Mount St. Mary's University

Mount St. Mary's University is a less selective private nonprofit university in Emmitsburg, Maryland. It admits most applicants, graduates 65% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $64,072 ten years after starting college, more than 56% of the Maryland colleges we cover.

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Acceptance rate
74%

More selective than 58% of Maryland colleges we cover.

College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class

What your family pays
$22,655 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $63,731. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
65%

Higher than 54% of Maryland colleges we cover and 70% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$64,072

Higher than 56% of Maryland colleges we cover and 79% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

Mount St. Mary's University acceptance rate & admissions

Of 5,422 applicants, Mount St. Mary's University admitted 3,896 and 480 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1046–1280 on the SAT or 19–27 on the ACT.

5,422
Applied
3,896
Admitted
480
Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class

SAT total, middle 50% of first-years1046–1280
ACT composite, middle 50% of first-years19–27
First-years who sent SAT scores15%
First-year students who return71%
Pell Grant recipients31%
First-generation students23%
Women / men50% / 50%

Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

Mount St. Mary's University tuition, cost & net price

What families actually pay per year, by income

Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.

College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)

Sticker price (before aid)

Tuition & fees$48,630
Housing & meals, on campus$14,750
Books & supplies$950
Total cost of attendance$63,731

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$15,000
Loan default rate5.0%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

What Mount St. Mary's University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back

Graduates of Mount St. Mary's University took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Maryland. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$11,603$48,3851.8 years
$30–48k$20,067$83,6793.1 years
$48–75k$21,942$91,4983.3 years
$75–110k$27,170$113,2994.1 years
$110k+$31,330$130,6464.8 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (49% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($64,072) minus $36,731 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MD (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $27,341 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method

College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.

Best-value colleges in Maryland for your income →

Mount St. Mary's University majors, earnings & careers

Mount St. Mary's University offers 38 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Humanities & Languages · 11
  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
  • Science & Math · 6
  • Business & Finance · 5
  • Technology & Computing · 3
  • Education · 2
  • Health & Medicine · 2
  • Arts & Design · 1
  • Communications & Media · 1

Highest-earning majors at Mount St. Mary's University

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Computer and Information Sciences$87,360$21,240
Accounting$81,796$19,500
Biology$76,062$25,000
Business$74,839$21,500
Criminology$60,428$27,000
Education (Elementary / Secondary)$59,630$23,250
Communications$57,669$26,312
Sociology$57,290$27,000
Quick list of all 38 majors
  • Accounting$81,796
  • Biochemistry—
  • Biology$76,062
  • Business$74,839
  • Chemistry—
  • Classics—
  • Communications$57,669
  • Computer and Information Sciences$87,360
  • Criminology$60,428
  • Data Science—
  • Economics—
  • Education (Elementary / Secondary)$59,630
  • Education (Subject Teaching)—
  • English—
  • Entrepreneurship—
  • Environmental Science / Conservation—
  • German—
  • Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other—
  • History$50,563
  • Human Development and Family Studies—
  • Information Technology—
  • Interdisciplinary Studies—
  • International Relations—
  • Kinesiology / Exercise Science$54,677
  • Liberal Arts / General Studies—
  • Linguistics—
  • Management Information Systems—
  • Mathematics—
  • Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
  • Neuroscience—
  • Philosophy—
  • Political Science$56,507
  • Psychology (Research)$40,480
  • Security / Homeland Security—
  • Sociology$57,290
  • Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
  • Studio Art$39,651
  • Theology / Ministry—

— means too few graduates to report earnings.

College Scorecard field of study, latest release

All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →

Business → Management analyst

$126,830
Washington
$121,680
Maryland
$101,860
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Accounting → Accountant / auditor

$102,140
Washington
$89,370
Maryland
$83,680
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.0% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in Washington

Cost of living
9% above the U.S. average

Overall prices in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area.

BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$2,204/mo

2 bedrooms $2,438. Housing costs 51% above the U.S. average.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
40° / 85°

January and July average highs. 49 inches of rain a year, 28 inches of snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Relatively Low

Highest: winter weather (relatively high).

FEMA National Risk Index, Frederick County

Campus & students

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)2,499
First-year students from Maryland56%
Next most common home statesPennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey
AthleticsNCAA Division I without football · 12 sports
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-24100% bachelor's
Campus typeHighly residential
Student bodyWhite 47% · Black 20% · Hispanic 17% · Two or more 6%International 5%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

Frederick County at a glance

Population287,048
Median household income$122,002
Adults with a bachelor's degree46%
Median age39

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare Mount St. Mary's University with similar schools

Similar private colleges in Maryland by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
Mount St. Mary's University74%$22,65565%$64,072This school
McDaniel College78%$21,91663%$60,663
Maryland Institute College of Art77%$42,72972%$45,212
Hood College78%$20,87357%$57,089
Goucher College78%$22,47057%$53,023

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

Mount St. Mary's University would cost you $739 more per year than McDaniel College, on average.

  • Lower sticker price at Mount St. Mary's University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$3,451).
  • McDaniel College gives aided families $2,302 more in grants, on average.
Per year, Maryland residentMount St. Mary's UniversityMcDaniel CollegeDifference
Tuition & fees$48,630$52,081−$3,451
Books & supplies$950$1,450−$500
Housing & meals$14,750$12,594+$2,156
Personal & travel$1,800$2,454−$654
Living-at-home adjustment−$2,399−$3,285+$886
Sticker price$63,731$65,294−$1,563
Average grants−$41,076−$43,378+$2,302
You pay$22,655$21,916+$739

“+” means Mount St. Mary's University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.

Common questions about Mount St. Mary's University

What is the Mount St. Mary's University acceptance rate?

Mount St. Mary's University accepts 74% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 3,896 of 5,422 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1046–1280 on the SAT or 19–27 on the ACT.

How much does Mount St. Mary's University cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $63,731 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $22,655 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $11,603 and families earning $110k+ pay $31,330.

How much do Mount St. Mary's University graduates earn?

Former Mount St. Mary's University students earn a median $64,072 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the Mount St. Mary's University graduation rate?

65% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 71% return for their second year.

How long does a Mount St. Mary's University degree take to pay off?

For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Mount St. Mary's University costs about $91,498 after grants ($21,942 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $64,072 ten years after starting, $27,341 more than high school graduates in Maryland ($36,731), so the cost is repaid in 3.3 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).

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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Mount St. Mary's University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/mount-st-marys-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).