As part of St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s commitment for providing rigorous, relevant, and experiential education accessible to everyone with the talent, ambition, and potential to do the work, St. Mary’s College is proud to have the highest four-year graduation rate in Maryland and the lowest debt among graduates of all Maryland’s public 4-year institutions.
In fact, according to LendEDU, St. Mary’s College graduates benefit from one of the lowest average debt figures in the United States, ranking #135 out of all 1,080 institutions analyzed and #70 amongst all similar public schools.
The slight increase in tuition, approved by the Board of Trustees on May 10, will be only the fourth increase at Maryland’s public honors college in six years. The Board approved a two percent tuition increase for the 2019-20 academic year. In-state tuition will increase by $238 to the rate of $12,116; out-of-state tuition will also increase two percent by $552 to the rate of $28,192; District of Columbia resident tuition will increase 1.09 percent by $238 to the rate of $22,116.
A tuition freeze by the College locked rates into place for students between fiscal years 2013-14. The state legislature enabled St. Mary’s College to implement an 8.6 percent in-state tuition reduction in fiscal year 2015 – the largest price cut in the country at that time for a public four-year school.
Since 2007, national public colleges and universities have increased tuition by an average of 50 percent and Maryland public colleges and universities by an average of 29 percent, compared to the 18 percent increase at St. Mary’s College during that same time frame.
“The decision to increase tuition is one that we take seriously,” said Tuajuanda C. Jordan, president of St. Mary’s College. “Although the College will implement a modest increase for the 2019-20 academic year, in-state tuition remains below what it was for the 2012-13 academic year. Our mission is to provide an excellent liberal arts education that is both accessible and affordable. We continue to answer that call.”