Bowie State University
Bowie, MD · Public · Large suburb · BSU
Public institution in Bowie, MD · 5,207 undergraduates · 84% acceptance rate · $54,537 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 23%Undergraduates
- Top 24%In-state tuition & fees
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $19,3351,020th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $8,999483rd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $19,889847th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $24,302641st cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $22,985986th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $54,537815th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $43,877951st highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 38.1%1,553rd highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 69.9%1,236th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 83.5%1,014th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 935997th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 19865th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 5,207485th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 16.0:11,454th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 43.9%547th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 12 mi (BWI)
On 3 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 27 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $68,638 | $62,012 |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, OtherComputer Science | bachelors | $52,107 | $58,673 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $44,305 | $46,087 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $44,170 | $43,696 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesFamily & Consumer Sciences | bachelors | $40,089 | $34,526 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $39,369 | $32,925 |
| Psychology, GeneralPsychology | bachelors | $37,748 | $32,498 |
| SociologySocial Sciences | bachelors | $37,478 | $37,748 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/TechniciansCommunications Technology | bachelors | $34,704 | $27,048 |
| Social WorkPublic Administration | bachelors | $32,925 | $23,649 |
| Health and Physical Education/FitnessParks, Recreation & Fitness | bachelors | $28,019 | — |
| Design and Applied ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $26,739 | $26,715 |
Campus facts
- A Historically Black College or University (HBCU)source
- Founded in 1865source
- Athletic nickname: "Bulldogs"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- School colors: Black and Goldsource
- Mascot: Butch the Bulldogsource
- Formerly known as "{{collapsible list|"source
- Formerly known as "* Baltimore Normal School for Colored Teachers" (1867–1883)source
- Formerly known as "* Baltimore Normal School" (1883–1908)source
- Formerly known as "* Maryland Normal and Industrial School at Bowie" (1908–1935)source
- Formerly known as "* Maryland Teachers College at Bowie" (1935–1963)source
- Formerly known as "* Bowie State College" (1963–1988)source
- Formerly known as "}}"source
- Athletic conference: CIAAsource
- Notable alum: Toni Braxtonsource
- Notable alum: Christa McAuliffesource
- Notable alum: Walesource
Athletics — 9 sports + curated flag football
NCAA Division II with football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $1,130,616 (M $608,948 · W $521,668)
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cross Country
- Football
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field (Indoor)
- Track and Field (Outdoor)
- Volleyball
- Flag Football (women’s, curated)
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport. Women’s flag football is curated (not yet a stable EADA sport filter).
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Bowie State University’s 5,207 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In MD
- Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · 5,617 undergrads
- United States Naval AcademyAnnapolis, MD · 4,465 undergrads
- Salisbury UniversitySalisbury, MD · 6,056 undergrads
- Loyola University MarylandBaltimore, MD · 3,975 undergrads
- Stevenson UniversityOwings Mills, MD · 3,027 undergrads
- Frostburg State UniversityFrostburg, MD · 2,849 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Duquesne UniversityPittsburgh, PA · 5,216 undergrads
- California State University-Channel IslandsCamarillo, CA · 5,230 undergrads
- Saint Cloud State UniversitySaint Cloud, MN · 5,181 undergrads
- University of South DakotaVermillion, SD · 5,239 undergrads
- Park UniversityParkville, MO · 5,250 undergrads
- Community College of DenverDenver, CO · 5,156 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitebowiestate.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 162007)
- Compare colleges in MDRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in MarylandEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Johns Hopkins UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Bowie State University vs Johns Hopkins UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 9 EADA programs at this school
- Women’s flag football rosterCurated national programs (not yet in EADA filters)
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.