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Colleges in and near Chester

United States Naval Academy is 10.5 miles from Chester

No college sits inside Chester’s boundary, but United States Naval Academy’s campus in Annapolis, with 4,465 students on campus, is 10.5 miles from the center of town, and Chesapeake College is 11 miles away in Wye Mills. About 5% of Chester’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland (7%).

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Chester. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
4
14,047 students on campus
Nearest college
10.5 mi
United States Naval Academy
Residents in college
5%
About the same as MD (7%)
Nearest community college
11 mi
Chesapeake College · $4,274 tuition
Nearest public university
10.5 mi
United States Naval Academy
Median household income
$102K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from Chester

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college 10.5 miles awayUnited States Naval Academy has 4,465 students on campus in Annapolis, 93% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 11 miles awayChesapeake College in Wye Mills: tuition and fees $4,274 a year for Maryland residents.Students are 5% of residentsAbout the same as Maryland (7%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Chester

One private college within 11 miles, one public college within 10.5 miles, and two community colleges.

5 mi10 mi15 miAnne ArundelUnited States Naval AcademyChesapeake CollegeChester
University or collegeCommunity college
United States Naval AcademyUniversity or college · Public · 4,465 on campus · 10.5 mi · Annapolis9%admitted93%graduateChesapeake CollegeCommunity college · Public · 1,159 on campus · 11 mi · Wye Mills$5knet price35%graduate$36kearningsTuition and fees: $4,274 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.St. John's CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 533 on campus · 11 mi · Annapolis55%admitted$46knet price71%graduate$52kearningsAnne Arundel Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 7,890 on campus · 13.6 mi · Arnold$15knet price31%graduate$46kearningsTuition and fees: $4,322 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $75–110k, where Chester’s median household income ($102,399) falls.

Chesapeake College11 mi · Wye Mills · sticker $10,751 · tuition $4,274$8,052a year
Anne Arundel Community College13.6 mi · Arnold · sticker $19,841 · tuition $4,322$17,116a year
St. John's College11 mi · Annapolis · sticker $55,540$49,373a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Chester: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Chesapeake CollegeSt. John's CollegeAnne Arundel
Anne Arundel Community College31% graduate$46k earnings$8k typical debt
Chesapeake College35% graduate$36k earnings
St. John's College71% graduate$52k earnings$27k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Questions about college near Chester

Is Chester a college town?

No. About 5 of every 100 Chester residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Maryland (7). The nearest campus, United States Naval Academy, is 10.5 miles away in Annapolis.

What colleges are near Chester?

Within 15 miles: United States Naval Academy (10.5 miles, 4,465 students on campus), Chesapeake College (11 miles, 1,159), St. John's College (11 miles, 533) and Anne Arundel Community College (13.6 miles, 7,890).

What is the closest community college to Chester, and what does it cost?

Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, 11 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,274 a year for Maryland residents; the federal net price, $5,106, counts housing and food at full cost.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Chester. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →