Best-Value Colleges in Maryland
7 Maryland 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment — 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price — among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
The best-value college in Maryland is University of Maryland-College Park, College Park — a net price of $15,590 against $82,860 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 5.3×, with a 89% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD | $15,590 | $82,860 | 5.3× | 89% | $11,505 |
| 2 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD | $18,161 | $87,555 | 4.8× | 95% | $63,340 |
| 3 | Towson University Towson, MD | $16,791 | $64,390 | 3.8× | 68% | $11,306 |
| 4 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD | $18,328 | $69,960 | 3.8× | 71% | $12,952 |
| 5 | Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD | $29,633 | $82,652 | 2.8× | 80% | $55,480 |
| 6 | Stevenson University Owings Mills, MD | $26,806 | $62,079 | 2.3× | 66% | $39,708 |
| 7 | Washington College Chestertown, MD | $29,095 | $65,518 | 2.3× | 74% | $54,356 |
How we ranked this
From every Maryland four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price — the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys — highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Maryland?+
University of Maryland-College Park in College Park has the highest return on investment among Maryland 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $15,590 against $82,860 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 5.3× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) — with a 89% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance — a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Maryland four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
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Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.