Private nonprofit · University

Mary Baldwin University

Staunton, Virginia · Small city

#2 best value in Virginia
Admit rate
$12,756
Avg net price
39%
Graduation rate
$44,427
Median earnings

Mary Baldwin University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Staunton, Virginia (small city setting), enrolling 1,090 undergraduates. It has a Presbyterian Church (USA) religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,090 undergradsSmall cityNCAA Division III without footballCold winters

About Staunton, Virginia

Staunton is an independent city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. Surveyor Thomas Lewis in 1746 laid out the first town plat for Beverley of what was originally called Beverley's Mill Place. Founded in 1747, it was renamed in honor of Lady Rebecca Staunton, wife to Royal Lieutenant-Governor Sir William Gooch. Staunton is home to the American Shakespeare Center, a theatrical company centered at the Blackfriars Playhouse, a replica of Shakespeare's Blackfriars Theatre. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
77 miles to Roanoke, VA
To the ocean
95 miles
Nearest airport
12 miles to Shenandoah Valley (SHD)

How Mary Baldwin University compares

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 22% · #39 of 49 in Virginia

First-year retention67%

Higher than 24%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,427

Higher than 23% · #41 of 51 in Virginia

Average net price$12,756

Cheaper than 82% · #2 cheapest of 47 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$26,586

Lower than 19%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment1,090

Larger than 40%

Percentiles compare Mary Baldwin University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Virginia.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,738students
  • Undergraduate1,09063%
  • Graduate64837%

Undergraduates by gender

1,090undergrads
  • Women1,01593%
  • Men757%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White47%
  • Black26%
  • Hispanic9.3%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial17%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,090
Graduate enrollment
648
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
55%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
22%
Median family income
$32,121
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$71,334
Endowment
$33,785,553

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 299 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Virginia85%
  • Other U.S. states15%

Most first-years stay in state — Mary Baldwin University draws overwhelmingly from Virginia.

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
$34,152
Room & board
$11,411
Books & supplies
$900
Total cost of attendance
$45,935
Average net price
$12,756

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)
39%
Graduated on time (4 years)
32%
First-year retention
67%
Transferred to another college
34%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,075
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$44,427
Median debt at graduation
$26,586
Students with federal loans
71%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
45%

About 8% 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
32%
Low-income (Pell)
41%
First-generation
41%

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
749
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
69%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
242 (127 men · 115 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 (9)

Soccer55
Baseball40
Track and Field (Outdoor)30
Softball26
Track and Field (Indoor)26
Basketball23
Volleyball18
Tennis14
Cross Country10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (1,772 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.

3.7reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.7
Arson
1.0
Rape
0.7
Aggravated assault
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
$12,717
$30–48k
$9,527
$48–75k
$11,537
$75–110k
$14,801
$110k+
$14,806

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
$49,490

$11,537/year × about 4.3 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.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$19,631
average award, among those who get one

Mary Baldwin University discounts heavily: 97% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $19,631. 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 263 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)
$44,427
Typical debt at graduation
$26,586
Debt vs. one year's pay
60%
Out-earn a HS grad
53%

Typical debt would take roughly 6.0 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
$43,781
Men
$52,236

Men out-earn women by $8,455 (19%) 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
84°F
Winter low
25°F
Annual rain
40.6″
Annual snow
21.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Staunton Wtp, VA US station (1.3 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 Mary Baldwin University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Mary Baldwin University side by side →

Colleges near Mary Baldwin University

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.