Maryland ranking · Clery-reported enrollment 2024

The Biggest Colleges in Maryland

The 50 largest of the 71 Maryland colleges and universities that report an enrolment to the U.S. Department of Education, ranked biggest first. Total enrolment counts online and distance students, so an institution with a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

63,012
Largest in Maryland
71
Institutions reporting
1,630
Median Maryland institution
#20
of 51 states by enrolment

University of Maryland Global Campus is the largest institution in Maryland with 63,012 students

According to U.S. Department of Education campus-safety enrollment filings for 2024, University of Maryland Global Campus leads Maryland at 63,012 students, and the five largest hold 49.1% of state enrollment. This list covers the 50 largest of 71 reporting institutions. Totals include online learners, so a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey

Largest in Maryland
63,012
Institutions reporting
71
State students in top 5
49.1%
Median Maryland institution
1,630

Maryland in one line

University of Maryland Global Campus is the largest institution in Maryland with 63,012 students, about 39x the 1,630 of the median institution in the state. The five largest hold 49.1% of the state's students, a middling concentration: large institutions matter here without crowding out the rest.

63,012
students at University of Maryland Global Campus
49.1%
of state students, in the top 5
352,744
students enrolled across Maryland
354
the #50 cutoff

Enrollment is total students reported in the OPE campus-safety disclosure for 2024, including online and distance learners. IPEDS supplies institution location and sector. The incident column is reported on-campus Clery Act incidents per 1,000 enrolled students.

Size joined to safety

These 50 largest institutions enroll 99.3% of Maryland's students; the other 21 reporting institutions hold the remaining 0.7%. Among the 32 mid-to-large campuses on this list, 14 sit below the 1.58 national median incident rate, and 0 also appear in the national safest-50.

99.3%
of state students, in these 50
14
below 1.58 national median /1k
0
also in national safest-50
5.68
University of Maryland Global Campus rate /1k

Incident rates are on-campus Clery Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports per 1,000 enrolled students for campuses with enrollment ≥ 2,000 and a national safety rank. A lower rate is not a personal safety verdict, reporting culture and online enrollment dilute raw counts. See /rankings/safest-campuses for the size-fair national list.

Showing the top 50 of 71 Maryland institutions by enrollment (350,276 of 352,744 students, 99.3%). The remaining 21 reporting institutions enroll 0.7% of the state total and are omitted from this capped ranking, not from the underlying federal tables.

What this ranking shows about Maryland

Maryland ranks 20th by total enrolment among the states and DC, roughly mid-table nationally. The 71 institutions reporting enrolment here split 29 public to 42 private, so neither sector defines the top of this list on its own.

Ranking by total enrolment puts institutions with large online programmes above institutions with larger physical campuses, because a virtual student body is not limited by classrooms or housing. A list of the biggest campuses by students physically present would order differently, and neither list is more correct, because they answer different questions. Enrolment here is the total headcount an institution reported to the federal OPE reporting cohort, which counts undergraduate and graduate students together and makes no distinction between full-time and part-time study. A university with a very large part-time or continuing-education population can therefore outrank one with more students on campus on any given weekday.

The incident-rate column is here because institution size changes how a raw incident count should be read, not because a larger university is more or less safe. Two institutions with the same number of reported incidents are not comparable if one enrols five times as many students, so the column expresses incidents per thousand enrolled. A rate still reflects reporting practice as much as underlying risk: an institution that encourages reporting and investigates thoroughly can record more incidents than one that does neither, and that is the opposite of what a naive reading suggests. Institutions where most students study online show diluted rates, because the denominator counts students who never set foot on a campus. Read the column as context for the size ranking, never as a safety verdict, and see our methodology for how both figures are assembled. For the same institutions ranked by cost rather than size, see the cheapest colleges rankings, or browse every institution we hold a record for.

Comparing states? See the 50 largest universities in the US, or this state's campus safety profile.

The bar to make Maryland's top-50 list is 354 students. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 71 Maryland institutions reporting enrollment:

The bar to make Maryland's top-50 list

Clery-reported enrollment · 71 Maryland institutions · 2024

354 Top 70% higher than 30% of 71 Maryland institutions

Show national distribution 0–7,000: 58 Maryland institutions (82%). This entry sits in this band. 7,000–14,000: 7 Maryland institutions (10%). Above this entry. 14,000–21,000: 3 Maryland institutions (4%). Above this entry. 21,000–28,000: 0 Maryland institutions (0%). Above this entry. 28,000–35,000: 1 Maryland institutions (1%). Above this entry. 35,000–42,000: 1 Maryland institutions (1%). Above this entry. 42,000–49,000: 0 Maryland institutions (0%). Above this entry. 49,000–56,000: 0 Maryland institutions (0%). Above this entry. 56,000–63,000: 0 Maryland institutions (0%). Above this entry. 63,000–70,000: 1 Maryland institutions (1%). Above this entry. #50 cutoff 0 70,000 every Maryland institution, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more Maryland institutions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey · 2024

