The 10 Cheapest Colleges in Maryland
What’s Covered:
- The 10 Cheapest Colleges in Maryland
- Tips for Saving Money on College
- How Much Will You Pay for College?
From prestigious research universities like Johns Hopkins to respected public institutions like the University of Maryland, College Park, the state of Maryland is home to many great colleges. Reputation is just one consideration when choosing a college—another is cost. No wonder, since 2000, the sticker price of tuition, room, and board at four-year institutions has increased 140%.
Keep reading to learn about the 10 cheapest colleges in Maryland.
The 10 Cheapest Colleges in Maryland
1. United States Naval Academy | Navy
Tuition In-state/Out-of-state: $0
Location: Annapolis, MD
Acceptance Rate: 9%
Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,465
The U.S. Naval Academy is one of the nation’s five service academies and is one of the best educational values in the country—it’s free (sort of). After graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy, students must fulfill a service commitment, typically in the Navy or Marines.
Admission to the Naval Academy is highly selective—applicants must meet specific criteria, including being:
- A U.S. citizen
- Between the ages of 13 and 23
- Unmarried
- Not pregnant and having no dependants
Applicants must also receive an official nomination, generally from a representative in Congress or a senator.
Learn more about the United States Naval Academy and what it takes to get accepted.
2. Coppin State University
Tuition In-state/Out-of-state: $7,1008/$14,024
Location: Baltimore, MD
Acceptance Rate: 50%
Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,810
Coppin State University is one of Maryland’s several historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The school is named after Fanny Jackson Coppin, a pioneering African-American educator and advocate for women’s higher education.
Today, the school has roughly a 3:1 ratio of male to female students. In addition to being one of the most affordable colleges in Maryland, Coppin State University is also one of the more selective.
Learn more about Coppin State University and what it takes to get accepted.
3. University of Maryland Eastern Shore | UMES
Tuition In-state/Out-of-state: $9,076/$20,122
Location: Princess Anne, MD
Acceptance Rate: 90%
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,233
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is one of Maryland’s four HBCUs and one of the 12 campuses in the University of Maryland System. UMES offers bachelor’s degrees in 38 areas—ranging from accounting to urban forestry—provided through four undergraduate academic schools:
- School of Education, Social Sciences, and the Arts
- School of Business and Technology
- School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences
- School of Pharmacy and Health Professions
Over the past decade, UMES Pharmacy graduates achieved an approximate 80% first-time pass rate on the North American Pharmacy Licensure Exam (NAPLEX).
Learn more about the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and what it takes to get accepted.
4. Morgan State University
Tuition In-state/Out-of-state: $8,229/$19,124
Location: Baltimore, MD
Acceptance Rate: 83%
Undergraduate Enrollment: 8,300
Morgan State University (MSU) was founded in 1867 and today covers a sprawling 185 acres northeast of Baltimore. MSU is another of Maryland’s HBCUs; however, today the school fields a multiethnic, multiracial, multinational student body—although about three-quarters of the student population is Black, numerous other ethnicities are represented on campus.
MSU is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution—meaning the school engages in “high research activity.”
Learn more about Morgan State University and what it takes to get accepted.
5. Bowie State University
Tuition In-state/Out-of-state: $9,218/$19,938
Location: Bowie, MD
Acceptance Rate: 84%
Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,288
Founded in 1865 to educate the state’s newly emancipated citizens, Bowie State University is one of the oldest HBCUs in the nation and Maryland’s oldest HBCU. Bowie State offers over 30 majors, from biology to visual communication and digital media arts, through its four colleges:
- College of Arts & Sciences
- College of Business
- College of Education
- College of Professional Studies
Bowie State’s proximity to both Washington, D.C., and Baltimore (it’s less than an hour’s drive from each) provides students with access to a wealth of professional, cultural, and recreational opportunities.
Learn more about Bowie State University and what it takes to get accepted.
6. Frostburg State University
Tuition In-state/Out-of-state: $10,220/$25,814
Location: Frostburg, MD
Acceptance Rate: 89%
Undergraduate Enrollment: 3,344
Frostburg State University (FSU) has grown considerably since fielding its inaugural class of just 57 students in 1902—presently the college is home to more than 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students. FSU is part of the 12 institutions of the University System of Maryland and the only four-year institution west of the Baltimore-Washington corridor.
