Cheapest Colleges in Maryland
Sticker prices at the 22 four-year colleges we rank in Maryland run from $7,100 to $65,230 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $58,130 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 12 public colleges here charge a median of $10,106 a year, within a few percent of the national public median of $9,940. The 10 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $52,716, above the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
Coppin State University ranks first at $7,100, ahead of University of Maryland Global Campus ($8,136) and Morgan State University ($8,229).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Maryland
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Maryland has 22
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 22 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Coppin State University Baltimore, MD Public · 4-year | $7,100 | $14,024 | $9,977 | 26% | 1,844 |
| 2 | University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD Public · 4-year | $8,136 | $12,336 | $22,063 | 31% | 49,664 |
| 3 | Morgan State University Baltimore, MD Public · 4-year | $8,229 | $19,124 | $14,985 | 41% | 9,019 |
| 4 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore Princess Anne, MD Public · 4-year | $9,076 | $20,122 | $13,338 | 35% | 2,391 |
| 5 | Bowie State University Bowie, MD Public · 4-year | $9,218 | $19,938 | $19,298 | 38% | 5,043 |
| 6 | University of Baltimore Baltimore, MD Public · 4-year | $9,992 | $23,984 | $13,868 | 43% | 1,133 |
| 7 | Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD Public · 4-year | $10,220 | $25,814 | $16,715 | 51% | 2,909 |
| 8 | Salisbury University Salisbury, MD Public · 4-year | $11,084 | $22,174 | $17,743 | 68% | 6,057 |
| 9 | Towson University Towson, MD Public · 4-year | $11,728 | $29,820 | $17,413 | 69% | 16,136 |
| 10 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD Public · 4-year | $11,809 | $41,186 | $15,678 | 89% | 30,760 |
| 11 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD Public · 4-year | $13,256 | $31,275 | $16,467 | 70% | 10,701 |
| 12 | St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's City, MD Public · 4-year | $15,298 | $31,374 | $18,441 | 69% | 1,603 |
| 13 | Stevenson University Owings Mills, MD Private nonprofit · 4-year | $40,560 | — | $26,505 | 67% | 3,102 |
| 14 | Notre Dame of Maryland University Baltimore, MD Private nonprofit · 4-year | $43,360 | — | $19,169 | 51% | 709 |
| 15 | Hood College Frederick, MD Private nonprofit · 4-year | $47,700 | — | $20,873 | 56% | 1,194 |
| 16 | Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg, MD Private nonprofit · 4-year | $48,630 | — | $22,655 | 62% | 1,768 |
| 17 | McDaniel College Westminster, MD Private nonprofit · 4-year | $52,081 | — | $21,916 | 64% | 1,617 |
| 18 | Goucher College Baltimore, MD Private nonprofit · 4-year | $53,350 | — | $22,470 | 59% | 964 |
| 19 | Washington College Chestertown, MD Private nonprofit · 4-year | $55,326 | — | $27,898 | 70% | 891 |
| 20 | Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD Private nonprofit · 4-year | $56,800 | — | $42,729 | 72% | 1,189 |
| 21 | Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD Private nonprofit · 4-year | $57,150 | — | $30,574 | 80% | 3,869 |
| 22 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Private nonprofit · 4-year | $65,230 | — | $18,809 | 94% | 5,693 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Maryland, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Maryland
Cheap colleges in Maryland for out-of-state students
26 schools
Community colleges in Maryland
14 schools
Best value colleges in Maryland
18 schools
Highest graduate earnings in Maryland
22 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in Pennsylvania
83 schools
Cheapest colleges in Virginia
38 schools
Cheapest colleges in West Virginia
16 schools
All 44 colleges in Maryland See the national version of this ranking