ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. (July 28, 2017)—St. Mary's College of Maryland has been ranked among the "Best Colleges for Your Money" by Money magazine. According to Money, "St. Mary's College of Maryland is the state's public honors college. But with a liberal arts focus, a low student-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, and a high graduation rate, it could easily be mistaken for a selective private school."
In order to create the ranking, Money drew on "research and advice of dozens of the nation's top experts on education quality, financing, and value to develop a new, uniquely practical analysis of more than 700 of the nation's best-performing colleges."
According to the magazine, "Money's Best Colleges for Your Money rankings are the first to combine the most accurate pricing estimates available with all reliable indicators of alumni financial success, along with a unique analysis of how much "value" a college adds when compared to other schools that take in similar students." That value was calculated measuring graduation rates, student loan repayment and default rates, and post-graduation earnings.
St. Mary's College was recently acknowledged in the 2018 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges and also is recognized as a 2017-18 College of Distinction. To be designated a College of Distinction a school's curriculum must emphasize such core competencies as critical thinking, writing, oral skills, research, and global perspectives. The institution also must offer dynamic out-of-the-classroom learning and study abroad programs.
St. Mary's College of Maryland is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education through 2024-2025. St. Mary's College, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Approximately 1,700 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary's River in Southern Maryland.