![[photo, George Peabody statue before Peabody Institute, Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/36loc/bcity/images/1198-1-3828.jpg)
George Peabody statue before Peabody Institute, Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, Maryland, March 2009. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
![[photo, University of Maryland School of Law, 500 West Baltimore St., Baltimore, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/25univ/umab/images/1198-1-2564.jpg)
PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES & COLLEGES
In Maryland, public higher education is served by:
![[photo, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Symons Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/25univ/umcp/images/1198-1-503b.jpg)
College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Symons Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, August 2003. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
In addition, sixteen community colleges and eight regional higher education centers serve the public. Information about public universities and colleges (including community colleges) is available from the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
In fall 2012, some 310,573 students (undergraduate, graduate, & professional) enrolled at Maryland public universities and colleges, the highest such enrollment in State history. Women accounted for 57.1% of all students. For undergraduates, Maryland residents constituted 92.6% of enrollees at community colleges, 75.4% at public four-year institutions, and 45.8% at independent universities and colleges.
In the 2012-13 school year, the average yearly cost for resident undergraduates attending a State college was $8,073. For nonresidents, the average was $18,761.
For those wishing to continue their education via the Internet, Maryland Online offers that opportunity. Maryland Online is a consortium of community colleges and universities that offer courses online to students unable to attend classes on a campus. Initiated in the fall of 1999, the consortium now includes 20 members: Allegany College of Maryland; Anne Arundel Community College; Baltimore City Community College; Community College of Baltimore County; Carroll Community College; Cecil College; Chesapeake College; College of Southern Maryland; Frederick Community College; Garrett College; Hagerstown Community College; Harford Community College; Howard Community College; Montgomery College; Morgan State University; Prince George's Community College; Stevenson University; University of Baltimore; University of Maryland University College; and Wor-Wic Community College.
Maryland also participates in the Academic Common Market, an education consortium of fifteen southern states. Reduced tuition is offered to students who attend schools out of state because their program is not available at a public in-state college or university. States who participate with Maryland in this program are: Alabama; Arkansas; Delaware; Florida (graduate programs); Georgia; Kentucky; Louisiana; Mississippi; Oklahoma; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas (graduate programs); Virginia; and West Virginia.
Postgraduate professional degree programs are offered by: University of Baltimore (law); University of Maryland, Baltimore
Scholarships & Savings Plans. To further education in Maryland, the State provides numerous assistance and scholarship options for college. The College Savings Plans of Maryland Board oversees the College Savings Plans of Maryland, including the Maryland Prepaid College Trust, and the Maryland College Investment Plan. Assistance also is offered through the Office of Student Financial Assistance. Within the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the Office is responsible for all State student financial aid programs.
![[photo, Midshipmen, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/37mun/annapolis/images/1198-1-4010b.jpg)
In Annapolis, the U.S. Naval Academy is a federal institution. Founded in 1845, the Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps. In 2013, the Academy was ranked the top public liberal arts college in the country for the third year in a row by U.S. News & World Report magazine.
Midshipmen, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, July 2009. Photo by Andrew L. Baringer.
![[photo, U.S. Naval Academy Chapel, Annapolis, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/01glance/images/i002917a.jpg)
Each academic year, over 4,000 midshipmen enroll at the U.S. Naval Academy as full-time students. After four years, graduating midshipmen are granted a Bachelor of Science degree and are required to serve in the U.S. armed services for five years. During Commissioning Week, on a day prior to graduation, the Navy's flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, performs over Annapolis.
U.S. Naval Academy Chapel, Annapolis, Maryland, April 1999. Photo by Diane P. Frese.
? Copyright Maryland State Archives