Photo: MsCrof at English Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0Bowie State University is 4.3 miles from Crofton
No college sits inside Crofton’s boundary, but Bowie State University’s campus in Bowie, with 5,649 students on campus, is 4.3 miles from the center of town, and Anne Arundel Community College is 9.3 miles away in Arnold. About 6% of Crofton’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 Crofton. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Crofton
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Crofton
Four private colleges within 13.9 miles, four public colleges within 14.3 miles, and two community colleges.
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 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.
Starts at Over $110k, where Crofton’s median household income ($150,577) falls.
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.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Crofton: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
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. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Fortis College-Landover (3); Lincoln College of Technology-Columbia (8).
Questions about college near Crofton
Is Crofton a college town?
No. About 6 of every 100 Crofton residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Maryland (7). The nearest campus, Bowie State University, is 4.3 miles away in Bowie.
What colleges are near Crofton?
10 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: the University of Maryland-College Park (14.3 miles, 39,078 students on campus), Anne Arundel Community College (9.3 miles, 7,890) and the University of Maryland Global Campus (11.4 miles, 6,469).
What is the closest community college to Crofton, and what does it cost?
Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, 9.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,322 a year for Maryland residents; the federal net price, $14,915, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Bowie State University cost if we live in Maryland?
Tuition and fees are $9,218 a year in-state and $19,938 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $17,071 (under $30,000 income) to $24,919 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
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 Crofton. 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 →