Public · Community college

Garrett College

McHenry, Maryland · Distant rural

25%
Transfer rate
$9,228
Avg net price
34%
Grad / completion
$35,823
Median earnings

Garrett College is a public associate-granting institution in McHenry, Maryland (distant rural setting), enrolling 411 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 411 undergradsDistant ruralOtherCold wintersSnowy

About McHenry, Maryland

McHenry is an unincorporated community located in Garrett County, Maryland, United States, on the northernmost shore of Deep Creek Lake. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant rural
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
129 miles
Nearest airport
31 miles to Morgantown Municipal Airport Walter L. (Bill) Hart Field (MGW)

How Garrett College compares

Graduation rate34%

Higher than 18% · #29 of 38 in Maryland

First-year retention50%

Higher than 12%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$35,823

Higher than 52% · #22 of 38 in Maryland

Average net price$9,228

Cheaper than 73% · #9 cheapest of 40 in Maryland

Median debt at graduation$10,750

Lower than 37%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment411

Larger than 59%

Percentiles compare Garrett 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

411undergrads
  • Women20851%
  • Men20349%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White75%
  • Black11%
  • Hispanic5.1%
  • Other or multiracial8.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
411
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
31%
First-generation students
41%
Students over 25
8%
Median family income
$28,242
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$68,373
Endowment
$8,667,357

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 210 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Maryland64%
  • Other U.S. states29%
  • International6.7%

A regional draw: about 64% of first-years come from Maryland, the rest from elsewhere.

7% came from outside the U.S. 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
$4,144
Out-of-state tuition
$12,040
Room & board
$8,384
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$14,342
Average net price
$9,228

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
34%
First-year retention
50%
Transferred to another college
25%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$28,920
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$35,823
Median debt at graduation
$10,750
Students with federal loans
31%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
32%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
34%
Low-income (Pell)
24%
First-generation
21%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
164
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
40%
Housing charge (year)
$5,833
Meal plan (year)
$3,000
Application fee
Free
Athletics
Other
Varsity athletes
121 (75 men · 46 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (5)

Baseball41
Basketball28
Soccer22
Wrestling18
Volleyball12

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (679 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.7reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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
$7,387
$30–48k
$7,231
$48–75k
$10,686
$75–110k
$12,624
$110k+
$13,398

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.

34%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,335
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 34% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,335. 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 166 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)
$35,823
Typical debt at graduation
$10,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
30%
Out-earn a HS grad
36%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.0 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
$32,440
Men
$38,176

Men out-earn women by $5,736 (18%) 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
79°F
Winter low
17°F
Annual rain
50.8″
Annual snow
104.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sines Deep Creek, MD US station (4.6 mi from campus).

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 Garrett College

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

Colleges near Garrett College

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.