Columbia vs University of Maryland-College Park (UMD)
Columbia University and University of Maryland-College Park, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Columbia, a private Ivy League university in New York City, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 6.1%, while Maryland, a public research university in College Park, Maryland, offers a more accessible admissions process with an acceptance rate of 44.6%. Columbia's student body is smaller and more diverse, with a total enrollment of 32,000 students, while Maryland's student body is larger and more diverse, with a total enrollment of over 41,000 students. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with Columbia being particularly renowned for its strength in the humanities, social sciences, and business, and Maryland being particularly renowned for its strength in engineering, computer science, and public policy. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table
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![]() Columbia University |
![]() University of Maryland-College Park |
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Overview |
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Location | New York, New York | College Park, Maryland |
Campus setting | City: Large | Suburb: Large |
College type | 4 year | 4 year |
Control/business model | Private (Non Profit) | Public |
Calendar system | Semester | Semester |
Degrees offered | Undergraduate and Graduate | Undergraduate and Graduate |
Students retention rate | 99.0% | 95.0% |
![]() |
Yes | Yes |
Religious affiliation | ||
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Admission |
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Acceptance rate | 4.1% | 52.0% |
Application fees |
Undergraduate:
$85
Graduate:
$120
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Undergraduate:
$75
Graduate:
$75
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SAT range | 1470 - 1570 | 1330 - 1510 |
ACT range | 34 - 35 | 30 - 34 |
Students submitting SAT score | 43.0% | 34.0% |
Students submitting ACT score | 28.0% | 9.0% |
Total number of applicants | 61,110 | 50,183 |
Total number of admissions given out | 2,524 | 26,109 |
Admitted students who chose to enroll | 1,641 | 6,072 |
Yield rate | 65.0% | 23.3% |
Test scores (SAT/ACT) | N/A | N/A |
High school GPA | Not required | Required |
Recommendation letters | Required | Not required |
High school transcript | Not required | Not required |
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) | Not required | Required |
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Tuition and Fees |
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Sticker price | $90,882 |
In state:
$30,997
Out of state:
$58,678
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Average net price | $12,411 | $17,146 |
Tuition | $60,514 |
In state:
$9,000
Out of state:
$36,681
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Room & board |
Room/dormitory:
$9,450
Meal plan:
$6,000
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Room/dormitory:
$8,072
Meal plan:
$5,578
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Available payment plans |
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Financial Aid |
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Students receiving financial aid
(Grants & scholarships) |
53.0%
Average amount $57,726 |
56.0%
Average amount $10,645 |
Students receiving federal student loan |
7.0%
Average amount $5,511 |
20.0%
Average amount $5,065 |
Students taking out private loans |
2.0%
Average amount $34,119 |
4.0%
Average amount $22,924 |
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Students and Campus |
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Undergraduate students |
8,832
Men 50.6% Women 49.4% |
30,922
Men 50.8% Women 49.2% |
Graduate students |
24,944
Men 44.8% Women 55.2% |
10,350
Men 50.7% Women 49.3% |
Racial/ethnic diversity |
Moderate
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Moderate
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Out-of-state students | N/A | 29.5% |
International students | 37.0% | 10.3% |
Campus local/setting | City: Large | Suburb: Large |
Dormitory capacity | 13,071 | 11,846 |
First year students are required to live on campus? | No | No |
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from | N/A | Maryland New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Virginia |
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Academics |
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Popular study areas |
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Students to faculty ratio | 6:1 | 18:1 |
Institutional accreditation | Middle States Commission on Higher Education | Middle States Commission on Higher Education |
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Outcome |
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Graduation rate | 97.4% | 87.7% |
Dropout rate | 1.7% | 4.0% |
Transferred out | 0.7% | 7.7% |
Alumni salary by major (Top 10) |
Law (First Professional Degrees)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees)
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
Operations Research (Master's Degrees)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
Construction Management (Master's Degrees)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees)
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Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
Engineering, General (Master's Degrees)
Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees)
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
Physics (Doctoral Degrees)
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees)
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
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