Private nonprofit · College

Hood College

Frederick, Maryland · Small city

77.8%
Admit rate
$20,873
Avg net price
57%
Graduation rate
$57,089
Median earnings

Hood College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Frederick, Maryland (small city setting), enrolling 1,194 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,194 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 78% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

About Frederick, Maryland

Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The earliest European settlement was slightly north of Frederick in Monocacy, Maryland. Frederick is well known for the "clustered spires" skyline of its historic downtown churches. These spires are depicted on the city's seal and many other city-affiliated logos and insignia. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
40 miles
Nearest airport
26 miles to Hagerstown Regional Richard A Henson Field (HGR)

How Hood College compares

Selectivity77.8%

More selective than 49% · #17 most selective of 28 in Maryland

Graduation rate57%

Higher than 54% · #17 of 31 in Maryland

First-year retention68%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$57,089

Higher than 60% · #19 of 28 in Maryland

Average net price$20,873

Cheaper than 46% · #19 cheapest of 29 in Maryland

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment1,194

Larger than 42%

Percentiles compare Hood College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Maryland.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,097students
  • Undergraduate1,19457%
  • Graduate90343%

Undergraduates by gender

1,194undergrads
  • Women75964%
  • Men43536%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White50%
  • Black18%
  • Hispanic17%
  • Asian3.2%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,194
Graduate enrollment
903
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
37%
First-generation students
31%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$52,820
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$75,249
Endowment
$197,780,692

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

Admissions

Admission rate
77.8%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$47,700
Room & board
$16,200
Books & supplies
$1,430
Total cost of attendance
$61,219
Average net price
$20,873

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 (within 6 years)
57%
Graduated on time (4 years)
44%
First-year retention
68%
Transferred to another college
29%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,415
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$57,089
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
68%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
63%

About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
44%
Low-income (Pell)
62%
First-generation
64%

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
768
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
64%
Housing charge (year)
$6,900
Meal plan (year)
$7,350
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
446 (219 men · 227 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 (16)

Lacrosse66
Soccer60
Baseball35
Basketball30
Track and Field (Indoor)29
Track and Field (Outdoor)29
Volleyball26
Ice Hockey25
Other Sports25
Field Hockey24
Swimming23
Golf20
Softball19
Cross Country17
Tennis10
Equestrian8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
5
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,101 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.

2.0reported offenses a year
1.7 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.3
Fondling
0.3
Burglary
0.3

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
$12,424
$30–48k
$14,454
$48–75k
$19,837
$75–110k
$23,638
$110k+
$29,078

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$86,350

$19,837/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$31,939
average award, among those who get one

Hood College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $31,939. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 294 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)
$57,089
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
44%
Out-earn a HS grad
65%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.4 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
$53,914
Men
$68,314

Men out-earn women by $14,400 (27%) 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
26°F
Annual rain
43.5″
Annual snow
31.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Frederick Police Brks, MD US station (1.1 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 Hood College

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

Colleges near Hood 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.