University of Maryland-College Park (UMD) vs CU-Boulder

Nestled in the vibrant College Park, Maryland, and the picturesque Boulder, Colorado, University of Maryland-College Park (UMD) and University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) stand as two prominent beacons of higher education. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence and offer a diverse range of programs, they also possess unique characteristics that set them apart. UMD boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. CU Boulder, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate, indicating a strong focus on student success. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, student body demographics, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	University of Colorado Boulder	University of Maryland-College Park
Overview
Location	Boulder, Colorado	College Park, Maryland
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	87.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	79.6%	52.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1170 - 1390	1330 - 1510
ACT range	25 - 31	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	54,756	50,183
Total number of admissions given out	43,576	26,109
Admitted students who chose to enroll	6,785	6,072
Yield rate	15.6%	23.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,725 Out of state: $55,543	In state: $30,997 Out of state: $58,678
Average net price	$22,532	$17,146
Tuition	In state: $10,728 Out of state: $36,546	In state: $9,000 Out of state: $36,681
Room & board	$15,220	Room/dormitory: $8,072 Meal plan: $5,578
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $9,214	56.0% Average amount $10,645
Students receiving federal student loan	27.0% Average amount $4,986	20.0% Average amount $5,065
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $24,094	4.0% Average amount $22,924

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	30,886 Men 54.8% Women 45.2%	30,922 Men 50.8% Women 49.2%
Graduate students	8,114 Men 57.8% Women 42.2%	10,350 Men 50.7% Women 49.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	48.8%	29.5%
International students	7.1%	10.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	7,500	11,846
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Colorado California Texas Illinois New York	Maryland New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Communication and Journalism Visual & Performing Arts Legal Profession	Engineering Business Education Computer and Information Science Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	74.0%	87.7%
Dropout rate	8.6%	4.0%
Transferred out	15.9%	7.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,752 Year 2: $116,679 Year 3: $121,033 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $118,373 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,907 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $108,458 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,254 Year 2: $89,641 Year 3: $97,860 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,200 Year 2: $75,706 Year 3: $92,272 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,191 Year 2: $80,503 Year 3: $87,258 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,023 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $86,676 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,804 Year 2: $75,921 Year 3: $85,563 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,633 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $85,039 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,440 Year 2: $71,957 Year 3: $83,132	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,765 Year 2: $106,102 Year 3: $116,295 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $125,155 Year 2: $112,923 Year 3: $112,074 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,533 Year 2: $94,112 Year 3: $102,555 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,018 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,716 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,727 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $99,501 Physics (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $72,899 Year 3: $92,830 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,418 Year 2: $80,466 Year 3: $92,230 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,675 Year 2: $72,762 Year 3: $83,667 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,798 Year 2: $71,761 Year 3: $82,867 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,391 Year 2: $66,485 Year 3: $82,784

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