University of Maryland, Baltimore County
A mid-sized R1 public university outside Baltimore, known for STEM research, cybersecurity and the Meyerhoff Scholars.
- Acceptance rate
- 74%
- First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
- Students
- 13,530
- 11,087 undergraduates
- International
- 5%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 16:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $34,183
- 2026-27
About UMBC
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County opened in 1966 as part of what is now the University System of Maryland, on former farmland in Catonsville just southwest of Baltimore. It was the first public college in Maryland open to students of all races from the start. In fall 2025 it enrolled 13,530 students, 11,087 of them undergraduates, and it is classified R1 for very high research activity.
Undergraduates study in three colleges: Natural and Mathematical Sciences; Engineering and Information Technology; and Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. UMBC is best known for science and computing. It is among the top 15 U.S. universities for NASA funding, runs research centers with NASA Goddard, and has built cybersecurity and AI strengths alongside bwtech@UMBC, its research park. Its Meyerhoff Scholars Program, which aims to take students on to research-based PhDs, has produced alumni including a U.S. Surgeon General and a scientist central to developing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Admission is accessible: 10,949 of 14,802 first-year applicants were admitted for fall 2025, testing is optional, and the entering class averaged a 4.06 high school GPA. The student body is highly diverse and mostly from Maryland. UMBC suits motivated students who want research access and competitive scholars programs at an in-state public price.
An Honors University in Maryland
University motto
Why students choose UMBC
Seven Scholars Programs, including Meyerhoff, Sherman, Cyber, Center for Women in Technology and Humanities, offering $5,000 to $22,000 a year plus research, seminars and internships.
Research on a NASA scale: UMBC runs three collaborative centers with NASA Goddard and ranks among the top 15 U.S. universities in NASA funding.
Automatic merit scholarship review for first-years who apply by the November 1 early action deadline, with no separate application.
Location in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, next to BWI airport and I-95, with a research park of more than 130 companies on campus.
Admissions
First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
10,949 admitted from 14,802 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
2,271 first-years enrolled in fall 2025, including 116 international students; of the applicants, 11,675 were Maryland residents. Admission to the Honors College, the Scholars Programs and visual and performing arts majors involves separate supplements, auditions or portfolios.
Typical entry requirements
| U.S. high school curriculum | A strong college-preparatory program from an accredited high school; GPA, curriculum strength, class rank, other achievements and the essay are considered |
|---|---|
| International secondary education | Official secondary transcripts with certified English translations; any college credits earned outside the U.S. need a course-by-course evaluation (ECE, WES and others) |
| English language | IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 80 Recommended levels for admission: TOEFL iBT 4.5 on the scale introduced January 21, 2026 (80 on the old scale), IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 115. Qualified exceptions to the English test requirement apply. |
Deadlines
- Early Action Non-binding Next deadline · In 26 daysNovember 1, 2026
Non-binding. Decisions from late December; meeting this deadline guarantees merit scholarship consideration. Also the Honors College priority deadline.
- Scholars Programs (most) Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 15, 2027
Separate application for Meyerhoff, Sherman, Sondheim, Cyber, CWIT and Humanities Scholars (Linehan Artist Scholars: January 31, 2027); Meyerhoff has a December 1 priority deadline and asks for submission by January 10. Selection interviews follow; decisions in early April.
- Regular Decision Non-binding In ~4 monthsFebruary 1, 2027
Decisions from February. Also the Honors College regular deadline.
UMBC's dates page lists November 1 (early action) and February 1 (regular decision) for fall enrollment, without a year; the application currently open is for spring and fall 2027. The FAFSA is due March 1 for fall enrollment.
How to apply
Common App only; $75 non-refundable fee; complete the Required Application Questions in your myUMBC account; essay; official high school transcript sent by your school. Optional: SAT/ACT and up to two recommendation letters. Honors College applicants answer Yes to the Honors question and add a writing supplement; Scholars Programs and arts majors have extra applications, portfolios or auditions.
What admissions looks for
- Your high school GPA and the strength of your curriculum, within a strong college-preparatory program.
- Class rank and other achievements, weighed alongside grades.
- Your essay, which UMBC uses to get to know you.
- Optional SAT or ACT scores, if you think they help your application.
Tips for applying to UMBC
- 1 Apply by November 1, 2026: early action guarantees automatic merit scholarship review and gets decisions out by late December.
- 2 If you are aiming for a science PhD or MD-PhD, apply to the Meyerhoff Scholars Program early, by the December 1 priority deadline.
- 3 You can accept only one UMBC merit or Scholars award, so apply to every Scholars Program that fits and choose later.
- 4 Compare your SAT or ACT with UMBC's middle-50% range before deciding whether to submit scores.
- 5 Arts applicants: check portfolio and audition dates early, since some scholarship auditions fall in November and January.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
UMBC awards need-based federal, state and institutional aid through the FAFSA (due March 1). First-years who apply by November 1 are automatically reviewed for merit scholarships, which require a 3.25 GPA to renew, and seven Scholars Programs award $5,000 to $22,000 a year. The 2025-26 CDS reports that institutional non-need-based aid is available to international students, and 318 nonresident undergraduates received it.
