The Most Selective Colleges in Maryland
Every eligible Maryland four-year that reports an admission rate, ranked hardest to get into first and easiest last — not a prestige Top 25. Selectivity here is the published rate, not a magazine composite.
Ranked by acceptance rate · 23 of 33 Maryland institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking · Compiled 2026-09-01
Chase these schools
Top schools on this list that also show up elsewhere — hop lists without leaving the trail.
- 1Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · Private7.6%Compare nearby
- 2United States Naval AcademyAnnapolis, MD · Public9.4%Compare nearby
- 3University of Maryland-College ParkCollege Park, MD · Public44.8%Compare nearby
- 4Washington Adventist UniversityTakoma Park, MD · Private45.4%Compare nearby
- 5Coppin State UniversityBaltimore, MD · Public49.6%Compare nearby
- 6Washington CollegeChestertown, MD · Private65.5%Compare nearby
- 7Mount St. Mary's UniversityEmmitsburg, MD · Private71.9%Compare nearby
- 8Goucher CollegeBaltimore, MD · Private72.9%Compare nearby
- 9University of Maryland-Baltimore CountyBaltimore, MD · Public74.2%Compare nearby
- 10St. Mary's College of MarylandSt. Mary's City, MD · Public75.4%Compare nearby
- 11Loyola University MarylandBaltimore, MD · Private76.3%Compare nearby
- 12Maryland Institute College of ArtBaltimore, MD · Private77.3%Compare nearby
- 13Hood CollegeFrederick, MD · Private78.1%Compare nearby
- 14Towson UniversityTowson, MD · Public82.8%Compare nearby
- 15Morgan State UniversityBaltimore, MD · Public83.0%Compare nearby
- 16Stevenson UniversityOwings Mills, MD · Private83.2%Compare nearby
- 17Bowie State UniversityBowie, MD · Public83.5%Compare nearby
- 18McDaniel CollegeWestminster, MD · Private83.6%Compare nearby
- 19University of BaltimoreBaltimore, MD · Public85.5%Compare nearby
- 20Notre Dame of Maryland UniversityBaltimore, MD · Private86.5%Compare nearby
- 21Salisbury UniversitySalisbury, MD · Public88.6%Compare nearby
- 22Frostburg State UniversityFrostburg, MD · Public89.4%Compare nearby
- 23University of Maryland Eastern ShorePrincess Anne, MD · Public90.4%Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Acceptance rate — sorted lowest to highest
- Source variable
ADM_RATE- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution (05-19-2025 release)
- Maryland institutions in this universe (33 schools).
- Maryland four-year main campuses only. Rank order is published admission rate; on an exact tie, higher SAT average ranks above, and missing SAT does not drop a school. SAT is not shown because it is not the ranked measure. Schools without a published ADM_RATE are omitted rather than estimated.
- Institutions enrolling fewer than 500 undergraduates are excluded — the same size floor as the national selectivity list — even when they report an admission rate. That cut is not a median-stability adjustment.
- 23 of 33 Maryland institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking (report the measure and pass any enrollment floor); the rest are omitted rather than estimated.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
Keep exploring
- Re-rank with your weightsRe-score with your weights, pre-filtered to MD
- Showdown: Johns Hopkins University vs United States Naval AcademyHigher-or-lower on Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Live leaderboardReshuffle Top 10–50 on one Scorecard measure
- Explore games & mapsShowdown, Name That College, sports, and more lists
- Sports at Johns Hopkins UniversityEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
The Most Selective Colleges in America
Lowest share of applicants admitted. Selectivity measures demand and class size, not teaching quality.
Colleges with the Highest SAT Averages
Average SAT score of enrolled students. Reported by fewer than half of institutions as test-optional admissions has spread.
Colleges That Admit Nearly Everyone
Open and near-open admission four-year institutions, ranked by the share of applicants accepted.