St. Mary's College of Maryland
Showcasing the best of public and private colleges, St. Mary's offers a distinctive liberal arts education with a major emphasis on diversity, community, and accessibility.
The Source of Knowledge.
As Maryland’s public honors college, St. Mary’s offers an undergraduate, liberal arts education and small-college experience like those found at exceptional private colleges, but committed to the ideals of affordability, accessibility, and diversity. By combining the virtues of public and private education, St. Mary’s provides a unique alternative for students and their families. This special identity underpins the College’s success and its reputation for excellence.
Engaged Students
At St. Mary’s, unique opportunities abound. Students study archaeology in Greece; investigate marine biology in our fresh and saltwater labs; paint, draw, and sculpt in our art studios; or try out for theatrical productions. The possibilities are endless and students coming to St. Mary’s with numerous interests are not limited in their studies, but are encouraged to explore many different disciplines...
World-wide Learning
- Research puts students in the driver’s seat. At St. Mary’s, many students earn academic credit doing individual research and independent study projects in collaboration with a faculty member. First- and second-year students often join ongoing projects while advanced students pursue their interest under the mentorship of a favorite professor. Recent projects include: The Effects of Family Dynamics on Aggression, Nondestructive Coral Health Monitoring, Improving Science Literacy Among Elementary School Children, U.S.-Cuban Relations: Where Do We Go From Here?, The Emergence of A Political Theater in South Africa, and Defining a New Internet Language
- Study Abroad at St. Mary’s is a serious subject. Unlike many colleges that expect you to sort out the details for yourself, St. Mary’s designs unique international programs that truly explore other cultures. Study interpretations of Shakespeare in England, history in China, or archaeology in Greece. Our ever-growing list of programs includes destinations in Senegal, Germany, Belize, the Caribbean, Thailand, France, and the Gambia.
- Contributing to the sense of community that defines St. Mary’s, many students go beyond campus to contribute to the surrounding area. Working in local schools, aiding those in need, and preserving the environment, students find service instructive and rewarding. In addition, many department offer service learning in conjunction with school work, allowing students to earn academic credit as they make a difference in their community. St. Mary’s students have completed service learning projects with: America Reads, Christmas in April, St. Mary’s Hospital, and Local Schools. They also provide tutoring for the GED and for at-risk youths.
Great Teaching
With a low student/faculty ratio (12:1), small, discussion-based classes, and an excellent core curriculum, St. Mary’s offers a remarkable liberal arts education. As the honors college of the State of Maryland, the undergraduates are held to a higher level of expectation from the faculty and students are offered the kinds of academic opportunities, challenges, and results usually reserved exclusively for students in honors programs...
Chart Your Own Course
- St. Mary’s College is one of only two public honors colleges in the nation. That means you’ll receive an education comparable to the best private liberal arts colleges, but at about one half of the cost. St. Mary’s Core Curriculum introduces students to the liberal arts tradition, exposing them to the breadth of human knowledge and teaching them the important skills of effective reading, writing, and critical thinking.
- St. Mary’s is a leader in interdisciplinary study. Interdisciplinary options include African and African Diaspora Studies, Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, Museum Studies, Neurosciences, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. A list of courses includes offerings like: Sexuality and Modernity, Studies in Genre: The Female Coming-of-Age Novel, The History of Apartheid, Introduction to African Dance, The Tale of Genji and The Story of the Stone, and Buddhist Art of Asia.
The St. Mary’s Project is a year-long, 8-credit, independently designed and executed course of study that serves as a capstone experience for a student’s time at St. Mary’s. Working in close conjunction with one or more professors, the St. Mary’s project provides opportunity to explore an idea or question that intrigues the student. Many projects are interdisciplinary, bringing together threads from earlier classes taken across the curriculum. Many are highly personal, involving creative or innovative work that ties together four years of study in a meaningful way. Past projects include: “A Defect of the Confederation: The Crisis of Virginia’s Western Cession,” “Geospecific 3-dimensional Databases for Real-Time Visual Simulation,” “Economic Aid for Women-Centered Cultures,” “A Miracle Manifested: A New Vision of Public Education,” and “Patients versus Patents: The Economics of Essential Medicines in Poor Countries.”
