St. Mary’s College of Maryland

With a low student-to-faculty ratio (10:1), small, discussion-based classes, and an excellent core curriculum, St. Mary’s College offers a remarkable liberal arts and sciences education. St. Mary’s College is the National Public Honors College, meaning that all undergraduates are held to a higher level of expectation. Students are offered the kinds of academic opportunities, challenges, and results usually reserved exclusively for students in honors programs.

“[Dr.] Dennis was an awesome mentor. He was always there to give me advice and suggestions to solve the problems that occurred during the experiment. We had productive conversations about the project’s next steps and his support and trust in whatever I decided to do for the project helped make me more independent, confident and allowed me to grow as a scientist.” – Nhu Chau ’20, who is researching the elimination of side effects for the treatment of Parkinson Disease under the guidance of faculty-mentor Dr. Torry Scott Dennis, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience.  

CHART YOUR OWN COURSE
St. Mary’s College 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.

INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY
St. Mary’s College is a leader in interdisciplinary study. Students can engage in multiple fields of study with such options as African and African Diaspora Studies; Asian Studies; Democracy Studies; Environmental Studies; Materials Science; Museum Studies; Neurosciences; and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Recent course offerings have been as unique as The Neuroscience of Sex and Gender.

FIRST-YEAR SEMINARS
Incoming students are quickly immersed in the St. Mary’s College experience via their First-Year Seminar courses. Students may choose from dozens of small, discussion-focused courses, all of which are taught by professors from every discipline at the College. Past topics include: The Art of Political Protest, The Many Lives of Lincoln, and The Evolution of Altruism. The First-Year Seminars serve as a gateway to the honors college by encouraging students to engage deeply with an intellectual topic. Thanks to its small class size and focused attention from faculty, every seminar serves to foster students’ ability to write, speak, research, and think critically.

THE ST. MARY’S PROJECT
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 College. Designed to engage students close conjunction with one or more professors, the St. Mary’s Project provides the opportunity to explore any idea or question that a student finds especially intriguing. Many projects are interdisciplinary, bringing together threads from earlier classes taken across the curriculum. They are typically highly personal, involving creative or innovative work that ties together students’ individual 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.”

SPECIAL STUDY OPTIONS
Programs available at this institution.
Cross-registration
Double major
Dual enrollment
Exchange student program (domestic)
Independent study
Internships
Student-designed major
Study abroad

St. Mary’s College is a highly residential campus, with nearly 85% of undergraduate students living on campus in townhouses, suites, apartments, and dormitories. Students can find plenty to do on campus, with freely available waterfront activities like kayaking and sailing, a strong intramural and varsity athletic program, vibrant academic lectures and artistic performances, and nearly 100 different student-run clubs and organizations.

“This campus really spoke to me. I’ve been to so many other schools, and there was something about being on the water. Anybody you meet on this campus says, ‘Hi. Good morning. How are you?’ I definitely feel like I have a family here. It feels like home.” – SMCM student Taylor Wigglesworth ’22

GUEST SPEAKERS
St. Mary’s College is an active community of friendly people and aspiring scholars. Innovation ignites the campus through a variety of lecture series and guest speakers. For example, 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 have included: Carl Bernstein, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and famed Watergate journalist; Ellen Weintraub, Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission; Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of ColorOfChange; John Callahan, literary executor of Ralph Ellison’s estate; and lawyer and activist David Kendall. 

On a lighter note, the Mark Twain Lecture Series on American Humor and Culture hosts nationally recognized humorists and speakers—like Scott Dikkers and Tig Notaro—to fill the campus with laughter among all students, faculty, and staff.

WAVE OF FRIENDSHIP
Students play a major part in shaping and directing campus life through student government and campus organizations. Opportunities to get involved are endless, with options ranging across the sunset club, travel club, Take One! Improv, and the dance club. There’s a group for almost every interest, but students who don’t see a club they’d like to join among the nearly 100 available can always rally together a group of friends to start a new one!

SEAHAWK ATHLETICS
Whether one plays on a Seahawk varsity team, joins a club sport, or organizes friends on an intramural team, athletics are a major aspect of campus life. St. Mary’s College fields 19 varsity teams in NCAA Division III (and other national associations) competitive play. The College’s 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 30 club and intramural sports available, ranging from cheerleading to fencing to Ultimate Frisbee.

NCAA Division III, Capital Athletic Conference

19 varsity sports
8 men’s: baseball, basketball, cross country, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis
9 women’s: basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, rowing, sailing, soccer, swimming, tennis, volleyball
1 coed: sailing
11 club sports and 21 intramural sports

Mascot: Seahawk
Colors: Blue and white

SCHOOL LOCATION
St. Mary’s City, MD. 70 miles southeast of Washington, D.C., and 95 miles south of Baltimore.

