Institution
- Public liberal arts mission, co-educational, non-religious.
- Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
- Official designation as a Public Honors College, one of only two nationally.
- One of the top 5 public liberal arts colleges in the nation (U.S. News & World Report).
- Member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC).
Location
- 361-acre waterfront campus adjacent to historic St. Mary’s City, MD, founded in 1634. (Fourth oldest permanent English settlement in North America).
- 70 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. and 95 miles south of Baltimore near the confluence of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.
Enrollment
- Total Enrollment, Fall 2018: 1,602 students.
- The majority of St. Mary’s students are Maryland residents, although students from 26 states and 8 nations are represented in our community.
Academics
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- 38 academic programs: 25 majors, 31 minors.
- Degrees offered: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.).
- Popular degree programs: Psychology, Biology, English, Environmental Studies, Political Science, Economics.
- 72% of St. Mary’s students major or minor in a second academic discipline.
- 135 full-time faculty.
- 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, one of the lowest in the nation.
- 29 study abroad programs. 45% of the graduating class of 2018 studied abroad.
- 63% four-year graduation rate, highest of any public institution in Maryland.
- Member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
- The 2nd Highest percentage of student-athletes on Capital Athletic Conference’s All-Academic team for 4 years in a row.
- Faculty have been awarded 43 Fulbrights in the past 39 years. Alumni have been awarded 19 in the past 24 years.
- Among the highest percentage of any Maryland school, 30% of all students graduate with a STEM major.
- The biochemistry program received accreditation from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology through 2023. SMCM is the first public institution in Maryland to receive this accreditation.
Campus Life
- 81% of St. Mary’s students live on campus.
- 8 housing areas (coed and single sex halls, suites, apartments, and townhouses).
- 19 varsity athletic teams (NCAA Division III, ICSA, Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference)
- More than 100 student clubs and organizations.
- An All Star Award Winner in Campus Labs’ Annual Awards Program, Highlighting Innovative Approach in Using Technology to Address Campus Needs.
- Recognized by EPA as Top Green Power User in the Capital Athletic Conference in 2018-19
Historical Dates
| 1840: | The school was founded when the Maryland legislature authorized a lottery to finance the construction of a “female seminary” (girls’ boarding school) in St. Mary’s City. |
| 1846: | The school was incorporated by an act of legislation. |
| 1927: | St. Mary’s became Maryland’s first junior college. |
| 1964: | The school changed its name to St. Mary’s College of Maryland. |
| 1967: | St. Mary’s became a four-year baccalaureate college. |
| 1992: | The state General Assembly designated the school Maryland’s public honors college; the state also granted the College an institutional status designed to assure stable public funding. |
School Colors
Navy Blue and White