Academic Programs
Anthropology, Art and Art History, Asian Studies, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, English, International Languages and Cultures, History, Student-Designed Major, Mathematics, Music, Natural Science, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Policy Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology, Theater Film and Media Studies (TFMS)
Minors
Art History, Art Studio, Biology, Computer Science, Economics, Educational Studies, Film and Media Studies, History, International Languages and Cultures, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, Theater Studies
Cross-Disciplinary Study Programs
African and African Diaspora Studies, Asian Studies, Democracy Studies, Environmental Studies, Museum Studies, Neurosciences, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Pre-Professional Programs
Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Engineering (3-2 program with U. Md. School of Engineering) Pre-Law, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Optometry, Pre- Pharmacy, Pre-Veterinary Science, Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
Vibrant Community
St. Mary’s College has the most residential campus in the state, with nearly 90% of the students living on campus. With a busy waterfront campus, a strong intramural and varsity athletic program, over 100 different student-run clubs and organizations, a newly renovated gymnasium, new river center, and Washington D.C, Baltimore and Annapolis within a two hour drive from campus, students find plenty to do...
Wave of Friendship
- St. Mary’s is an active community of friendly people and aspiring scholars. Lecture series and guest speakers help bring innovation to the campus. The annual Margaret Brent Lecture and Carter G. Woodson Lecture bring speakers of notable accomplishments to campus to speak about gender and race issues, while the Goodpaster Lecture in Leadership and Honor brings an important national leader to campus each fall to speak with students. Past speakers include… Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist David S. Broder, U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes, Mario Livio of the Space Telescope Science Institute, President of the Gambia Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, and co-founder of Black Panther Party Bobby Seale.
- Whether you play on a Seahawk varsity team, join a club sport, or organize friends on an intramural team, athletics are a major aspect of campus life. St. Mary’s fields 16 varsity teams in NCAA Division III competitive play. Our nationally ranked sailing team competes against powerhouses like the U.S. Naval Academy, Georgetown, and Harvard, and has won ten national titles. Additionally, there are more than 20 club and intramural sports, ranging from cheerleading and crew to fencing and Ultimate Frisbee. Over 70% of the students participate in varsity, club and intramural sports.
- Students shape and direct campus life through student government and campus organizations. That’s why you’ll find specialty clubs like the sunset club, travel club, Take One! Improv, and the dance club. With more than 100 campus organizations, there’s a group for almost every interest. Don’t see a club that you’d like to join? Get some people together and start a new one.
Successful Outcomes
The education provided from a strong liberal arts institution like St. Mary’s College of Maryland will prepare graduates for the challenges that they may face in graduate school and the work force. St. Mary’s boasts the highest graduation rate of any state-supported college or university in Maryland and, within a year of graduation, two-thirds of St. Mary’s graduates seeking employment have a job directly related to their field...
A Class Act
- Interested in advanced studies? St. Mary’s is the place for you. About 60% of our students enroll in graduate or professional school after graduation. Our graduates choose some of the most of prestigious programs in the nation; a small sampling includes: Duke University of Law, Scripps Research Institution, College of William and Mary, Carnegie Mellon, University of Chicago, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia School of Medicine, and University of Virginia.
- Even in a less than stellar job-market, St. Mary’s alumni succeed in the workplace. Within a year of graduation, 66% of St. Mary’s alumni seeking employment have a job directly related to their major. A small sampling of St. Mary’s employers includes The Daily Reporter, Lockheed Martin, US Department of Labor, NASA, the Washington Post, and the Peace Corps.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland is a four year, public, liberal arts college founded in 1840.
Mission
As Maryland’s public honors college, St. Mary’s offers an undergraduate, liberal arts education and small college experience like those found at exceptional private colleges. St. Mary’s shares the hallmarks of private institutions: an outstanding faculty, talented students, high academic standards, a challenging curriculum, small classes, a sense of community, and a spirit of intellectual inquiry. By combining the virtues of public and private education, St. Mary’s provides a unique alternative for students and their families. This special identity underpins the College’s success and its reputation for excellence.
