University of Maryland Global Campus

Public · MD

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationMD · South

SettingSuburban

Undergrads49,664

Student:faculty21:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate9.8%

6-yr grad rate33.3%

Drop-out rate44.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$8k

Out-of-state tuition$12k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity70.2%

Gender diversity45.5%

International1.2%

Identity—

Overview

UMGC is a public university within the University System of Maryland built specifically around online and working-adult learners, with deep historical roots serving military servicemembers and their families at U.S. bases in Europe and Asia dating back to the years after World War II. It has evolved from its earlier identity as University of Maryland University College into a large, primarily online institution serving students worldwide.

Academics

Programs concentrate on career-focused fields like cybersecurity, business, and information technology, reflecting the university's proximity to federal, defense, and intelligence-community employers in the Washington, D.C. region, and its cybersecurity programs in particular have earned recognition tied to federal academic-excellence designations. Coursework is designed for part-time, asynchronous study rather than a traditional in-person sequence, with terms structured to accommodate deployed servicemembers and shift-working adults.

Getting in

Admissions is accessible and geared toward working adults and military-affiliated students rather than a traditional competitive applicant pool, with credit awarded for military training and prior coursework playing a significant role in what a given student needs to complete.

After graduation

Graduates in cybersecurity and IT fields often move into federal government, defense-contractor, and intelligence-adjacent employers in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia corridor, while business and management graduates, many already working full-time, use the degree for advancement within an existing employer. Its long military-serving history also gives it an alumni base disproportionately represented in federal and defense careers compared to most universities.

Worth knowing

Its long history serving military families overseas gives it a global footprint unusual among public universities, and most students never attend in a traditional classroom setting at all. The name change from University of Maryland University College to University of Maryland Global Campus reflected a deliberate shift toward a fully online identity rather than a marginal rebrand.

umgc.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate—

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot reported

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying