St. Mary's vs. TU

Should I go to St Mary's College of Maryland or Towson University? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if St. Mary's or TU is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

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St Mary's College of Maryland vs. Towson University comparison
St Mary's College of Maryland Towson University College 3 College 4
St Mary's College of Maryland Towson University
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Overview

St. Mary's TU
Location St. Mary's City, MD Towson, MD
Setting Distant Rural Small City
Enrollment 1,520 19,793
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #143 #445
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website smcm.edu towson.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

St. Mary's TU
Tuition (In State) $12,116 $7,238
Tuition (Out of State) $28,192 $23,240
Room & Board $14,146 $13,642
Avg Net Price $20,714 $14,443
Avg Grant Aid $10,265 $11,415
% Receiving Grant Aid 94% 74%

Admission

St. Mary's TU
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 2,934 17,770
Admitted 2,268 13,967
Acceptance Rate 77.3% 78.6%
Enrolled % 18.1% 19.1%
Avg High School GPA 3.45 3.69
Typical High School Grades B+ B+
Admissions Standards Difficult Moderate
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 28/30 19/25
SAT Range 1130/1370 1010/1230
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline Jan 15, 2025 Apr 1, 2025

Academics

St. Mary's TU
Student to Faculty Ratio 10:1 15:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (28%)
  • Psychology (18%)
  • English and Literature (13%)
  • Biology (11%)
  • History (6%)
  • Business (18%)
  • Education (11%)
  • Social Sciences (11%)
  • Communication (9%)
  • Health Professions (9%)

Outcomes

St. Mary's TU
Graduation Rate 79% 64%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $51,500 $53,500
Making Student Loan Payments 82% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $20,370 $17,750
Median Loan Payment $210 $183

Diversity

St. Mary's TU
% Men 41% 39%
% Women 59% 61%
Racial Diversity Low Medium
HBCU No No
% White 71% 61%
% Black 8% 18%
% Hispanic 8% 6%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 5% 4%
% International 1% 2%
% Unknown Race 3% 3%

Students

St. Mary's TU
% In-State 87% 89%
% Out-of-State 12% 8%

Campus

St. Mary's TU
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility No Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Towson University is larger than than St. Mary's based on total student enrollment (19,793 students vs. 1,520 students)

St. Mary's vs. TU Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, St. Mary's or TU?

  • St Mary's College of Maryland is 67.4% more expensive to attend than TU for in-state tuition ($12,116.00 vs. $7,238.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 21.3% higher at St. Mary's than Towson University ($28,192.00 vs. $23,240.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Towson University than St. Mary's ($14,443 vs. $20,714)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Towson University are 3.7% lower than costs at St Mary's College of Maryland ($13,642 vs. $14,146)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at St Mary's College of Maryland than Towson University (94% vs. 74%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Towson University students is 11.2% larger than aid received St Mary's College of Maryland ($11,415 vs. $10,265)

St. Mary's vs. TU Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, St. Mary's or TU? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between TU or St. Mary's .

  • The average SAT score at St Mary's College of Maryland (1145) is 64 points higher than at TU (1081)
  • Incoming St. Mary's students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at TU (23)
  • Accepted freshman TU students have a 0.24 point higher average high school GPA (3.69) than students at St. Mary's (3.45)
  • TU has a higher acceptance rate (78.6%) than St. Mary's (77.3%)

St. Mary's vs. TU Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, St. Mary's or TU? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between TU and St. Mary's.

  • The graduation rate at St. Mary's is higher than Towson University (79% vs. 64%)
  • Graduates from Towson University earn on average $2,000 more per year than St. Mary's graduates after ten years. ($53,500 vs. $51,500)
  • Towson University students graduate with a $2,620 lower median federal student loan debt than St. Mary's graduates. ($17,750 vs. $20,370)
  • TU graduates are paying $27 less per month on federal student loans than St. Mary's graduates. ($183 vs. $210)
  • More St. Mary's graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former TU students, three years after graduation. (82% vs. 69%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/