Location
St. Mary’s City, MD. 70 miles southeast of Washington, D.C., 95 miles south of Baltimore
Student Profile
2,000 students (45% male, 55% female) 38 states and territories represented: 19% minority, 1% international.
Faculty Profile
147 full-time faculty. 12:1 student/faculty ratio. Average class size is 16 students.
Residence Life
Highly residential: 85+% of students live on campus.
Athletics
NCAA Division III, Capital Athletic Conference. 16 varsity sports (7 men‘s: baseball, basketball, cross country, lacrosse, sailing soccer, swimming, tennis; 9 women’s: basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, sailing, soccer, swimming, tennis, volleyball; 1 coed: sailing), 13 club sports and 15 intramurals.
Activity/Club/Organization Types
Academic honors, activism, music (choral, instrumental), health and fitness, hobbies, media (newspaper, radio, journal, yearbook), minority/ethnic, outdoors/environmental, performance (theater/dance), professional interest/academic subject, politics, religious/spiritual, student events/campus programming, women’s/gender studies.
Costs and Aid
2012-2013
$26,318 (in-state billable cost), $38.878 (out-of-state billable cost) ($15,013 a year in-state tuition), ($27,573 a year out-of-state tuition). 78% of students receive some financial aid. Average Award: $4,500.
Financial Information
Alumni giving rate 22%; Endowment $26.4 million
More Distinctions
- Named “one of the top ten small public colleges to combine great academics and affordable tuitions” By Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.
- Rated in the top 15 colleges in the nation for strong liberal arts values by Insight Magazine
- Ranked in the top 10% of U.S. colleges by Barron’s Best Buys
- Ranked first nationally among traditional public liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report
- Ranked among the top 10% of colleges in the nation by The Princeton Review
- Named one of the Best Buy public colleges by The Fiske Guide to Colleges
- Named one of the top 20 undiscovered gems among U.S. Colleges by The Washington Post
- Named one of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report
- One of Newsweek’s 25 hottest colleges.
To complete the admission process, applicants should submit the following materials:
A completed Application for Admission through the Common App- Official transcripts of all completed high school work
- SAT I and/or ACT scores; TOEFL scores for International Students
- Two letters of recommendation; with option to send up to 2 more letters from anyone
Admission Application Deadline
Early Decision I: Apply by November 1 (Notification by December 15)
Early Decision II: Apply by January 1 (Notification by February 15)
Priority Decision for Merit Scholarship: Apply by November 1 (Notification by April 1)
Regular Decision: Apply by January 1 (Notification by April 1)
Financial Aid
78% of St. Mary’s students receive some form of financial aid from the institution. For the 2009-102012-13 academic year, room and board costs are $5,5806,385 and $4,375 920 respectively to total $9,95511,305 and tuition and fees costs are $13,23415,013 for in-state students; for out-of-state student, tuition costs are $24,62727,573. To offset the cost of admission, St. Mary’s offers several forms of need-based aid.
In addition to need-based aid, St. Mary’s awards several merit-based scholarships each year, with an average amount of $4,500. Eligibility for these awards is based on several factors, including a student’s past academic record, and application essay and co-curricular resume.
St. Mary's scholarships recognize academic achievement and significant co-curricular accomplishments outside of the classroom and are given on a competitive basis without regard to financial need. All applicants for admission to St. Mary's are reviewed for scholarship by the Scholarship Review Committee. Applicants for Merit Awards must file the FAFSA by March 1. Consideration includes academic record, strength of curriculum, standardized test scores, essay, recommendations, and co-curricular activities. St. Mary's does not use set formulas for determining merit awards. Each student applicant is considered as an individual by the Scholarship Review Committee. The examples of academic excellence in the descriptions are general guidelines used by the committee. So that St. Mary's can recognize the accomplishments of as many students as possible, scholarship offers from St. Mary's will not exceed the value of in-state tuition. Tuition waivers are scholarships and count towards this limit. Scholarships from outside sources do not count, nor do need-based grants from St. Mary's or other sources.
