Garrett College vs College of Southern Maryland (CSM)

Garrett College and College of Southern Maryland, both esteemed community colleges in Maryland, offer distinct educational experiences. Garrett College, nestled in the scenic mountains of Western Maryland, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. College of Southern Maryland, situated in the vibrant Southern Maryland region, offers a wider range of academic programs, including popular majors like Business, Health Professions, and Education. While Garrett College's student body is predominantly White, College of Southern Maryland's student population is more diverse, reflecting the region's cultural richness. Both institutions share a commitment to student success, with comparable graduation rates. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	College of Southern Maryland	Garrett College
Overview
Location	La Plata, Maryland	McHenry, Maryland
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Rural: Distant
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	66.0%	58.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,706 Out of state: $25,686	In state: $21,684 Out of state: $23,476
Average net price	$7,549	$5,598
Tuition	In state: $5,640 Out of state: $7,224	In state: $7,980 Out of state: $9,772
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $5,833 Meal plan: $3,000
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $4,644	90.0% Average amount $5,982
Students receiving federal student loan	7.0% Average amount $4,954	51.0% Average amount $4,423
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $5,250	3.0% Average amount $10,263

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,660 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	578 Men 48.3% Women 51.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	0.9%	22.4%
International students	0.4%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	N/A	172
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Maryland Virginia District of Columbia New Jersey Oregon	Maryland West Virginia Pennsylvania District of Columbia Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Liberal Arts Business Natural Resources and Conservation Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	31.2%	27.7%
Dropout rate	45.2%	46.0%
Transferred out	10.9%	23.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $57,691 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $61,812 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,903 Year 2: $23,042 Year 3: $30,579 Business/Commerce, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $33,332 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $19,508 Year 2: $19,227 Year 3: $26,687 Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: N/A

College of Southern Maryland

Garrett College

Overview

Location

La Plata, Maryland

McHenry, Maryland

Campus setting

Rural: Fringe

Rural: Distant

College type

2 year

Control/business model

Public

Calendar system

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate

Students retention rate

66.0%

58.0%

Common app member

Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate

Open Admission

Application fees

SAT range

N/A

ACT range

N/A

Students submitting SAT score

Students submitting ACT score

Total number of applicants

Total number of admissions given out

Admitted students who chose to enroll

Yield rate

Test scores (SAT/ACT)

Not required

High school GPA

N/A

Recommendation letters

N/A

High school transcript

N/A

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

N/A

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

In state: $23,706

Out of state: $25,686

In state: $21,684

Out of state: $23,476

Average net price

$7,549

$5,598

Tuition

In state: $5,640

Out of state: $7,224

In state: $7,980

Out of state: $9,772

Room & board

Room/dormitory: $5,833

Meal plan: $3,000

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

54.0%

Average amount $4,644

90.0%

Average amount $5,982

Students receiving federal student loan

7.0%

Average amount $4,954

51.0%

Average amount $4,423

Students taking out private loans

0.0%

Average amount $5,250

3.0%

Average amount $10,263

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students

5,660

Men 36.8% Women 63.2%

578

Men 48.3% Women 51.7%

Graduate students

N/A

Racial/ethnic diversity

Moderate

Very Low

Out-of-state students

0.9%

22.4%

International students

0.4%

0.2%

Campus local/setting

Rural: Fringe

Rural: Distant

Dormitory capacity

N/A

172

First year students are required to live on campus?

N/A

Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from

Maryland Virginia District of Columbia New Jersey Oregon

Maryland West Virginia Pennsylvania District of Columbia Florida

Academics

Popular study areas

Liberal Arts
Health Professions
Business
Computer and Information Science
Law Enforcement and Firefighting

Liberal Arts
Business
Natural Resources and Conservation
Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Computer and Information Science

Students to faculty ratio

17:1

12:1

Institutional accreditation

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate

31.2%

27.7%

Dropout rate

45.2%

46.0%

Transferred out

10.9%

23.3%

Alumni salary by major (Top 10)

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $57,691
Year 2: $56,641
Year 3: $61,812

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $25,903
Year 2: $23,042
Year 3: $30,579

Business/Commerce, General (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $33,332
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: N/A

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $19,508
Year 2: $19,227
Year 3: $26,687

Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $21,964
Year 3: N/A