UMD: the complete school report for parents
UMD puts the most weight on course rigor. A second tier of GPA, the essay and extracurricular activities carries real weight too. It does not consider legacy, demonstrated interest and the interview, so campus visits and emails will not move the decision. With a 45.0% admit rate and 89% of enrolled students at a 4.0 GPA or above, the transcript is the entry ticket and scores are optional but help when they are strong. Major matters more than the name on the diploma here: five years out, Finance and Financial Management Services graduates earn a median $116,598 against $38,656 for Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft.
UMD is officially University of Maryland-College Park. Admissions figures below come from its 2025-2026 Common Data Set (see the source), with the admission-factor grid re-read from that file on 2026-09-20.
Is UMD a reach, target or safety for your student?
Enter a GPA and course load and the calculator places UMD against the figures above. No account needed.
What does UMD actually weigh in admissions?
UMD rates 1 of the 18 factors "Very Important": course rigor. It does not consider 4 of them at all. Every college reports these weights in section C7 of its Common Data Set; below is UMD's 2025-2026 answer, read from the grid in its own file.
| Factor | How UMD rates it |
|---|---|
| course rigor | Very Important |
| GPA | Important |
| test scores | Considered |
| the essay | Important |
| extracurricular activities | Important |
| recommendations | Important |
| personal qualities | Important |
| talent | Important |
| class rank | Considered |
| demonstrated interest | Not Considered |
| the interview | Not Considered |
| legacy | Not Considered |
| first-generation status | Considered |
| geography | Considered |
| state residency | Considered |
| volunteer work | Considered |
| work experience | Considered |
| religious affiliation | Not Considered |
Does UMD consider how hard my child’s courses were?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors. The senior-year schedule should keep its AP, IB or honors depth rather than lighten.
Does UMD consider GPA?
Yes. It is an important factor.
Does UMD consider SAT or ACT scores?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UMD consider the application essay?
Yes. It is an important factor.
Does UMD consider extracurricular activities?
Yes. It is an important factor.
Does UMD consider recommendation letters?
Yes. It is an important factor.
Does UMD consider character and personal qualities?
Yes. It is an important factor.
Does UMD consider a special talent or ability?
Yes. It is an important factor.
Does UMD consider class rank?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UMD consider demonstrated interest?
No. UMD does not consider it. Campus visits, emails and info sessions do not move the decision.
Does UMD consider an interview?
No. UMD does not consider it. There is no interview to prepare for.
Does UMD consider legacy status?
No. UMD does not consider it. A parent or grandparent who attended gives no advantage.
Does UMD consider being first-generation?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor. Say so on the application; it is read as context.
Does UMD consider where we live?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UMD consider state residency?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UMD consider volunteer work?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UMD consider work experience?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does UMD consider religious affiliation?
No. UMD does not consider it.
What GPA do admitted students actually have?
89% of enrolled students had a 4.0 GPA or above. The average was 4.41 on a 4 scale, reported for 95% of the entering class. This is the school’s own distribution, not an estimate from its admit rate.
| High school GPA | Share of enrolled students |
|---|---|
| 4.0 | 89.23% |
| 3.75–3.99 | 6.1% |
| 3.50–3.74 | 2.53% |
| 3.25–3.49 | 1.06% |
| 3.00–3.24 | 0.66% |
| 2.50–2.99 | 0.27% |
| 2.00–2.49 | 0.15% |
What is the UMD waitlist really like?
UMD offered a place on its waiting list to 247 applicants and 0 accepted one. None of them were admitted. A waitlist place here should be treated as a decline, not as a live option to hold out for.
Is transferring in easier than applying as a freshman?
UMD admitted 53.4% of 7,653 transfer applicants, against 45.0% of first-year applicants. The two routes are similarly competitive here.
When do we apply, and does timing change the odds?
UMD reports its early rounds below.
| Regular application deadline | January 20 |
|---|---|
| Decisions released | February 1 |
| Reply / deposit deadline | May 1 |
| Early Decision offered | No |
| Early Action offered | Yes |
| Early Action deadline | November 1 |
| Application fee | $80 |
| Fee waiver available | Yes |
| Deferred admission offered | Yes |
What will UMD actually cost us?
