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Chestertown Historic DistrictChestertown Historic District · Photo: Acroterion · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near Chestertown

Chestertown is a college town: 22 of every 100 residents are students

Washington College (916 students on campus) is inside the town. Across Maryland, 7 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town22% of residents are students

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 Chestertown. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
1
916 students on campus
Nearest college
0.3 mi
Washington College
Residents in college
22%
Above MD (7%)
Nearest community college
18.4 mi
Chesapeake College · $4,274 tuition
Nearest public university
27.3 mi
United States Naval Academy
Students on campus in Chestertown
916
next to 5,658 residents

What stands out about college in Chestertown

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

A college town22 of every 100 Chestertown residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.A college in ChestertownWashington College has 916 students on campus in Chestertown, 65% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 18.4 miles awayChesapeake College in Wye Mills: tuition and fees $4,274 a year for Maryland residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Chestertown

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

22 of every 100 Chestertown residents are in college (MD: 7).

916students on campus at Washington College, next to 5,658 residents (dorm students count as residents)
90college students live in Chestertown households rather than dorms
32.6median age · MD 39.4
56%of residents are women · MD 51% (±3.5 points)
48%of homes rented · MD 32%
$1,206median rent · 29% below the state
Cost of living$1,206/mo median rentDSafetyCrime reported to the FBICHealthCDC estimatesBJobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundCHandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Chestertown’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income C

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 11.9% of Chestertown residents are below the poverty line, 11.0% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 6 points either way). 49% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living D

The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 22%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.

Health B

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Chestertown’s median age is 32.6 (Maryland 39.4), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety C

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Chestertown

One private college within 0.3 miles. The nearest public four-year college, United States Naval Academy, is 27.3 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miWashington CollegeChestertown
University or collegeCommunity college
Washington CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 916 on campus · In Chestertown57%admitted$28knet price65%graduate$66kearnings

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 and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where Chestertown’s median household income ($54,346) falls.

Washington CollegeIn Chestertown · sticker $73,314$25,068a 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: 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 →Washington College
Washington College65% graduate$66k 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.

Majors

What students study in Chestertown

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Washington College, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Social sciences 18%Business 16%Natural resources 15%Biology 14%Psychology 12%English 7%Everything else 18%

Biggest programs

Biology, General31 graduates a year
$55k4 yrs out
Natural Resources Conservation and Research30 graduates a year
$47k4 yrs out
Psychology, General27 graduates a year
$45k4 yrs out
Political Science and Government14 graduates a year
$69k4 yrs out
Sociology12 graduates a year
$54k4 yrs out
English Language and Literature, General9 graduates a year
$46k4 yrs out
Economics8 graduates a year
$76k4 yrs out
History8 graduates a year
$51k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Chestertown

Is Chestertown a college town?

Yes. 22 of every 100 Chestertown residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 7 across Maryland. Washington College has 916 students on campus, next to 5,658 residents.

What colleges are in Chestertown?

Washington College is inside the town. Chesapeake College is 18.4 miles away in Wye Mills.

Why is Chestertown’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 11.9% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 11.0% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 6 points).

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

Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, 18.4 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.

How hard is it to get into Washington College?

Washington College admitted 57% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,140–1,390 on the SAT.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
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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 Chestertown. 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 →