National recognition and new evidence from St. Mary’s College of Maryland students are providing a fuller picture of the distinctive public honors education students experience at the National Public Honors College. U.S. News & World Report has ranked St. Mary’s College No. 6 among national public liberal arts colleges in its 2027 rankings. The Princeton Review also included St. Mary’s College as #5 Top 20 Best Schools for Making an Impact (Public Schools) in its 2027 lists of best colleges and best colleges in the mid-Atlantic. Niche has ranked St. Mary’s College food No. 1 in Maryland every year since 2022.
The U.S. News recognition comes as the public liberal arts category has expanded significantly. The number of ranked institutions grew from 19 in 2026 to 39 in 2027 following Carnegie reclassifications that added 23 institutions to the category. At No. 6, St. Mary’s College is among the top-ranked national public liberal arts colleges in the country in the expanded field. The national recognition is one source of evidence about the St. Mary’s College experience. Students themselves provide another.
Among respondents to the College’s 2026 Senior Exit Survey, 97% reported feeling connected to a faculty or staff member. More than nine in 10 said their St. Mary’s College experience had a positive impact on their ability to think critically (92%) and understand different perspectives (93%).
“External recognition provides one important perspective on the quality of St. Mary’s College, but no single ranking tells the whole story,” said St. Mary’s College President Rhonda Phillips. “The strongest evidence is found in what our students experience and accomplish. From the relationships they build with faculty and the opportunities they pursue to the possibilities that open to them after graduation, St. Mary’s College students demonstrate what a rigorous, personal and purposeful education can make possible.”
Fall 2026 enrollment data also reflect the College’s continuing commitment to access and opportunity. The entering class includes about 400 first-time students and 80 transfer students, who bring a range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to the St. Mary’s College community. Among first-time students, 38% are students of color and 29% are the first generation in their families to attend college; among incoming transfer students, 39% are first-generation college students.
“Students and families are looking closely at academic quality, personal attention, opportunity and affordability as they relate to outcomes,” said David Hautanen Jr., vice president for enrollment management. “At St. Mary’s College, they find a public honors education where students are challenged academically, known by their professors and have meaningful opportunities to put what they learn into practice. We are proud to welcome an entering class that brings a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and ambitions to that community.”
St. Mary’s College’s distinctive public honors model brings together qualities students may not expect to find in a single college experience: rigorous academics and close faculty relationships, individual attention and expansive opportunity, ambition and collaboration. At St. Mary’s College, students can experience all of these. From their first days on campus through graduation, students have opportunities to work closely with faculty as well as apply their learning through research, internships and international experiences to prepare for what comes next.