by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which college to attend when you have so many options available. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Top Maryland Colleges ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
We analyzed 35 colleges and universities across Maryland to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking is based on over 20 objective factors, including post graduate earnings, freshman retention, and graduation rate. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location or field of study and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Johns Hopkins University to be the best school for overall quality in Maryland in this year’s ranking.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. During the early years of their career, graduates from Johns Hopkins make an average of $87,555 a year.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Maryland - College Park helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Maryland.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UMCP go into careers with an average salary of $82,860 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Maryland. It ranked #3 on our 2025 Best Colleges in Maryland list.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 77%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Loyola Maryland make an average of $82,652 a year.
Out of the 35 schools in Maryland that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland Global Campus landed the #4 spot on the list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from UMGC make an average of $65,287 a year.
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges in Maryland list means Towson University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Towson is $64,390 during the early years of their career.
University of Maryland - Baltimore County did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Maryland ranking, coming in at #6.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UMBC go into careers with an average salary of $69,960 during the early years of their career.
Montgomery College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Maryland ranking, coming in at #7.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Montgomery College is $50,159 during the early years of their career.
St John’s College landed the #8 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Maryland ranking.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $51,584 during the early years of their career..
Chesapeake College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges in Maryland list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Chesapeake College is $36,301 during the early years of their career.
Baltimore City Community College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Maryland ranking, coming in at #10.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Baltimore City Community College make an average of $36,025 a year.
Community College of Baltimore County landed the #11 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Maryland ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from CCBC make an average of $43,729 per year during the early years of their career.
Salisbury University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Maryland ranking, coming in at #12.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Salisbury make an average of $61,515 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #13, Prince George’s Community College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Maryland list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from PGCC make an average of $47,548 a year.
Anne Arundel Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Maryland ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from AACC make an average of $46,219 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #15, Howard Community College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Maryland list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from HCC make an average of $49,020 a year.
Hagerstown Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Maryland ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from HCC is $41,615 during the early years of their career.
Notre Dame of Maryland University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges in Maryland list.
The student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from NDMU is $65,344 during the early years of their career.
Stevenson University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges in Maryland list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Stevenson is $62,079 during the early years of their career.
University of Baltimore landed the #19 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Maryland ranking.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $61,335 during the early years of their career..
Mount St Mary’s University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges in Maryland list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from The Mount make an average of $64,072 a year.
College of Southern Maryland ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges in Maryland list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from CSM make an average of $44,435 per year during the early years of their career.
Frederick Community College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges in Maryland list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Frederick Community College is $46,449 during the early years of their career.
McDaniel College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Maryland ranking.
During the early years of their career, graduates from McDaniel make an average of $60,663 a year.
St Mary’s College of Maryland ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges in Maryland list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from SMCM make an average of $60,110 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #25, Allegany College of Maryland did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Maryland list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Allegany College of Maryland make an average of $38,476 per year during the early years of their career.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.