Public · Community college

Cecil College

North East, Maryland · Fringe rural

17%
Transfer rate: $9,658
Avg net price: 37%
Grad / completion: $43,952
Median earnings

Cecil College is a public associate-granting institution in North East, Maryland (fringe rural setting), enrolling 1,363 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,363 undergradsFringe ruralNJCAA Division IICold wintersNear the coast

About North East, Maryland

North East is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. It is located between Philadelphia and Baltimore. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Fringe rural
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 33 miles to Lancaster, PA
To the ocean: 3 miles
Nearest airport: 19 miles to Wilmington (ILG)

How Cecil College compares

Graduation rate37%

Higher than 23% · #25 of 38 in Maryland

First-year retention62%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$43,952

Higher than 81% · #10 of 38 in Maryland

Average net price$9,658

Cheaper than 71% · #13 cheapest of 40 in Maryland

Median debt at graduation$9,536

Lower than 51%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 67%

Undergraduate enrollment1,363

Larger than 77%

Percentiles compare Cecil College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Maryland.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women85563%
Men50837%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White69%
Black12%
Hispanic9.5%
Asian1.8%
Other or multiracial7.7%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,363
Student–faculty ratio: 13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 27%
First-generation students: 53%
Students over 25: 25%
Median family income: $28,228
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $69,480
Endowment: $12,696,250

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 386 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Maryland90%
Other U.S. states10%

Most first-years stay in state — Cecil College draws overwhelmingly from Maryland.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: $5,640
Out-of-state tuition: $10,830
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $2,220
Total cost of attendance: $14,700
Average net price: $9,658

Outcomes

Graduated: 37%
First-year retention: 62%
Transferred to another college: 17%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $39,837
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $43,952
Median debt at graduation: $9,536
Students with federal loans: 9%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 40%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

37%

Low-income (Pell)

First-generation

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free
Athletics: NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes: 89 (59 men · 30 women)

Varsity sports (5)

Baseball30

Basketball20

Soccer16

Volleyball12

Softball11

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k

$7,850

$30–48k

$9,601

$48–75k

$9,102

$75–110k

$12,875

$110k+

$13,157

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

47%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,756

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 47% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,756. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 220 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $43,952
Typical debt at graduation: $9,536
Debt vs. one year's pay: 22%
Out-earn a HS grad: 49%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$41,722

Men

$51,124

Men out-earn women by $9,402 (23%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high: 89°F
Winter low: 25°F
Annual rain: 47″
Annual snow: 18.1″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Newark AG Farm, DE US station (11.3 mi from campus).

What Cecil College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

111 grads— 1 yr$53k 5 yr— debt

111—$53,044—Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

31 grads— 1 yr$81k 5 yr— debt

31—$81,449—Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

25 grads— 1 yr$52k 5 yr— debt

25—$52,072—Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

13 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13———Psychology, GeneralAssoc.

13 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13———Design and Applied ArtsAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr$32k 5 yr— debt

12—$32,214—Social WorkAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementAssoc.

8 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

8———Accounting and Related ServicesAssoc.

8 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

8———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———Engineering, GeneralAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Cecil College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Cecil College side by side →

Allegany College of Maryland

Public

Cumberland, Maryland · Remote town · 86 mi to Pittsburgh

Students: 1,831
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 20%
Earnings: $38k

Harford Community College

Public

Bel Air, Maryland · Fringe rural · 26 mi to Baltimore

Students: 3,696
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 21%
Earnings: $45k

Hagerstown Community College

Public

Hagerstown, Maryland · Midsize suburb · 60 mi to Washington

Students: 2,948
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $42k

Wor-Wic Community College

Public

Salisbury, Maryland · Fringe rural · 87 mi to Baltimore

Students: 2,169
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 27%
Earnings: $37k

Frederick Community College

Public

Frederick, Maryland · Small city · 43 mi to Washington

Students: 4,203
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 24%
Earnings: $46k

College of Southern Maryland

Public

La Plata, Maryland · Fringe rural · 24 mi to Washington

Students: 4,512
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 19%
Earnings: $44k

Colleges near Cecil College

University of Delaware

Newark, DE · Public · Bachelor's · 19,071 students

11 mi

Lincoln University

Lincoln University, PA · Public · Bachelor's · 1,539 students

12 mi

Hair Academy School of Barbering & Beauty

Newark, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 33 students

12 mi

Schilling-Douglas School of Hair Design

Newark, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 152 students

12 mi

Paul Mitchell the School-Delaware

Newark, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 148 students

15 mi

Dawn Career Institute LLC

Newark, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 355 students

15 mi

Academy of Massage and Bodywork

Bear, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 81 students

15 mi

Goldey-Beacom College

Wilmington, DE · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 691 students

16 mi

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.