Recipients of merit awards have challenged themselves with a rigorous course of study that often includes Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or honors courses. Awards are based primarily on academic achievement. Awards are renewed for up to four years of full-time study at St. Mary's (two years for transfer students) as long as the student remains in good standing and maintains at least a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) in each semester.
Merit awards recognize academic achievement and significant co-curricular accomplishments outside the classroom and are given on a competitive basis without regard to financial need. All applicants to the College are reviewed for scholarships by the Scholarship Review Committee with consideration in the areas of academic record, standardized test scores, strength of curriculum, essay, and co-curricular activities.
Recipients of Merit Awards have challenged themselves with a rigorous course of study that often includes Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or honors courses—or membership in an academic honors society. Awards are based primarily on academic achievement. A few awards are designated for students from certain geographical areas or for those pursuing a particular major. Awards are automatically renewed for up to four consecutive years of full-time study at St. Mary’s as long as the student remains in good standing and maintains at least a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) in each semester.
St. Mary's Academic Achievement Awards are given for outstanding academic achievement in the amount of $3,000 to the equivalent of in-state tuition. St. Mary's does not use set formulas for determining this award, but academic excellence often is demonstrated by a class rank in the top 10%, a cumulative GPA above 3.5 in academic courses (3.8 weighted GPA), or an SAT I (new) score above 2000.
Paul H. Nitze Scholars Program Awards. Each year St. Mary's admits about 14 entering students into the Paul H. Nitze Scholars Program. In addition, several students completing their first year of study at St. Mary's are invited to become Nitze Scholars. Nitze Scholars have demonstrated commitment to the liberal arts and sciences through outstanding academic success, and a commitment to the improvement of society through leadership and service. Each scholar receives $3,000 per year in addition to any other merit awards, renewed for up to four consecutive years of participation in the program. Application is by invitation of the Nitze Scholars Committee, administered by the faculty at St. Mary's. (Contact Dr. Michael Taber, mstaber@smcm.edu, for more information.)
Presidential Merit Awards are given for academic achievement and impressive co-curricular accomplishments in the amount of $500 to $2,000 per year. St. Mary's does not use set formulas for determining this award, but academic excellence often is demonstrated by a class rank in the top 25%, a cumulative GPA above 3.2 in academic courses (3.5 weighted GPA), or an SAT I (new) score above 1900. Candidates must also demonstrate significant achievement in co-curricular activities as identified in the student's resume and letters of recommendation. Examples of such activities include art, communications and media, community service, creative writing, debate/forensics, Eagle Scout or Gold Award, internship and employment experiences, environmental service clubs, math and science fairs and competitions, Model United Nations, music, peer mentoring, student government, theater, or YMCA/YWCA. (Students may not receive both a St. Mary's Achievement Award and a Presidential Merit Award.)
St. Mary's International Baccalaureate (IB) Scholarship. Students who earn an IB diploma or multiple IB certificates with outstanding academic records are considered for this scholarship in the amount of $1,000 to $3,000.
CollegeBound Partnership Scholarships are matching awards to students from Baltimore public high schools who receive scholarships or grants from the CollegeBound Foundation.
Phi Theta Kappa Awards: All transfer students who enter St. Mary’s with an A.A. or A.S. degree, a GPA of 3.5 or better, and who are members in good standing of Phi Theta Kappa receive this award in the amount of $1,000 to $4,000.
St. Mary’s Transfer Scholarships are awarded to transfer students with outstanding academic records at another college. Academic excellence can be demonstrated by a cumulative GPA above 3.5 in academic courses and a rigorous course of study. Awards range from $500 to $4,000 per year.
St. Mary's College of Maryland
18952 E. Fisher Road
St. Mary’s City, MD 20686-3001
1-800-492-7181
Fax: 240-895-5001
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