County
College Profile:
St. Mary's College of Maryland
The Honors College Difference
St. Mary's is the State of Maryland's public honors college, designated by law in 1992 in recognition of the quality of the undergraduate education. At its heart, it's a place where students are challenged to create their own path. All students at St. Mary's are honors students. This isn't a place where a small group of students are selected for an honors program. Rather, the entire school is an honors college. Every student has access to discussion-oriented classes and one-on-one interactions with faculty. It is an intellectual community that includes everyone. It's not about being the smartest—just smart.
St. Mary's is a public institution, dedicated to providing a premier education for students with varied backgrounds and worldviews. A fifth of our students are first-generation college students, a quarter are from states other than Maryland or from other countries, and a fifth are students of color. The honors college difference means that students make life-long friends both with those who share their views and others who challenge their thinking.
The honors college prepares students for the future by challenging their limits. In a world where people will change careers multiple times, being educated for the future is the only lasting education.
The College of the River
Located on a horseshoe bend of the St. Mary's River just upstream from the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay, and an hour and a half south of Washington D.C., St. Mary's College occupies the land where settlers founded the fourth oldest permanent English settlement in North America (1634). The colony's "Act of Toleration" made St. Marie's City an early site of religious freedom and remains an abiding precept of life at the honors college.
National Acclaim
It's not just the river and our 319-acre waterfront campus. It's the people who are drawn to it and to the concept of an honors college. These are creative individuals, who write music, conduct experiments, build computers and put their beliefs into action. Don't just take our word for it. As one of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation, St. Mary's is ranked prominently in all the major college rankings. St. Mary's is ranked #1 (tied with New College in Florida) among traditional public liberal arts college by U.S. News and World Reports. The Princeton Review ranked us #11 for "Happiest Students" and #19 for "Most Beautiful Campus." Newsweek named us to the top 25 schools in the nation and "Hottest for Loving the Great Outdoors."
As one of a handful of public honors colleges in the nation, St. Mary's offers the same challenging academics and individualized attention as a small, private liberal arts college. "Public" means we're devoted to accessibility, diversity and affordability--including a reasonable price and a full range of financial aid programs. The honors college is the best of both public and private education.
Scholar Athletes
Another feature of the honors college is that varsity athletes do not have to choose between being a serious athlete or a serious student. They are both. We offer Division III athletic programs and are proud of our scholar-athletes in action.
Learn More
There are many ways to learn more about St. Mary's. Request information by mail or find information online. Do you want to visit a class, meet with a professor, chat with a coach, and experience our beautiful waterfront campus for yourself? Let us know how we can help.
Financial Aid
St. Mary's meets the financial need of all students through a combination of need-based grants, student employment, and loans, as well and offers scholarships for students with superior academic records. Financial aid awards may combine federal, state, and college resources. The Office of Financial Aid is committed to helping students and their families understand the financial aid process and can process federal and State of Maryland grant assistance.
Families are encouraged to explore all types of aid and to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to be considered for federal, state, and St. Mary's financial assistance programs. Of the students in the entering class of 2007, 70% received some form of financial aid (100% of those who filed the FAFSA) and 66% received a grant and/or scholarship from St. Mary's.
The Facts
- A co-ed enrollment of about 2,000 students – 85% of whom live on campus.
- Located 1½ hours south of Washington D.C. next to Historic St. Mary's City.
- Ranked #11 for "Happiest Students" and #19 for "Most Beautiful Campus" by The Princeton Review.
- A 90% retention rate - the highest graduation rate of any public institution of higher education in MD.
- All St. Mary's students - regardless of gender, race or ethnicity graduate at a rate of over 80% in 6 years
- An exceptional faculty - 99% with doctoral degrees, many Fulbright scholars.
- National recognition for student research - from faculty projects that students can join in their first year.
- Exceptional study-abroad programs - guided by professors dedicated to bridging cultures and countries.
- More than 50% of recent alumni go on to professional or graduate schools.
- 66% of alumni seeking employment have secured a position directly related to their major within 4 months of graduation.
- Over the past decade, more than 90% of students who applied to medical school with the help of the Health Services Advisory Committee were accepted.
