{"id":776,"date":"2021-07-21T13:05:47","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T13:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/?page_id=776"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:35:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:35:24","slug":"key-facts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/key-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"
\t\t\t

INSTITUTION<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Public liberal arts mission, co-educational, non-religious<\/li>\n
  • Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
    \n
    \n\t\t\"Text\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
    \t\t\t
    Officially designated as Maryland’s Public Honors College, the first standalone public honors college in the nation.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
    \t\t\t

    \nTOP 5<\/h2>\n
    Public liberal arts colleges in the nation
    \n(U.S. News & World Report, 2025)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
    \t\t\t

    Enrollment<\/h1>\n
      \n
    • The majority of St. Mary\u2019s College students are Maryland residents, although students from 29 states and 6 countries are represented in our community.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div>

      1,646<\/h3>

      students enrolled
      (21 states and 4 countries represented)
      (Fall 2025)<\/p><\/div><\/div>

      33%<\/h3>

      historically underrepresented and\/or marginalized students
      (Fall 2025)<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

      \t\t\t

      CAMPUS LIFE<\/h2>\n
        \n
      • 8 housing areas (residence halls, suites, apartments, townhouses).<\/li>\n
      • $100K+ budgeted annually for student clubs (2024-25 academic year).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

        82%<\/h3>

        students live on campus
        (Fall 2025)<\/p><\/div><\/div>

        23<\/h3>
        varsity athletic teams<\/strong>\n(NCAA, Division III,\nICSA, Mid-Atlantic Rowing\nConference)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

        58<\/h3>

        student organizations
        (Fall 2025)<\/p><\/div><\/div>

        12<\/h3>

        club sports
        (Fall 2025)<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

        #1<\/h3>

        college food
        \nin Maryland
        \n(Niche, 2025)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

        \t\t\t

        HISTORICAL DATES<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
        \t\t\t
        \n
        \n

        1840<\/h2>\n
        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.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
        \n

        1846<\/h2>\n
        The school was incorporated by an act of legislation.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div>
        \t\t\t
        \n
        \n

        1927<\/h2>\n
        St. Mary’s became Maryland’s first junior college.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
        \n

        1964<\/h2>\n
        The school changed its name to St. Mary’s College of Maryland.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>
        \t\t\t
        \n
        \n

        1967<\/h2>\n
        St. Mary’s became a four-year baccalaureate college.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
        \n

        1992<\/h2>\n
        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.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div>
        \t\t\t

        ACADEMICS<\/h2>\n
          \n
        • Popular degree programs: psychology, biology, business administration, marine science, environmental studies and english<\/li>\n
        • 133 full-time faculty (Fall 2025)<\/li>\n
        • 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio (Fall 2025)<\/li>\n
        • 30 study and intern abroad programs in 23 countries around the world<\/li>\n
        • \n
          The highest number of scholar-athletes earning All-Academic honors (228) in the United East Athletic Conference (2024-25)<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
        • 94% of our faculty hold the highest attainable degrees in their respective fields of study (Fall 2025)<\/li>\n
        • Number of current faculty who are Fulbright Awardees: 13<\/li>\n
        • 31% of all students graduate with a STEM major (Class of 2025 grads)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
          \t\t\t

          58<\/h2>\n
          ACADEMIC
          \nPROGRAMS<\/div>\n
          \n
          28
          \nMajors<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n
          30
          \nMinors<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
          \t\t\t

          Degrees
          \nOffered<\/h2>\n
          Bachelor of Arts (B.A.),
          \nBachelor of Science (B.S.),
          \nMaster of Arts in Teaching (MAT)<\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n

          Joint Degree Programs<\/h2>\n

          \nB.S Environmental Studies\/M.S. Climate Science & Policy or Environmental Policy through Bard Graduate Programs,
          \nB.S. Physics\/B.S. Engineering through Washington University in St. Louis
          \n<\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
          \t\t\t

          New
          \nPROGRAMS<\/span><\/h2>\n
          <\/div>\n
          \n
          Data Science Minor<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
          \t\t\t

          69%<\/h2>\n
          of St. Mary’s College students major or minor in a second academic discipline<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
          \t\t\t
          Among the
          \nHIGHEST FOUR-YEAR<\/strong>
          \nGRADUATION RATE<\/span>
          \nand the
          \nLOWEST AVERAGE DEBT<\/span><\/strong>
          \nof graduates from
          \nMaryland public 4-year institutions<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
          \t\t\t
          Member of the<\/em><\/div>\n

          phi beta
          \nkappa honor
          \nsociety<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
          \t\t\t

          Location<\/h2>\n
            \n
          • 361-acre waterfront campus adjacent to historic St. Mary\u2019s City, Md., founded in 1634. (Fourth oldest permanent English settlement in North America).<\/li>\n
          • 75 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. and 97 miles south of Baltimore near the confluence of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
            \n
            \n\t\t\"Map\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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