The 50 largest of Maryland's 71 institutions

27
McDaniel College Westminster, MD · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
2,868
Incidents /1k
4.88
31
Hood College Frederick, MD · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
2,101
Incidents /1k
0.95
34
Cecil College North East, MD · Public
Enrollment
1,749
Incidents /1k
0.00
37
Goucher College Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
1,459
Incidents /1k
2.06
41
Washington College Chestertown, MD · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
923
Incidents /1k
5.42
42
Garrett College Mchenry, MD · Public
Enrollment
679
Incidents /1k
1.47
44
St. John's College Annapolis, MD · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
583
Incidents /1k
6.86
# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD · Public 63,012 100% of the leader · rank #1 5.68
2 University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD · Public 41,725 66% of the leader · rank #2 8.58
3 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit 30,210 48% of the leader · rank #3 7.38
4 Towson University Towson, MD · Public 19,401 31% of the leader · rank #4 3.04
5 Montgomery College Rockville, MD · Public 18,835 30% of the leader · rank #5 0.64
6 Community College of Baltimore County Baltimore, MD · Public 16,451 26% of the leader · rank #6 0.55
7 University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD · Public 13,906 22% of the leader · rank #7 6.11
8 Anne Arundel Community College Arnold, MD · Public 11,481 18% of the leader · rank #8 0.44
9 Prince George's Community College Largo, MD · Public 11,473 18% of the leader · rank #9 0.61
10 Morgan State University Baltimore, MD · Public 10,739 17% of the leader · rank #10 5.77
11 Howard Community College Columbia, MD · Public 8,643 14% of the leader · rank #11 0.23
12 Frederick Community College Frederick, MD · Public 7,293 12% of the leader · rank #12 0.00
13 Salisbury University Salisbury, MD · Public 7,025 11% of the leader · rank #13 5.84
14 University of Maryland, Baltimore Baltimore, MD · Public 6,636 11% of the leader · rank #14 1.66
15 Bowie State University Bowie, MD · Public 6,353 10% of the leader · rank #15 9.92
16 Hagerstown Community College Hagerstown, MD · Public 5,085 8% of the leader · rank #16 0.59
17 Harford Community College Bel Air, MD · Public 5,067 8% of the leader · rank #17 0.99
18 College of Southern Maryland La Plata, MD · Public 5,062 8% of the leader · rank #18 0.00
19 Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit 4,897 8% of the leader · rank #19 4.90
20 Baltimore City Community College Baltimore, MD · Public 4,375 7% of the leader · rank #20 0.00
21 Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD · Public 4,104 7% of the leader · rank #21 5.60
22 Stevenson University Owings Mills, MD · Private nonprofit 3,684 6% of the leader · rank #22 3.80
23 Carroll Community College Westminster, MD · Public 3,337 5% of the leader · rank #23 0.60
24 University of Baltimore Baltimore, MD · Public 3,187 5% of the leader · rank #24 1.57
25 University of Maryland Eastern Shore Princess Anne, MD · Public 3,177 5% of the leader · rank #25 15.11
26 Wor-Wic Community College Salisbury, MD · Public 2,941 5% of the leader · rank #26 1.70
27 McDaniel College Westminster, MD · Private nonprofit 2,868 5% of the leader · rank #27 4.88
28 Allegany College of Maryland Cumberland, MD · Public 2,762 4% of the leader · rank #28 3.26
29 Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg, MD · Private nonprofit 2,408 4% of the leader · rank #29 9.14
30 Coppin State University Baltimore, MD · Public 2,210 4% of the leader · rank #30 5.43
31 Hood College Frederick, MD · Private nonprofit 2,101 4% of the leader · rank #31 0.95
32 Chesapeake College Wye Mills, MD · Public 2,095 4% of the leader · rank #32 0.00
33 Notre Dame of Maryland University Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit 1,788 4% of the leader · rank #33 3.92
34 Cecil College North East, MD · Public 1,749 4% of the leader · rank #34 0.00
35 Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit 1,687 4% of the leader · rank #35 6.52
36 St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary'S City, MD · Public 1,630 4% of the leader · rank #36 15.95
37 Goucher College Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit 1,459 4% of the leader · rank #37 2.06
38 Strayer University-Maryland Suitland, MD · Private for-profit 1,290 4% of the leader · rank #38 0.00
39 Lincoln College of Technology-Columbia Columbia, MD · Private for-profit 1,258 4% of the leader · rank #39 0.00
40 Capitol Technology University Laurel, MD · Private nonprofit 1,065 4% of the leader · rank #40 0.00
41 Washington College Chestertown, MD · Private nonprofit 923 4% of the leader · rank #41 5.42
42 Garrett College Mchenry, MD · Public 679 4% of the leader · rank #42 1.47
43 Washington Adventist University Takoma Park, MD · Private nonprofit 612 4% of the leader · rank #43 0.00
44 St. John's College Annapolis, MD · Private nonprofit 583 4% of the leader · rank #44 6.86
45 Fortis College-Landover Landover, MD · Private for-profit 566 4% of the leader · rank #45 0.00
46 All-State Career-Baltimore Baltimore, MD · Private for-profit 563 4% of the leader · rank #46 0.00
47 Maryland University of Integrative Health Laurel, MD · Private nonprofit 544 4% of the leader · rank #47 0.00
48 North American Trade Schools Baltimore, MD · Private for-profit 534 4% of the leader · rank #48 0.00
49 Ner Israel Rabbinical College Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit 449 4% of the leader · rank #49 0.00
50 Fortis Institute-Towson Towson, MD · Private for-profit 354 4% of the leader · rank #50 0.00

What to do with this

Size is a starting filter for Maryland, not a verdict on any institution.

Institutions below the reporting floor, or without enrolment in the Campus Safety and Security Survey cohort for 2024, do not appear on this list. IPEDS supplies classification and location.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Survey (enrollment and Clery disclosures), joined to the IPEDS institutional directory (location and classification)

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every figure on this page is computed at request time from the federal source tables; no ranking position or count is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-10-26.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.