Baltimore, Md - Oct. 20, 2024 - Seven Maryland post-secondary institutions are named among the 2025 top colleges and universities in the U.S. in WalletHub's latest ranking.
The personal finance agency released its report Monday and said Johns Hopkins University is the 10th-best college or university in the nation. The Baltimore school bested hundreds of post-secondary institutions.
WalletHub ranked at least 800 colleges and universities, analyzing 30 measures regarding student selectivity, cost and financing and career outcomes. The agency said metrics included student-faculty ratios, graduation rates and post-attendance median salaries.
Attending college may be costly for some people. According to WalletHub, a four-year college could cost a student $28,000-$60,000 for annual tuition and room and board.
“In general, universities tend to rank higher than colleges due to their inclusion of graduate-level programs, greater on-campus opportunities and higher earnings for students post-graduation," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report. "In fact, the top 10 places for higher education in the U.S. are all universities. There are still tons of high-ranking colleges, though, which offer their own advantages like smaller class sizes, more personalized learning and often safer campuses.”
Per WalletHub, these seven Maryland colleges and universities scored the following:
Johns Hopkins University, No. 10, Baltimore
- Total Score: 75.96
- Student Selectivity Rank: 11
- Cost and Financing Rank: 766
- Faculty Resources Rank: 4
- Campus Safety Rank: 319
- Campus Experience Rank: 102
- Education Outcomes Rank: 18
- Career Outcomes Rank: 70
University of Maryland, No. 82, College Park
- Total Score: 66.59
- Student Selectivity Rank: 88
- Cost and Financing Rank: 575
- Faculty Resources Rank: 670
- Campus Safety Rank: 297
- Campus Experience Rank: 405
- Education Outcomes Rank: 50
- Career Outcomes Rank: 181
St. John's College, No. 145, Annapolis
- Total Score: 62.74
- Student Selectivity Rank: 111
- Cost and Financing Rank: 503
- Faculty Resources Rank: 70
- Campus Safety Rank: 581
- Campus Experience Rank: 638
- Education Outcomes Rank: 378
- Career Outcomes Rank: 466
Loyola University Maryland, No. 199, Baltimore
- Total Score: 60.44
- Student Selectivity Rank: 316
- Cost and Financing Rank: 621
- Faculty Resources Rank: 375
- Campus Safety Rank: 133
- Campus Experience Rank: 185
- Education Outcomes Rank: 168
- Career Outcomes Rank: 102
Washington College, No. 201, Chestertown
- Total Score: 60.33
- Student Selectivity Rank: 229
- Cost and Financing Rank: 692
- Faculty Resources Rank: 29
- Campus Safety Rank: 596
- Campus Experience Rank: 169
- Education Outcomes Rank: 227
- Career Outcomes Rank: 166
St. Mary's College of Maryland, No. 212, St. Mary's City
- Total Score: 60.01
- Student Selectivity Rank: 336
- Cost and Financing Rank: 298
- Faculty Resources Rank: 111
- Campus Safety Rank: 782
- Campus Experience Rank: 187
- Education Outcomes Rank: 344
- Career Outcomes Rank: 233
Goucher College, No. 244, Baltimore
- Total Score: 59.36
- Student Selectivity Rank: 326
- Cost and Financing Rank: 553
- Faculty Resources Rank: 17
- Campus Safety Rank: 674
- Campus Experience Rank: 109
- Education Outcomes Rank: 465
- Career Outcomes Rank: 251
Solely among U.S. universities, Johns Hopkins ranks 10th. The College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick is No. 71 only among the best colleges.
Washington College has one of the highest student-loan debts, WalletHub said. The Macon school had a 100 percent acceptance rate, according to U.S. News and World Report.
St. Mary's College of Maryland is one of the nation's least safe campuses, according to WalletHub.
Regionally, Rice University in Texas is the best institution, with an overall score of 77.19. Georgia Tech is second best. Emory University and Georgia State are 13th and 14th best, respectively.
Here are the top 10 colleges and universities in the U.S.:
- Princeton University, New Jersey
- Yale University, Connecticut
- Harvard University, Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts
- Dartmouth College, New Hampshire
- Rice University, Texas
- California Institute of Technology, California
- Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania
- Northwestern University, Illinois
- Johns Hopkins University, Maryland
Here are the top 10 colleges and universities in the South:
- Rice University, Texas
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia
- Duke University, North Carolina
- Washington and Lee University, Virginia
- University of Florida, Florida
- Vanderbilt University, Tennessee
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- University of Virginia, Virginia
- University of Richmond, Virginia
- Florida State University, Florida
