Public · University
Towson University
Towson, Maryland · Small city
- 82.0%
- Admit rate
- $17,413
- Avg net price
- 69%
- Graduation rate
- $64,390
- Median earnings
Towson University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Towson, Maryland (small city setting), enrolling 16,136 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Towson University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 82.0%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 950–1235
- Avg GPA
- 3.78
Enter a test score to see where you land against Towson University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Towson University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Towson, Maryland
Towson is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The first inhabitants of the future Towson and central Baltimore County region were the Susquehannock people, who hunted in the area. Their region included all of Baltimore County, though their primary settlement was farther northeast along the Susquehanna River. In the 1990s Towson was the center of the Towson Glen Arm music and art collective. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 7 miles to Baltimore, MD
- To the ocean
- 9 miles
- Nearest airport
- 15 miles to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI) · major hub
How Towson University compares
More selective than 41% · #21 most selective of 28 in Maryland
Higher than 30%
Higher than 77% · #10 of 31 in Maryland
Higher than 69%
Higher than 77% · #11 of 28 in Maryland
Cheaper than 62% · #12 cheapest of 29 in Maryland
Lower than 82%
Lower than 42%
Larger than 93%
Percentiles compare Towson University 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
- Undergraduate16,13684%
- Graduate3,13716%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women10,11763%
- Men6,01937%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White38%
- Black36%
- Hispanic12%
- Asian6.7%
- Other or multiracial8.4%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 16,136
- Graduate enrollment
- 3,137
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 36%
- First-generation students
- 29%
- Students over 25
- 10%
- Median family income
- $59,362
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $89,775
- Endowment
- $114,604,282
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 3,014 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Maryland90%
- Other U.S. states8.8%
- International1.3%
Most first-years stay in state — Towson University draws overwhelmingly from Maryland.
1% 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.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 82.0%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 950–1235
- SAT average
- 1095
- SAT reading
- 490–635
- SAT math
- 460–600
- ACT composite
- 19–27
- Average GPA
- 3.78
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $11,728
- Out-of-state tuition
- $29,820
- Room & board
- $16,260
- Books & supplies
- $960
- Total cost of attendance
- $28,535
- Average net price
- $17,413
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)
- 69%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 47%
- First-year retention
- 83%
- Transferred to another college
- 19%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $54,302
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $64,390
- Median debt at graduation
- $18,718
- Students with federal loans
- 42%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 66%
About 22% 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)
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
- 5,000
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 31%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,214
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,000
- Application fee
- $50
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I-FCS
- Football conference
- Colonial Athletic Association
- Varsity athletes
- 597 (250 men · 347 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 (13)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 64
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 24
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (19,401 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.
$16,784/year × about 4.5 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.
Modest institutional aid: 51% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,379. 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 2,662 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)
- $64,390
- Typical debt at graduation
- $18,718
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 29%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 73%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
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 $10,160 (17%) 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
- 86°F
- Winter low
- 27°F
- Annual rain
- 43.7″
- Annual snow
- 19.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cylburn, MD US station (3.6 mi from campus).
What Towson University 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 Towson University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Towson University side by side →
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois · Midsize suburb · 34 mi to Peoria
- Students
- 19,057
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1113
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $62k
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey · Large suburb · 14 mi to New York
- Students
- 18,376
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1070
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $61k
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, Hawaii · Large city · 3 mi to Honolulu
- Students
- 15,029
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1102
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $58k
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, Michigan · Fringe town · 11 mi to Grand Rapids
- Students
- 18,854
- Admission
- 83%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1074
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $56k
University of Nevada-Reno
Reno, Nevada · Large city · 1 mi to Reno
- Students
- 15,599
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1132
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $61k
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas · Large city · 13 mi to Fort Worth
- Students
- 32,294
- Admission
- 80%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1124
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $63k
Colleges near Towson University
Fortis Institute-Towson
Towson, MD · Private for-profit · Certificate · 354 students
Goucher College
Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 964 students
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 709 students
Loyola University Maryland
Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,869 students
Bais HaMedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 87 students
Baltimore Beauty & Barber School II
Timonium, MD · Private for-profit · Certificate · 101 students
Morgan State University
Baltimore, MD · Public · Bachelor's · 9,019 students
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 5,693 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.













