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The University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland (MD)
Nearest major city: Washington, D.C., eight miles/13 kilometers from campus
Colleges: 12 (enrolling undergraduates)
Majors: 90+
Student-to-teacher ratio: 17:1
Campus clubs and organizations: 800+
NCAA Division I teams: 20
National publications have consistently ranked the University of Maryland as a leader in higher education quality, value and diversity. These are just a few of the ways we’ve been recognized, and you can view our complete list of rankings to see how the university’s reputation is growing.
High school students and students with fewer than 12 semester hours or 18 quarter hours of university-level credit beyond secondary school should apply as freshman applicants. For best consideration for admission to the university, merit-based scholarships and invitations to special programs, students should apply by the Priority Deadline. Freshman applicants who apply for admission to the fall semester are also automatically considered for admission to the spring semester.
As prescribed by the Board of Regents, the university expects you, at a minimum, to have completed the following course work by high school graduation:
The most competitive applicants exceed these minimum requirements, earning a strong A-/B+ or better average in their high school coursework while taking several honors and/or Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses and additional academic electives. Be sure to review the application checklist for a list of all required materials for a complete application
The essay is just one of the 26 factors we use as part of our holistic application review for prospective freshmen.
Please answer one of the following essay questions in your application. Make sure to include the question itself at the start of your essay. Your essay should be no more than 500 words; the question will not be included in the essay total word count.
1. Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
2. Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.
3. Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs?
4. What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)?
5. Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.
"At Maryland, we value all of your strengths and talents. We know there is more to you than grades and SAT scores. While they are important, we also want to know about your interests and background and what makes you unique. In addition to test scores and transcripts, we’ll review your letters of recommendation, essay and short-answer responses and activities resume. Our thorough review process considers more than 26 factors."
Each category is assessed by a combination of quantitative and qualitative factors. These factors are flexibly applied, so the listing does not reflect order of importance.