Learn more about Frostburg State University and what it takes to get accepted.
7. Towson University
Tuition In-state/Out-of-state: $11,728/$29,820
Location: Towson, MD
Acceptance Rate: 83%
Undergraduate Enrollment: 16,517
Towson University’s (TU) suburban 329-acre campus is located eight miles north of downtown Baltimore and roughly an hour drive from Washington, D.C. TU is the second-largest school in the University System of Maryland, which is the 12th-largest public university system in the United States.
The university offers more than 110 undergraduate majors, concentrations, and tracks to its over 16,000 students. TU has a reputation for its low student-to-faculty ratio (14:1) and relatively small class size (24).
Learn more about Towson University and what it takes to get accepted.
8. Salisbury University
Total Cost In-state/Out-of-state: $11,084/$17,330
Location: Salisbury, MD
Acceptance Rate: 89%
Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,281
The proximity to major cities like Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York is one reason students across the globe choose to attend Salisbury University. More than 200 international students from 60+ countries call Salisbury home.
In addition to being an affordable college option, Salisbury University also delivers attention-grabbing outcomes—98% of students seeking employment were employed full- or part-time within one year after graduation.
Learn more about Salisbury University and what it takes to get accepted.
9. University of Maryland, Baltimore County | UMBC
Total Cost In-state/Out-of-state: $13,256/$31,225
Location: Baltimore, MD
Acceptance Rate: 74%
Undergraduate Enrollment: 10,490
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a dynamic public research university. UMBC prides itself on offering hands-on research opportunities, including entrepreneurial initiatives and workforce training. With over 60 majors, UMBC combines innovative teaching and civic engagement to cultivate a challenging and exciting college community.
Learn more about the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and what it takes to get accepted.
10. University of Maryland, College Park | Maryland
Total Cost In-state/Out-of-state: $11,809/$41,186
Location: College Park, MD
Acceptance Rate: 45%
Undergraduate Enrollment: 30,608
The University of Maryland, College Park, is the largest college in the state and the largest university in the Washington Metropolitan Area as a whole. The university is home to more than 30,000 undergraduates and offers 100+ undergraduate majors.
The University of Maryland, College Park, is also home to the largest university library system in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area—it houses more than nine million titles in its eight libraries and online.
Learn more about the University of Maryland, College Park and what it takes to get accepted.
Tips for Saving Money on College
There are a number of ways for students to reduce the cost of college.
Graduate Faster
The more time you spend in college, the greater its expense and the longer you’re removed from the workforce and not earning. While college is traditionally thought of as a four-year undertaking, the fact is that less than half of college students graduate in four years.
AP exams are one way students can get a head start on fulfilling college requirements while in high school. Summer classes represent another strategy for staying on track to graduate on time. Ultimately, the best plan is to have a strategy to complete all your degree requirements on time and without taking credits that don’t count toward your major.
Community College
Community college isn’t what many aspiring college students think of while working hard in high school. That said, community college can offer incredible cost savings and allow students to complete general education requirements at a fraction of the cost of a four-year school.
Below is a comparison of the average cost per credit at community colleges, public universities, private universities, and private nonprofit institutions.
- The average cost of tuition per credit hour at a two-year college is $149 for in-state students and $351 for out-of-state students
- The average cost of tuition per credit hour at a four-year public university is $400 for in-state students and $1,144 for out-of-state students
- The average cost of tuition per credit hour at a private nonprofit four-year institution is $1,601
Scholarships
Scholarships are an excellent opportunity for students to earn extra funds for college. Outside scholarships are what spring to the minds of most students, but make getting scholarship dollars from the schools themselves a priority. Colleges and universities provide considerably more scholarship dollars than other organizations—$175 billion vs. $11 billion—which is something that should get the attention of cost-conscious college-bound students.
How Much Will You Pay for College?
The sticker price of a college is a poor indicator of what it will cost you to attend. Net price—a calculation using factors like financial aid and scholarships—provides a more accurate picture of what you can expect to pay for college. While you can use each individual school’s net price calculator, CollegeVine’s free Financial Aid Calculator lets you estimate the cost of hundreds of schools in just minutes.
