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.

PublicLarge · 16,136 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 82% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Colonial Athletic AssociationCold wintersNear the coast

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

Selectivity82.0%

More selective than 41% · #21 most selective of 28 in Maryland

SAT average1095

Higher than 30%

Graduation rate69%

Higher than 77% · #10 of 31 in Maryland

First-year retention83%

Higher than 69%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$64,390

Higher than 77% · #11 of 28 in Maryland

Average net price$17,413

Cheaper than 62% · #12 cheapest of 29 in Maryland

Median debt at graduation$18,718

Lower than 82%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment16,136

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

19,273students
  • Undergraduate16,13684%
  • Graduate3,13716%

Undergraduates by gender

16,136undergrads
  • 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)

All students
47%
Low-income (Pell)
60%
First-generation
61%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)113
Football106
Lacrosse81
Swimming and Diving (combined)54
Baseball46
Soccer33
Basketball31
Field Hockey31
Gymnastics25
Softball24
Volleyball24
Golf17
Tennis12

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.

29reported offenses a year
21 violent a year8.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
8.7
Aggravated assault
5.3
Fondling
5.0
Burglary
5.0
Motor vehicle theft
2.7
Robbery
2.3
Arson
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
$6,962
$30–48k
$12,590
$48–75k
$16,784
$75–110k
$22,720
$110k+
$26,396

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
$75,233

$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.

51%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,379
average award, among those who get one

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.

Strong value

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.

Women
$61,116
Men
$71,276

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

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cylburn, MD US station (3.6 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 Towson University

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

Colleges near Towson 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.