University

University of Maryland, College Park

University
#115 / #41
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#214
Most Desirable School
Public research university in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland

University of Maryland, College Park Featured Rankings

About University of Maryland, College Park

By James Barham, PhD

The University of Maryland is a system comprising 15 campuses. The system has a rather complicated history.

The oldest component of the system is the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB), which traces its roots to the Maryland College of Medicine, founded in 1807.

In 1812, the medical college was rechartered as the University of Maryland. In 1920, the University of Maryland System was created through a merger between the Baltimore school—renamed the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB)—with a pre-existing agricultural school that then became the flagship campus of the overall system under the name of the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP).

For its part, UMCP descends from Maryland Agricultural College, founded in 1856 in College Park. During the Civil War the school underwent severe financial difficulties, and for two years was obliged to retrench severely, transforming itself into a boys’ preparatory school. The college reopened in 1867 and its financial situation became stabilized as enrollment gradually increased over the following years.

In 1912, another disaster befell the agricultural college when most of its buildings were destroyed in a fire. Nevertheless, students and faculty continued classes under improvised conditions. In 1916 the state took over the still-struggling agricultural college, which was then renamed Maryland State College.

Only four years later, in 1920—as has already been mentioned—the now state-run agricultural college in College Park was merged with the already-existing University of Maryland in Baltimore to create the new University of Maryland System. UMB and UMCP both emerged out of this event in their present forms.

The system then underwent steady growth, with a major administrative reorganization in 1988. Today, the University of Maryland comprises 12 full-fledged universities and three regional education centers, with a total of more than 172,000 students. UMCP, with over 41,000 students, remains the flagship campus.

UMCP has been associated with nine Nobel laureates, namely:

  • Physicists, Raymond Davis, Jr., William D. Phillips, John C. Mather & Hannes Alfvén
  • Chemists, Herbert Hauptman & Jerome Karle
  • Biochemist, Marshall Nirenberg
  • Economist, Thomas Schelling
  • Poet, Juan Ramón Jiménez

Other distinguished UMCP-connected individuals include the following:

  • Children’s book authors, Jeff Kinney & Jason Reynolds
  • Cartoonist, Aaron McGruder
  • Comedian and screenwriter, Larry David
  • Actors, Dianne Wiest & Michael Ealy
  • Philosopher, Peter Carruthers
  • Mathematicians, George Dantzig, James Yorke & Charles Fefferman
  • Computer scientists, Sergei Brin, Keith Marzullo, Ashok Agrawala & Uzi Vishkin
  • Astronomers, Barbara A. Williams & Michael A’Hearn
  • Physicists, Michael Fisher, John Dawson, Sylvester James Gates, Jr., Christopher Jarzynski & Victor Galitski
  • Chemist, Tobin Marks
  • Microbiologist, Rita Colwell
  • Ecologist, Simon Levin
  • Electrical engineer and astronaut, Judith Resnik
  • Economist, Melissa Kearney
  • African American Studies pioneer, Manning Marable
  • Investigative journalist, Carl Bernstein
  • Radio personality, Robin Quivers
  • Puppeteer, Jim Henson
  • Comedian and podcaster, Ari Shaffir
  • TV journalists, Connie Chung and Gayle King
  • TV political analyst, Kirsten Powers
  • US Representative, Steny Hoyer

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's Online Degrees

University of Maryland, College Park Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceGraduation RateMedian SAT ScoreMedian ACT Score
56,76145%89%144032

How Much Does University of Maryland, College Park Cost To Attend?

Tuition (in-state)Fees (in-state)
$9,695$1,538

How Much Do University of Maryland, College Park Graduates Make?

If you graduate from University of Maryland, College Park, then you can expect to earn an average of $70,800 per year. You also have a 91% chance of being employed after 10 years.

University of Maryland, College Park's Demographics

Demographic data is for full-time, on-campus students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
42,19531,64010,555

Where is University of Maryland, College Park?

University of Maryland, College Park is located at , College Park MD 20742

What Is University of Maryland, College Park Known For?

University of Maryland, College Park is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:

University of Maryland, College Park's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Physics
#74
World Rank
#109
Historical Rank
#22
USA Rank
physics Degrees
Mathematics
#89
World Rank
#129
Historical Rank
#28
USA Rank
math Degrees
Computer Science
#64
World Rank
#66
Historical Rank
#28
USA Rank
computer-science Degrees
Economics
#80
World Rank
#91
Historical Rank
#30
USA Rank
economics Degrees
Sociology
#122
World Rank
#106
Historical Rank
#44
USA Rank
sociology Degrees
Engineering
#158
World Rank
#176
Historical Rank
#47
USA Rank
engineering Degrees
Political Science
#158
World Rank
#168
Historical Rank
#49
USA Rank
political-science Degrees
Earth Sciences
#188
World Rank
#204
Historical Rank
#49
USA Rank
earth-science Degrees
Psychology
#85
World Rank
#99
Historical Rank
#50
USA Rank
psychology Degrees
Social Work
#78
World Rank
#80
Historical Rank
#50
USA Rank
social-work Degrees
Communications
#168
World Rank
#187
Historical Rank
#51
USA Rank
communications Degrees
Chemistry
#226
World Rank
#258
Historical Rank
#58
USA Rank
chemistry Degrees
Biology
#168
World Rank
#183
Historical Rank
#61
USA Rank
biology Degrees
Business
#175
World Rank
#175
Historical Rank
#69
USA Rank
business Degrees
Philosophy
#232
World Rank
#259
Historical Rank
#71
USA Rank
philosophy Degrees
History
#183
World Rank
#185
Historical Rank
#74
USA Rank
history Degrees
Medical
#230
World Rank
#233
Historical Rank
#80
USA Rank
medicine Degrees
Education
#325
World Rank
#331
Historical Rank
#99
USA Rank
education Degrees
Law
#280
World Rank
#293
Historical Rank
#99
USA Rank
Anthropology
#262
World Rank
#283
Historical Rank
#99
USA Rank
anthropology Degrees
Literature
#255
World Rank
#230
Historical Rank
#102
USA Rank
literature Degrees
Religious Studies
#782
World Rank
#811
Historical Rank
#174
USA Rank
religious-studies-hub Degrees

Who 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
George Dantzig
An American mathematician .
James Clapper
James Clapper
A US government official.
Jim Henson
Jim Henson
An American puppeteer .
Robin Hahnel
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
Charles Fefferman
An American mathematician.
Jean E. Sammet
An American computer scientist .
Connie Chung
Connie Chung
An American journalist from the United States.
Philip J. Davis
An American mathematician.
James A. Yorke
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 alumni:

Edward Snowden
Edward Snowden
An American whistleblower and former NSA contractor .
DJ Patil
DJ Patil
A U.S. Chief Data Scientist.
Janet E. Helms
Janet E. Helms
An American psychologist.
Mohammad Hajiaghayi
Mohammad Hajiaghayi
A Computer scientist.
Sharon A. Hill
Sharon A. Hill
An American geologist and science blogger.
Jen Golbeck
An American computer scientist.
Chad Trujillo
Chad Trujillo
An American astronomer.
Marlène Laruelle
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.