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).
- 75 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. and 97 miles south of Baltimore near the confluence of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.
Enrollment
- Total Enrollment, fall 2020: 1,510 students.
- The majority of St. Mary’s College students are Maryland residents, although students from 26 states and 8 nations are represented in our community.
Academics
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- 60 academic programs: 24 majors, 29 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.
- New degree programs for fall 2021: marine science and neuroscience.
- 69% of St. Mary’s College students major or minor in a second academic discipline.
- 134 full-time faculty.
- 19:1 student-to-faculty ratio, one of the lowest in the nation.
- 25 study abroad programs. 37% of the graduating class of 2020 studied abroad.
- Among the highest four-year graduation rate and the lowest average debt among graduates of all Maryland public 4-year institutions.
- 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.
- 98% of our faculty hold the highest attainable degrees in their respective fields of study.
- Number of current faculty who are Fulbright Awardees: 14.
- 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
- 78% of St. Mary’s College students live on campus.
- 8 housing areas (coed and single sex halls, suites, apartments, and townhouses).
- 21 varsity athletic teams (NCAA Division III, ICSA, Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference)
- More than 70 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