College · Westminster

McDaniel College

University or collegePrivate nonprofitWestminster, MDwww.mcdaniel.edu ↗

McDaniel College is a private nonprofit university in Westminster, MD, with about 2,144 students on campus. It admits 78% of applicants, the average family on aid pays $21,916 a year, and 63% of students graduate.

Students on campus

2,144

1,665 undergrad · 1,217 grad · 738 online only

Admission rate

78%

more selective than 48% of 4-year colleges

Net price a year

$21,916

costs less than 41% of 4-year colleges

Graduation rate

63%

higher than 65% of 4-year colleges

Earnings, 10 yrs later

$60,663

higher than 85% of U.S. colleges

Getting in

How hard is it to get into McDaniel College?

78%of applicants admitted

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

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $65,294 a year

Before any grants

$52,081

$12,974

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

What families on aid pay, by income

Average net price a year after grants and scholarships

$12k

$17k

$20k

$21k

$31k

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

Families earning under $30,000 pay about $12,210 a year; families over $110,000 pay about $30,694.

Who goes there

The students

Undergraduates by race and ethnicity

1,617 degree-seeking undergrads

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

Women and men

undergraduates

Women 56%Men 44%

13 : 1students per teacher

36%get Pell grants (lower income)

2%undergrads 25 or older

1%study part time

Majors

The biggest programs, and what they pay

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates, and their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year later where that’s all that’s reported).

Psychology, General50 graduates a year · typical debt $25,300

$60,2644 yrs out

Business Administration, Management and Operations50 graduates a year · typical debt $25,000

$78,8304 yrs out

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness40 graduates a year · typical debt $25,000

$50,1854 yrs out

Biology, General24 graduates a year · typical debt $21,375

$51,3074 yrs out

Natural Resources Conservation and Research22 graduates a year

$22,4721 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

$93,3474 yrs out

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

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

79%of borrowers had 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 of starting repayment (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 when they enrolled

Lower income (under $30k)$55,025

Middle income ($30–75k)$61,778

Higher income (over $75k)$61,872

The town around it

Living in Westminster

14% of Westminster’s 20,445 residents are enrolled in college. Here is what the town is like, from TownTapestry’s Westminster pages.

$1,476/momedian rent · 13% below the stateHousing in Westminster → $337,600median home value · 20% below the stateHousing in Westminster → 22° / 86°January low / July high · 28" of snowClimate in Westminster →

Other colleges within 30 miles

Carroll Community College 3.7 miStevenson University 16.3 mi Ner Israel Rabbinical College 19 mi Mount St. Mary's University 19.8 miUnited Lutheran Seminary 21.4 miGettysburg College 21.4 mi Women's Institute of Torah Seminary and College 22.3 mi Bais HaMedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore 22.5 mi

Colleges marked › have their own page; the others are too small or don’t report enough to the Department of Education for one.

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 are for students who received federal aid.