- $42,456 Maryland resident; $62,553 out of state
- Estimated 2026-27 cost of attendance (on campus)
- $5,000 to $22,000 per year
- Scholars Program awards
- 318 students (non-need-based)
- Nonresident undergraduates receiving institutional aid (CDS 2025-26)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Meyerhoff Scholars Program
A scholars program built around the goal of a research-based PhD; graduates include U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and immunologist Kizzmekia Corbett.
Computer Science and Cybersecurity
Housed in the College of Engineering and Information Technology, with a dedicated Cyber Scholars program and research themes in cybersecurity and AI.
Earth and space sciences
Joint centers with NASA Goddard (JCET, GPHI and CSST) give students access to atmospheric physics, remote sensing and astrophysics research.
Biological Sciences
Part of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, and the route taken by Meyerhoff alumna Kizzmekia Corbett (biological sciences, 2008).
Visual and Performing Arts
Portfolio- and audition-based entry, with separate early portfolio and audition dates for Linehan scholarship consideration.
Research
- Classified R1 (very high research activity) and among the top 15 U.S. universities in NASA funding.
- Three collaborative centers with NASA Goddard: JCET, the Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute and the Center for Space Sciences and Technology.
- bwtech@UMBC research park, with more than 130 companies and incubators in cybersecurity, life sciences and clean technology.
Schools & faculties
- College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
- College of Engineering and Information Technology
- College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences
- Erickson School of Aging Studies
- School of Public Policy
- School of Social Work (with University of Maryland, Baltimore)
- Honors College
- Graduate School
College Scorecard: median earnings of $69,960 ten years after entry and $55,137 six years after entry for federally aided students.
Student life
About 58% of first-years and 35% of all undergraduates live in university housing, according to the fall 2025 CDS, and many other students live in nearby Catonsville and Arbutus or elsewhere in Baltimore. The campus is organized around Academic Row, the Commons student union and the Albin O. Kuhn Library. Retriever pride runs high: in 2018 UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The chess team won the Pan American Intercollegiate title nine times between 1996 and 2009.
- The 2018 NCAA tournament win over top-seeded Virginia, 74-54, a first for a No. 16 seed.
- 17 NCAA Division I teams competing as the Retrievers in the America East Conference.
- A chess program that has won the Pan American tournament nine times and offers chess scholarships.
- A highly diverse student body: the fall 2025 first-year class was 27% Black, 27% Asian, 21% white and 12% Hispanic.
Housing. About 58% of first-years and 35% of all undergraduates lived in university housing in fall 2025 (Residential Life says it houses about 4,000 residents in residence halls, suites and apartments); most upper-year students live off campus.
Location
UMBC sits in Catonsville, a suburb on the southwest edge of Baltimore, between the Baltimore Beltway and I-95. The campus is close to BWI airport, and the Baltimore-Washington corridor puts federal agencies, NASA Goddard, tech employers and internships within commuting distance. UMBC Transit buses link campus with nearby neighborhoods, and the MARC Penn Line stops at Halethorpe, about two miles away.
Nearest airport: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
Notable alumni
- JA Jerome Adams20th U.S. Surgeon General; BS from UMBC as a Meyerhoff Scholar
- KC Kizzmekia CorbettViral immunologist central to developing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the NIH Vaccine Research Center; BS in biological sciences and sociology, 2008 (Meyerhoff Scholar)
- KT Kathleen TurnerGolden Globe-winning actress; BFA, 1977
- DP Dan PatrickLieutenant Governor of Texas since 2015; BA in English
- DG Duff GoldmanPastry chef and star of Ace of Cakes; attended UMBC
- BD Brian DannellyDirector of the film Saved!; visual arts degree, 1997
Frequently asked questions
What is UMBC's acceptance rate?
UMBC admitted 10,949 of 14,802 first-year applicants for fall 2025, about 74%.
Is UMBC test-optional?
Yes. SAT and ACT scores are optional; among enrolled fall 2025 first-years who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1250-1400 on the SAT and 26-31 on the ACT.
When are UMBC's application deadlines?
For fall 2027, early action closes November 1, 2026 and regular decision closes February 1, 2027. Most Scholars Programs, including Meyerhoff, have a final deadline of January 15, 2027.
How much does UMBC cost?
For 2026-27, tuition and fees are $14,086 for Maryland residents and $34,183 for out-of-state students; the estimated on-campus cost of attendance is $42,456 in state and $62,553 out of state.
How do I get a merit scholarship at UMBC?
Apply for admission by November 1: first-years are automatically reviewed for general merit scholarships with no separate form. Scholars Programs such as Meyerhoff and Sherman need a separate application and award $5,000 to $22,000 a year.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
- UMBC Undergraduate Admissions
- UMBC Admissions: Dates and Deadlines
- UMBC Admissions: How to Apply as a First-Year Student
- UMBC Admissions: Are You Application Ready? (first-year class profile)
- UMBC Admissions: First-Year Admission as an International Student
- UMBC Financial Aid: 2026-2027 Undergraduate Cost of Attendance
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