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University or college · Private nonprofit

McDaniel College

Westminster, MD738 online only

McDaniel College is a private nonprofit college in Westminster, MD, with about 2,144 students on campus.

Visit www.mcdaniel.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
2,144
plus 738 studying only online
Admission rate
78%
higher than at 52% of 4-year colleges
Net price a year
$21,916
higher than at 59% of 4-year colleges
Graduation rate
63%
higher than at 65% of 4-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$60,663
higher than at 85% of U.S. colleges
In brief

What to know about McDaniel College

Few families pay the sticker price

The full cost of a year is $65,294, but the average family on federal aid pays $21,916 after grants, about 66% less. What it costs ↓

What you study here makes a big difference to pay

Among McDaniel College’s biggest bachelor’s programs, accounting graduates earn a median $93,347 four years out. Social work graduates earn $47,607. Majors ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

★ What stands out · What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $65,294 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees $52,081Room & board $12,974Books & supplies $1,522

After grants, the average family on aid pays $21,916.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$19,796

About $79,184 over 4 years · 70% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Getting in

How hard is it to get into McDaniel College?

78%

of applicants admitted

About 16 of every 20 applicants get in.

Test scores of admitted students

No SAT or ACT ranges reported. McDaniel College is likely test-optional.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
63%
within 6 years · Pell students 55%
Come back for year two
76%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$60,663
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$25,000
about $265 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

6.6%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$265 a month against about $3,990 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

79%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 95% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$55k
Middle income$30–75k
$62k
Higher incomeover $75k
$62k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Business 17%Parks, recreation & fitness 12%Psychology 9%Social sciences 8%Visual & performing arts 8%Biology 6%Everything else 41%

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Psychology, General50 graduates a year · typical debt $25,300
$60k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations50 graduates a year · typical debt $25,000
$79k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness40 graduates a year · typical debt $25,000
$50k4 yrs out
Biology, General24 graduates a year · typical debt $21,375
$51k4 yrs out
Natural Resources Conservation and Research22 graduates a year
$22k1 yr out
Political Science and Government21 graduates a year · typical debt $23,000
—not reported
Criminal Justice and Corrections20 graduates a year
—not reported
Accounting and Related Services19 graduates a year · typical debt $23,335
$93k4 yrs out
Who goes there

The students

1,617 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 53%Hispanic 11%Black 24%Asian 2%Two or more 7%International 1%

Women and men

Women 56%Men 44%
13 : 1
students per teacher
36%
get Pell grants (lower income)
58%
take federal loans
2%
undergrads 25 or older
1%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Westminster

14% of Westminster’s 20,589 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Westminster pages.

Westminster →
WestminsterWestminster, MD
$1,476/momedian rent · 13% below the state$460Ktypical home valueCSafety Grade22° / 86°January low / July high · 28" of snowA−Health GradeAll colleges in and near WestminsterCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from McDaniel College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

Carroll Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Westminster
3.7 mi2,594 students
Stevenson UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Owings Mills
16.3 mi2,792 students
Ner Israel Rabbinical CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Garrison
19 mi449 students
Mount St. Mary's UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Emmitsburg
19.8 mi2,170 students
Gettysburg CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Gettysburg
21.4 mi2,216 students
United Lutheran SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Gettysburg
21.4 mi196 students
Women's Institute of Torah Seminary and CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Baltimore
22.3 mi191 students
Frederick Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Frederick
24 mi5,665 students

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.