Families pay an average of $15,678 a year at UMD after grants and scholarships, against a published in-state tuition of $10,490. The published price is not what most families pay. The university reports meeting 73.8% of demonstrated need on average. It also gave 1,276 merit awards averaging $8,565 to first-years with no demonstrated need.
What families at each income level actually paid:
| Family income | Average net price per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $2,962 |
| $30,000–$48,000 | $6,051 |
| $48,000–$75,000 | $10,273 |
| $75,000–$110,000 | $18,250 |
| Over $110,000 | $26,691 |
31% of UMD graduates borrow, leaving with an average of $31,672 in debt, which the federal data puts at about $201 a month in repayment. UMD’s net price calculator gives your own figure.
Does a degree from UMD pay off?
Graduates earn a median $82,860 ten years after entering, and $67,785 at six years. 88% out-earn a typical high school graduate within six years. 79% are actively paying down their loans three years in.
Four-year net cost against that earnings premium:
| Family income | Four-year net cost | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $11,848 | 0.3 |
| $30,000–$48,000 | $24,204 | 0.6 |
| $48,000–$75,000 | $41,092 | 1.1 |
| $75,000–$110,000 | $73,000 | 1.9 |
| Over $110,000 | $106,764 | 2.7 |
A scale, not a forecast: it assumes aid and earnings hold steady.
$116,598 to $38,656, depending on the major. Median earnings five years out at UMD:
| Major | Median earnings, 5 years | Graduates a year |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Financial Management Services | $116,598 | 376 |
| Information Science/Studies | $113,785 | 623 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $110,163 | 131 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | $106,431 | 140 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $102,581 | 360 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $102,325 | 234 |
| Mathematics | $101,607 | 260 |
| Accounting and Related Services | $99,454 | 154 |
| Marketing | $91,119 | 252 |
| Psychology, General | $63,220 | 408 |
| Music | $47,666 | 42 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | $38,656 | 30 |
College Scorecard, by field of study; highest and lowest shown.
Will my child actually graduate?
97% of first-years return for a second year. 88% within six (2019 cohort). The rate holds up across income: 80.1% of Pell-grant recipients graduate within six years against 90.1% of everyone else, a gap of 10.0 points.
How big are the classes?
45% of class sections have fewer than 20 students, while 8% have 100 or more. The student-faculty ratio is 17:1, and 83% of faculty are full-time. Both are true at once: 8% of sections seat 100 or more, and those are the introductory lectures. Accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
What is life at UMD like?
31,875 undergraduates, 35.2% of first-years from out of state. 88.3% of freshmen live in university housing, falling to 39.2% across all undergraduates. Greek life is small: 2.94% of men join a fraternity and 0.147% of women a sorority. 22% of students are the first in their family to attend college, and the median family income is $90,010.
What this means for your student
- Course rigor is rated Very Important here, so the senior-year schedule should hold its AP, IB or honors depth rather than lighten.
- 89% of enrolled students are at a 4.0 GPA or above, averaging 4.41. Below that line the rest of the application has to carry real weight.
- Skip demonstrated-interest tactics here. Visits and emails are not tracked, so save that effort for schools where they count.
- Treat a waitlist place here as a decline: 0 students waited and none were admitted.
- Its highest-earning major returns $116,598 five years out against $38,656 at the other end, a gap wider than the one between most schools.
- See where your student actually stands: calculate their GPA and compare it against the distribution above.
Common questions about UMD
What GPA do you need for UMD?
89% of enrolled students at UMD had a high school GPA of 4.0 or above, and the average was 4.41, according to its 2025-2026 Common Data Set.
Does the UMD waitlist move?
0 students accepted a place on the UMD waiting list and none were admitted in the 2025-2026 cycle.
What do UMD graduates earn?
UMD graduates earn a median $82,860 ten years after entering, and 88% out-earn a typical high school graduate within six years.
Other schools families compare with UMD
Where these numbers come from
Admissions figures: UMD’s 2025-2026 Common Data Set, published here, factor grid re-read from it on 2026-09-20. Earnings, debt, net price and graduation rates: College Scorecard (2022-2023). Unreported values show as “Not reported”.