Private nonprofit · College
McDaniel College
Westminster, Maryland · Fringe town
- 77.9%
- Admit rate
- $21,916
- Avg net price
- 63%
- Graduation rate
- $60,663
- Median earnings
McDaniel College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Westminster, Maryland (fringe town setting), enrolling 1,617 undergraduates.
About Westminster, Maryland
Westminster is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, Maryland, United States. William Winchester (1706-1790) purchased approximately 167 acres of land in the area in 1754, which became known as White's Level and later the town of Winchester. The Hashawha Tower is a windmill in Westminster. It stands at the Hashawha Environmental Center. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 29 miles to Baltimore, MD
- To the ocean
- 30 miles
- Nearest airport
- 33 miles to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI) · major hub
How McDaniel College compares
More selective than 48% · #18 most selective of 28 in Maryland
Higher than 65% · #15 of 31 in Maryland
Higher than 49%
Higher than 69% · #17 of 28 in Maryland
Cheaper than 41% · #20 cheapest of 29 in Maryland
Lower than 34%
Lower than 50%
Larger than 52%
Percentiles compare McDaniel 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
- Undergraduate1,61756%
- Graduate1,24844%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women83652%
- Men78148%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White53%
- Black24%
- Hispanic11%
- Asian2.1%
- Other or multiracial10%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,617
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,248
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 36%
- First-generation students
- 26%
- Students over 25
- 2%
- Median family income
- $70,197
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $76,257
- Endowment
- $156,673,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 77.9%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $52,081
- Room & board
- $12,974
- Books & supplies
- $1,522
- Total cost of attendance
- $65,294
- Average net price
- $21,916
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)
- 63%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 56%
- First-year retention
- 76%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $47,879
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $60,663
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Students with federal loans
- 58%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 73%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- 1,446
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 89%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,908
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,190
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Centennial Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 616 (391 men · 225 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 (15)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 3.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 25
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 5
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (2,868 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$19,796/year × about 4.2 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.
McDaniel College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $35,719. 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 467 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)
- $60,663
- Typical debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 41%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 66%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $6,882 (12%) 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
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 21°F
- Annual rain
- 44.1″
- Annual snow
- 28.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Hanover 4 SW, PA US station (13 mi from campus).
What McDaniel College graduates study — and earn
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 McDaniel College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare McDaniel College side by side →
Saint Francis University
Loretto, Pennsylvania · Distant rural · 71 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 1,557
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1155
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $62k
Saint Ambrose University
Davenport, Iowa · Midsize city · 64 mi to Cedar Rapids
- Students
- 1,916
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1093
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $60k
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Indiana · Large suburb · 2 mi to South Bend
- Students
- 1,458
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1246
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $59k
Albright College
Reading, Pennsylvania · Small city · 28 mi to Allentown
- Students
- 1,217
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $59k
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois · Midsize city · 27 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 2,428
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1213
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $60k
Mount St. Mary's University
Emmitsburg, Maryland · Distant rural · 48 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 1,768
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1176
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $64k
Colleges near McDaniel College
Carroll Community College
Westminster, MD · Public · Associate · 1,990 students
Empire Beauty School-Hanover
Hanover, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 55 students
Stevenson University
Owings Mills, MD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,102 students
Empire Beauty School-Owings Mills
Owings Mills, MD · Private for-profit · Certificate · 121 students
Ner Israel Rabbinical College
Pikesville, MD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 280 students
Mount St. Mary's University
Emmitsburg, MD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,768 students
United Lutheran Seminary
Gettysburg, PA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,099 students
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.











