University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
University of Maryland, College Park Featured Rankings
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Maryland
- #1 Best Public Colleges in Maryland
- #2 Best Online MBAs Maryland
- #2 Best Grad Schools in Maryland 2026
- #2 Best Research Universities in Maryland 2026
- #2 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #2 Best Colleges in Maryland 2026
- #3 20 Fastest Accelerated Online PhD in English Doctorate Programs 2026
- #4 Criminal Justice Research Universities
- #6 Best Online One Year MBAs
- #7 Most Influential Colleges in Lacrosse Today
- #9 The 50 Best No GRE Online PhD Degree Programs
- #10 The Most Influential Colleges in Soccer Today
- #12 Best Value Colleges
- #16 Most Affordable Colleges in the U.S. 2026
- #16 Best Public Colleges
- #16 Best Public Grad Schools
- #19 Communications Research Universities
- #23 Most Influential Colleges in Basketball Today
- #31 The Best Traditional MBA Programs
- #36 Best Grad Schools 2026
- #38 Best US Universities 2026
- #88 Best Universities World 2026
About University of Maryland, College Park
In brief
The University of Maryland, College Park, is the flagship of the University of Maryland system. It descends from the Maryland Agricultural College, founded in College Park in 1856, which merged with the University of Maryland in Baltimore in 1920. By our measure of academic influence, it ranks #41 in the United States and #115 in the world. It admitted 44.8% of applicants for fall 2024; admitted students had a median SAT score of 1465 and a median ACT score of 33.
The college survived the Civil War, when it briefly became a boys’ preparatory school, and a 1912 fire that destroyed most of its buildings. Today the College Park campus has more than 41,000 students.
Where Maryland’s influence is strongest
Maryland’s influence is led by physics, criminal justice, mathematics, and computer science. Its strongest broad fields, by US rank in our data, are:
- Physics: #22 in the US (#74 in the world)
- Criminal justice: #23
- Mathematics and computer science: #28 each
- Economics: #30
Its highest-ranked specialties in our data are:
- #5 in the US: polymer engineering
- #6: criminology and information security
- #7: harmonic analysis
By comparison, Maryland sits further back in anthropology (#99), literature (#102), and religious studies (#174).
How we measure influence: these ranks come from the citations and recognition earned by a school’s faculty and alumni in each discipline, not from surveys or admissions statistics. See our methodology.
Notable people
Maryland-connected Nobel laureates include the physicists Raymond Davis Jr., William D. Phillips, and John C. Mather, the chemist Herbert Hauptman, the economist Thomas Schelling, and the poet Juan Ramón Jiménez. Its faculty and alumni also include the mathematician George Dantzig, the comedian Larry David, the children’s authors Jeff Kinney and Jason Reynolds, and the actor Dianne Wiest. Our full lists of Maryland’s most influential alumni and faculty appear below.
Frequently asked questions
Is Maryland hard to get into? Moderately. It admitted 44.8% of applicants for fall 2024; the middle half of admitted students scored 690–750 on the SAT reading section and 710–780 on math.
What does Maryland cost after financial aid? Tuition is $12,290 for Maryland residents and $42,053 for out-of-state students in 2025–26. The average net price for aided students with family incomes of $48,000–$75,000 was $8,768 in 2024–25; it ranged from about $1,141 for incomes below $30,000 to $27,461 for incomes above $110,000.
How do Maryland graduates do? 88.4% of students who started in 2019 graduated within six years, and 96% of first-year students return for a second year. Ten years after starting college, former students had median earnings of $89,228.
What is Maryland best known for academically? By our influence data: physics, criminal justice, mathematics, and computer science, all in the US top 30.
According to Wikipedia, The University of Maryland, College Park is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland. It is also the largest university in both the state and the Washington metropolitan area. Its 12 schools and colleges offer over 200 degree-granting programs, including 113 undergraduate majors, 107 master's programs, and 83 doctoral programs. UMD is a member of the Association of American Universities and competes in intercollegiate athletics as a member of the Big Ten Conference.
