Maryland is home to one of the most powerful higher education systems in the United States. Johns Hopkins University — the first research university in America, founded in 1876, and the #1 recipient of NIH research funding globally for 40+ consecutive years — leads alongside the University of Maryland College Park (AAU, Big Ten), a system of four public HBCUs, and the uniquely brilliant St. John’s College in Annapolis (third-oldest university in the US), where every student reads the same 100 Great Books of Western Civilization.
Best Universities in Maryland 2026
St. John’s College
Location: Annapolis | Type: Private | Founded: 1696 | Tuition: $58,550/yr
St. John’s College is a private liberal arts college founded in 1696 in Annapolis, Maryland — the third-oldest college in the United States. The most distinctive curriculum in American higher education: there are no majors, no textbooks, no lectures, and no electives. Every student spends…
Programs: Business & Finance, Liberal Arts, Social Work & Humanities
Frostburg State University
Location: Frostburg | Type: Public | Founded: 1898 | Tuition: $9,572/yr
Frostburg State University is a public university founded in 1898 in Frostburg, Maryland, nestled in the Allegheny Mountains of Western Maryland. Enrolling 5,000 students, Frostburg is known for business, education, environmental science, and social work programs serving the rural communities of Western Maryland. Colleges College…
Programs: Business & Finance, Education, Liberal Arts, Social Work & Humanities
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Location: Princess Anne | Type: Public | Founded: 1886 | Tuition: $8,668/yr
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is a public HBCU and Maryland’s 1890 land-grant institution, founded in 1886 in Princess Anne on Maryland’s rural Eastern Shore. Enrolling 2,800 students, UMES is known for agriculture, food science, pharmacy, and environmental science programs serving Eastern Shore’s…
Programs: Agriculture & Environment, Business & Finance, Liberal Arts, Medicine & Health Sciences
Salisbury University
Location: Salisbury | Type: Public | Founded: 1925 | Tuition: $10,016/yr
Salisbury University is a public liberal arts university founded in 1925 in Salisbury, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore near Chesapeake Bay. Consistently ranked #1 among public regional universities in the South by US News for academic quality and value, Salisbury enrolls 9,000 students and is…
Programs: Business & Finance, Education, Liberal Arts, Medicine & Health Sciences
Bowie State University
Location: Bowie | Type: Public | Founded: 1865 | Tuition: $8,064/yr
Bowie State University is a public HBCU founded in 1865 in Bowie, Maryland — the oldest HBCU in Maryland and one of the oldest in the United States. Enrolling 6,000 students between Baltimore and Washington DC, Bowie State is known for computer science, nursing, education,…
Programs: Business & Finance, Education, Liberal Arts, Medicine & Health Sciences
Coppin State University
Location: Baltimore | Type: Public | Founded: 1900 | Tuition: $7,618/yr
Coppin State University is a public HBCU founded in 1900 in West Baltimore, Maryland. Enrolling 2,500 students in one of Baltimore’s most historic neighborhoods, Coppin State serves predominantly first-generation, urban students with nursing, criminal justice, social work, and education programs deeply rooted in community uplift…
Programs: Arts & Design, Business & Finance, Education, Liberal Arts
Towson University
Location: Towson | Type: Public | Founded: 1866 | Tuition: $10,188/yr
Towson University is a public university founded in 1866 in Towson, Maryland, the largest university in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Enrolling 22,000 students in Baltimore County’s prosperous suburbs, Towson is known for business, nursing, education, communications, and fine arts programs. Colleges College of Business and…
Programs: Arts & Design, Business & Finance, Education, Liberal Arts
Loyola University Maryland
Location: Baltimore | Type: Private | Founded: 1852 | Tuition: $48,040/yr
Loyola University Maryland is a private Jesuit Catholic university founded in 1852 in Baltimore. Consistently ranked among the top regional universities in the North, Loyola enrolls 6,000 students and is known for business (Sellinger School of Business — consistently top-25 undergraduate business), education, nursing, psychology,…
Programs: Arts & Design, Business & Finance, Education, Engineering
Top Community Colleges in Maryland 2026
Community colleges in Maryland offer affordable pathways with transfer agreements to major state universities.
- Anne Arundel Community College — Arnold
- Howard Community College — Columbia
- Montgomery College — Rockville
- Prince George’s Community College — Largo
- Community College of Baltimore County — Baltimore
How to Choose a University in Maryland
Consider your major, tuition, accreditations, location, and career outcomes. Compare financial aid packages and visit campuses.
- Tuition: Compare in-state vs out-of-state rates.
- Accreditation: AACSB (business), ABET (engineering), CCNE (nursing).
- Location: Proximity to employers and internships.
- Campus Culture: Visit to find the right fit.
Maryland’s universities benefit enormously from their proximity to Washington DC, the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, the NSA, and the federal government’s vast research and policy apparatus. Students at Maryland universities enjoy some of the most direct access to government careers, policy work, biotech research, and national security employment of any state in the nation.
Browse our complete Maryland university directory.
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