RESIDENCE LIFE
Percent of students living on campus.
First-time, first-year (freshman) students: 93%
Undergraduates: 81%

Campus housing options.
Coed dorms
Men’s dorms
Women’s dorms
Apartments for single students
Special housing for disabled students
Special housing for international students
Theme housing
Wellness housing
Townhomes

St. Mary’s College of Maryland boasts the highest four-year graduation rate of any state-supported college or university in Maryland. The education provided from this strong liberal arts institution prepares graduates for the challenges that they will face throughout graduate school, the workforce, and the rest of their lives.

“I’ve had professional dinners with some of my professors. We sit around and talk about research. I presented at the American Association of Physics Teachers conference. I’m an undergraduate researcher and my professor has taken me to London to do more work. I’m published! When you walk out of here, you don’t just have a degree – you’re a practical physicist who can go out into the real world and problem solve. You’re always a step ahead.” – SMCM student Rose Young ’20, physics and math major

SERVICE-LEARNING
Contributing to the sense of community that defines St. Mary’s College, many students go beyond campus to contribute to the surrounding area. Working in local schools, aiding those in need, and preserving the environment, students are always finding ways to conduct instructive and rewarding service. In addition, many academic departments offer service-learning in conjunction with school work, allowing students to earn academic credit as they make a difference in their community. Just a few examples of the organizations through which students have engaged in service-learning include: America Reads, Christmas in April, St. Mary’s Hospital, and local schools. They also provide tutoring for the GED and at-risk youths.

A CLASS ACT
St. Mary’s College is the place to be for any student interested in advanced studies. About 65% of St. Mary’s College students continue their education in graduate or professional school. Graduates of the College choose some of the most 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, the 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 College alumni succeed in the workplace. Over 90% of graduates seeking employment have a job within six months—with nearly a third of graduates securing their first job before even graduating. A small sampling of St. Mary’s College employers includes Lockheed Martin, US Department of Labor, NASA, the Portland Stage Theater Company, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Washington Post, the International Spy Museum, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Peace Corps.

Admission

ADMISSIONS FACTORS
Very Important
Rigor of secondary school record | Academic GPA | Standardized test scores
Application Essay | Recommendation(s)

Important
Class rank | Extracurricular activities | Talent/ability
Character/personal qualities | Volunteer work

Considered
Interview | First generation | Alumni/ae relation
Geographical residence | State residency | Racial/ethnic status
Work experience | Level of applicant’s interest

FRESHMAN PROFILE
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
25th Percentile: 540 | 75th Percentile: 650
SAT Math
25th Percentile: 530 | 75th Percentile: 640
ACT Composite
25th Percentile: 23 | 75th Percentile: 28
ACT Math
25th Percentile: 21 | 75th Percentile: 28
ACT English
25th Percentile: 21 | 75th Percentile: 27

ADMISSION INFORMATION
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 the option to send up to four letters total)

Tuition & Cost

Tuition (in-state): $11,878
Tuition (out-of-state): $27,640
Fees: $2,928
Room & Board: $13,202

Aid

In addition to need-based aid, St. Mary’s College awards several merit-based scholarships each year, with an average amount of $4,655. These scholarships, given on a competitive basis, recognize academic achievement and significant co-curricular accomplishments outside of the classroom. Recipients of merit awards are often those who have challenged themselves with a rigorous course of study through Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or honors courses. Merit scholarships are awarded with a consideration of a student’s academic record, strength of curriculum, and standardized test scores.

Merit awards are renewed for up to four years (8 semesters) of full-time study at St. Mary’s College on the condition that the student remains in good standing and maintains at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) in each semester.

St. Mary’s College Academic Achievement (Trustee, Presidential, Excellence) Scholarships are given for outstanding academic achievement in the amount of $3,000 to $17,000. Academic excellence often is demonstrated by a cumulative GPA above 3.0 in academic courses (3.5 weighted GPA), or a combined total SAT score above 1100.

First-Year Excellence Awards are offered on a competitive basis for students who complete their first year of study at St. Mary’s College with excellent grades in 16 or more credits. Ranging from $500 to $2,000, these awards are limited to students who did not receive a scholarship from St. Mary’s College upon entrance to the College.

St. Mary’s Transfer Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis 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 $1,000 to $6,000 per year.

CollegeBound Partnership Scholarships match the awards given to Baltimore public high school students who have received scholarships or grants from the CollegeBound Foundation.