University of Maryland, College Park Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59,377 | 45% | 96% | 88% | 1465 | 33 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does University of Maryland, College Park Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $12,290 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $1,141 |
| 30K - 48K | $5,045 |
| 48K - 75K | $8,768 |
| 75K - 110K | $16,888 |
| 110K+ | $27,461 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do University of Maryland, College Park Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former University of Maryland, College Park students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $89,228 a year, and 93% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
University of Maryland, College Park's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 44,110 | 32,717 | 11,393 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is University of Maryland, College Park?
University of Maryland, College Park is located at College Park, MD 20742.
How Safe is University of Maryland, College Park?
Like every college that receives federal student aid, University of Maryland, College Park publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. See University of Maryland, College Park’s campus safety information.
Relative to its enrollment, University of Maryland, College Park has a violent crime rate of 0.04% and a property crime rate of 0.71%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft).
What Is University of Maryland, College Park Known For?
University of Maryland, College Park is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Sociology
- Engineering
- Political Science
- Earth Sciences
- Psychology
- Social Work
- Communications
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Business
- Philosophy
- History
- Medical
- Education
- Anthropology
- Literature
- Religious Studies
University of Maryland, College Park's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much University of Maryland, College Park's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
University of Maryland, College Park ranks #22 in the U.S. and #74 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #28 in the U.S. and #89 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #28 in the U.S. and #64 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #30 in the U.S. and #80 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #44 in the U.S. and #122 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #47 in the U.S. and #158 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #49 in the U.S. and #158 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #49 in the U.S. and #188 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #50 in the U.S. and #85 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #50 in the U.S. and #78 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #51 in the U.S. and #168 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #58 in the U.S. and #226 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #61 in the U.S. and #168 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #69 in the U.S. and #175 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #71 in the U.S. and #232 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #74 in the U.S. and #183 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #80 in the U.S. and #230 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #99 in the U.S. and #325 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #99 in the U.S. and #262 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #102 in the U.S. and #255 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesUniversity of Maryland, College Park ranks #174 in the U.S. and #782 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWho Are University of Maryland, College Park's Most Influential Alumni?
University of Maryland, College Park's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Computer Science, and Social Work. Here are some of University of Maryland, College Park's most famous alumni:
- George Dantzig
- An American mathematician .
- James Clapper
- A US government official.
- Jim Henson
- An American puppeteer .
- Robin Hahnel
- An American economist.
- Michael D. Griffin
- An American physicist and aerospace engineer.
- Frank J. Tipler
- An American physicist noted for his book The Physics of Immortality.
- Charles Fefferman
- An American mathematician.
- Jean E. Sammet
- An American computer scientist .
- Connie Chung
- An American journalist from the United States.
- Philip J. Davis
- An American mathematician.
- James A. Yorke
- A Mathematician, researcher ORCID ID = 0000-0002-9599-0136.
- David Bentley Hart
- An American theologian.
Who Are University of Maryland, College Park's Most Influential Faculty?
University of Maryland, College Park's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Criminal Justice, Computer Science, and Social Work. Here are some of University of Maryland, College Park's most famous faculty:
- Edward Snowden
- An American whistleblower and former NSA contractor .
- DJ Patil
- A U.S. Chief Data Scientist.
- Janet E. Helms
- An American psychologist.
- Mohammad Hajiaghayi
- A Computer scientist.
- Sharon A. Hill
- An American geologist and science blogger.
- Jen Golbeck
- An American computer scientist.
- Chad Trujillo
- An American astronomer.
- Marlène Laruelle
- A French historian.
- Valarie Zeithaml
- An American economist.
- Ana Maria Rey
- A Colombian physicist.
- Mary Helen Washington
- An American literary scholar.
- Jonathan Katz
- An American cryptographer.
