UMD Rises to No. 19 in U.S. News Rankings of Top Public Colleges

The University of Maryland ranks No. 19 among the nation’s top public institutions in U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 Best Colleges edition released today.

UMD jumped from No. 24 from last year on that list and from No. 64 to 58 among national universities in the rankings, frequently used by prospective college students and their families navigating the application process.

The rankings are based on more than 15 measures of academic quality, including student graduation and retention rates; graduate indebtedness and social mobility; student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and expert opinion rank (peer assessments).

UMD saw gains this year in expert opinion rank, faculty compensation and resources, and social mobility. The latter compares graduation rates for Pell grant students and other students. At UMD, the graduation rate for Pell grant students climbed 4 percentage points to 84%, while for non-Pell grant students it rose 1 point to 88%, narrowing the gap.

U.S. News added computer science this year to the fields it ranks, examining undergraduate programs and departments at 481 institutions nationwide. UMD tied for No. 16 overall and for No. 8 among public institutions, with three specialties ranked in the top 25:

• Artificial intelligence (tied for No. 16 overall, No. 8 among publics)
• Cybersecurity (tied for No.9 overall, tied for No. 5 among publics)
• Data analytics/science (No. 16 overall, No. 8 among publics)

The Robert H. Smith School of Business was ranked No. 19 nationally and No. 9 among publics, with four specialties ranked in the top 25:

• Management (No. 13, overall, No. 10 among publics)
• Management information systems (No. 8 overall, No. 6 among publics)
• Marketing (No. 20 overall, No. 13 among publics)
• Supply chain management/logistics (No.15 overall, No. 12 among publics)

The A. James Clark School of Engineering was ranked No. 22 nationally and No. 12 among publics, with four specialties ranked in the top 25:

• Aerospace engineering (No. 10 overall, No. 6 among publics)
• Mechanical engineering (No. 25 overall, No 14 among publics)
• Computer engineering ( No. 17 overall, No. 10 among publics)
• Electrical engineering (No. 20 overall, No. 13 among publics)

Maryland also placed among Best Colleges for Veterans (No. 18 among publics and No. 30 overall) and for its highly respected learning communities (No. 5 among publics and No. 14 overall).