University of Maryland, College Park

Admitted first-years at Maryland report an average high school GPA of about 4.41 on a weighted scale, and among the roughly 25% of enrolled students who reported a class rank, about 76% were in the top tenth of their class. There is no hard cutoff, but the rigor of your high school course load is rated the single 'very important' academic factor in UMD's review.

Maryland is competitive but not a long shot: it admitted about 45% of applicants in the most recent cycle, drawing roughly 67,000 applications and enrolling around 6,560 first-years. The bigger hurdle is the major — admission to limited-enrollment programs like computer science and engineering is far more selective than the 45% campus-wide rate suggests.

Maryland's overall acceptance rate is about 45%, from roughly 67,000 applications with around 6,560 first-years enrolling. Because admission is by intended major, competitive programs such as computer science — now about 25% of all bachelor's degrees — run meaningfully tighter than the headline rate.

Counterintuitively, out-of-state applicants are admitted at a slightly higher rate than Maryland residents. According to USM IRIS data for Fall 2025, the in-state admit rate is about 41% while the out-of-state admit rate is about 47%. The overall 45% campus-wide figure blends both groups. State residency and geographical residence are each listed as 'considered' factors in UMD's holistic review, but the numbers show that being from out of state is not a disadvantage in the admissions process.

Yes — a 1490 sits squarely in Maryland's competitive range. The middle 50% of enrolled first-years scored 1410 to 1520 on the SAT (32 to 35 on the ACT), so a 1490 lands near the upper half. UMD is test-optional, so scores are weighed alongside grades, rigor, and the rest of your application rather than as a cutoff.

Yes, Maryland is test-optional — you can apply without SAT or ACT scores, and submitted scores are considered alongside every other factor rather than required. For students who do submit, the middle 50% of enrolled first-years scored 1410 to 1520 on the SAT and 32 to 35 on the ACT.

Annual tuition and required fees run about $12,290 for Maryland residents and $42,053 for out-of-state students. Roughly 28% of first-years receive need-based grant aid, with an average package near $19,426, and UMD meets about 74% of demonstrated financial need on average.

Computer and information sciences is by far the largest field at about 25% of bachelor's degrees, followed by business and marketing, the social sciences, and engineering. Maryland also confers strong shares in the biological and life sciences, health professions, psychology, and journalism.