St. Mary's University 82%
University of Maryland Eastern Shore 82%

St. John's College, Annapolis 7 to 1
Notre Dame of Maryland University 7 to 1
Goucher College 9 to 1
St. Mary's College of Maryland 9 to 1
Washington College 9 to 1
University of Maryland Eastern Shore 10 to 1
Hood College 11 to 1
Washington Adventist University 11 to 1
Coppin State University 12 to 1
Loyola University Maryland 12 to 1

Coppin State University $4,741
University of Maryland Eastern Shore $5,526
Frostburg State University $6,834
University of Baltimore $7,154
St. Mary's College of Maryland $12,116
Washington Adventist University $25,200
St. John's College, Annapolis $36,170
Stevenson University $38,168
Notre Dame of Maryland University $39,745
Hood College $43,140

Coppin State University $6,318
Frostburg State University $8,028
Stevenson University $8,340
University of Maryland Eastern Shore $8,352
Hood College $8,820
Goucher College $9,180
McDaniel College $9,468
Washington Adventist University $11,160
Notre Dame of Maryland University $13,321
Mount St. Mary's University $13,676

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities in Maryland

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.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

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.

What are Maryland’s Colleges & Universities?

Maryland’s Best Overall

The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Maryland is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 15 small colleges in Maryland. The list below of the best small colleges in Maryland. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.

How do we determine Maryland's best small colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Small Colleges in Maryland 2023

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Maryland’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 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.

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Best Small Colleges in Maryland 2024

10 Best Small Colleges in Maryland 2024

Colleges and Universities in Maryland

What are Maryland’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Small Colleges in Maryland 2023

Career Outlook for degree at Loyola University Maryland

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Baltimore

Most Influential Alumni

University of Baltimore’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Goucher College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Washington College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at St. Mary's College of Maryland

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at McDaniel College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Frostburg State University

Most Influential Alumni

Frostburg State University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Washington Adventist University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Hood College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Coppin State University

Most Influential Alumni

Coppin State University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Stevenson University

Most Influential Alumni

Stevenson University’s Online Degrees

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

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Notre Dame of Maryland University

Most Influential Alumni

Notre Dame of Maryland University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

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

Most Influential Alumni

Maryland’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest