The 10 Best College Towns In Maryland For 2026

Maryland doesn't get a lot of attention for its colleges, but there are 13 towns in the state with at least one four-year school -- and some of them make great places to spend four years.

We wanted to know which ones are the best college towns. You know the type of place: plenty of students, plenty to do, affordable rent, and safe enough to walk around at night.

So we used Saturday Night Science to rank all 13 of them on the colleges themselves, the town around them, and things to do. Towson came out on top.

The 10 Best College Towns In Maryland For 2026

Towson, MD
Annapolis, MD
Baltimore, MD
College Park, MD
Frederick, MD
Frostburg, MD
Salisbury, MD
Bowie, MD
Takoma Park, MD
Westminster, MD

Want the bigger picture? See where Maryland's towns land among the best college towns in America.

For more reading, check out:

No. 1 college town in Maryland

Towson, MD

Source: Wikipedia User | None

Colleges	Towson University
Undergrads	16,136 (27 per 100 residents)
Population	58,679
Median rent	$1,764
Graduation rate	73%
Cost to attend (per year)	$28,535

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Towson is home to Towson University. There are 27 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,764 a month, and the average cost to attend is $28,535 a year. It ranks 8th for crime among the 13 towns we ranked.

No. 2 college town in Maryland

Annapolis, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Flickr user: high limitzz https://www.flickr.com/people/highlimitstudio/ | CC BY 2.0

Colleges	United States Naval Academy, St. John's College
Undergrads	4,945 (12 per 100 residents)
Population	40,720
Median rent	$1,860
Graduation rate	85%
Cost to attend (per year)	$55,540

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Annapolis is home to United States Naval Academy, St. John's College. There are 12 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,860 a month, and the average cost to attend is $55,540 a year. It ranks 5th for crime among the 13 towns we ranked.

No. 3 college town in Maryland

Baltimore, MD

Source: Public domain

Colleges	University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Morgan State University, Johns Hopkins University
Undergrads	37,327 (7 per 100 residents)
Population	573,243
Median rent	$1,331
Graduation rate	69%
Cost to attend (per year)	$47,952

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Baltimore is home to University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Morgan State University, Johns Hopkins University. There are 7 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,331 a month, and the average cost to attend is $47,952 a year. It ranks 12th for crime among the 13 towns we ranked.

No. 4 college town in Maryland

College Park, MD

Source: Wikipedia User User:Tomf688 | CC BY-SA 2.5

Colleges	University of Maryland-College Park
Undergrads	30,760 (89 per 100 residents)
Population	34,540
Median rent	$1,912
Graduation rate	86%
Cost to attend (per year)	$29,299

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College Park is home to University of Maryland-College Park. There are 89 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,912 a month, and the average cost to attend is $29,299 a year. It ranks 8th for crime among the 13 towns we ranked.

No. 5 college town in Maryland

Frederick, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Rollbama4 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Colleges	Hood College
Undergrads	1,194 (1 per 100 residents)
Population	83,395
Median rent	$1,764
Graduation rate	67%
Cost to attend (per year)	$61,219

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Frederick is home to Hood College. There are 1 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,764 a month, and the average cost to attend is $61,219 a year. It ranks 2nd for crime among the 13 towns we ranked.

No. 6 college town in Maryland

Frostburg, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Lee Cannon from Bayville aka West Fenwick, DE, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0

Colleges	Frostburg State University
Undergrads	2,909 (42 per 100 residents)
Population	6,977
Median rent	$945
Graduation rate	62%
Cost to attend (per year)	$27,056

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Frostburg is home to Frostburg State University. There are 42 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $945 a month, and the average cost to attend is $27,056 a year. It ranks 1st for crime among the 13 towns we ranked.

No. 7 college town in Maryland

Salisbury, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Eric Fischer | CC BY 2.0

Colleges	Salisbury University
Undergrads	6,057 (18 per 100 residents)
Population	33,285
Median rent	$1,318
Graduation rate	68%
Cost to attend (per year)	$28,310

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Salisbury is home to Salisbury University. There are 18 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,318 a month, and the average cost to attend is $28,310 a year. It ranks 10th for crime among the 13 towns we ranked.

No. 8 college town in Maryland

Bowie, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Andrew Bossi | CC BY-SA 2.5

Colleges	Bowie State University
Undergrads	5,043 (9 per 100 residents)
Population	57,926
Median rent	$2,330
Graduation rate	49%
Cost to attend (per year)	$25,220

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Bowie is home to Bowie State University. There are 9 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $2,330 a month, and the average cost to attend is $25,220 a year. It ranks 4th for crime among the 13 towns we ranked.

No. 9 college town in Maryland

Takoma Park, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Farragutful | CC BY-SA 3.0

Colleges	Washington Adventist University
Undergrads	452 (3 per 100 residents)
Population	17,632
Median rent	$1,432
Graduation rate	55%
Cost to attend (per year)	$34,309

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Takoma Park is home to Washington Adventist University. There are 3 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,432 a month, and the average cost to attend is $34,309 a year. It ranks 13th for crime among the 13 towns we ranked.

No. 10 college town in Maryland

Westminster, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Farragutful | CC BY-SA 4.0

Colleges	McDaniel College
Undergrads	1,617 (8 per 100 residents)
Population	20,445
Median rent	$1,476
Graduation rate	72%
Cost to attend (per year)	$65,294

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Westminster is home to McDaniel College. There are 8 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,476 a month, and the average cost to attend is $65,294 a year. It ranks 3rd for crime among the 13 towns we ranked.

Saturday Night Science

How we determined the best college towns in Maryland

First, we decided that every town on the list had to have at least one four-year college -- a school that grants bachelor's degrees -- and at least 5,000 residents. There are 13 towns in Maryland that fit the bill.

Then we ranked every town on these categories:

The town: unemployment rate, median rent, and crime per capita
The colleges: graduation rate, the average cost to attend, and student body diversity
Things to do: bars, museums and libraries per capita, and population density
Students: undergrads as a share of the population
Size: population, since bigger towns have more going on

We ranked each town on every measure, averaged those ranks into a score for each category, and then averaged the categories. The town with the best overall score is the best college town in Maryland.

Our data comes from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (enrollment, graduation rates, cost, and diversity), the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the FBI's 2024 crime report. We left out colleges that are online-only or mostly online, since their students don't actually live in town. A handful of towns don't report crime to the FBI, so we gave them the average.

We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best college towns in Maryland.

Summary

There You Have It -- The Best College Towns In Maryland

If you're looking for the best college towns in Maryland, Towson is where to start.

The best college towns in Maryland are Towson, Annapolis, Baltimore, College Park, Frederick, Frostburg, Salisbury, Bowie, Takoma Park, and Westminster.

For more college towns, check out the best college towns in America.

Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best college town in Maryland for 2026?

Towson is the best college town in Maryland for 2026, followed by Annapolis and Baltimore.

How did you rank the best college towns in Maryland?

We looked at every town in Maryland with at least 5,000 residents and a four-year college, then ranked them on city characteristics, college characteristics, things to do, the share of residents who are students, and size. The town with the best average rank is number one.

What is the worst college town in Maryland?

Laurel ranks last of the 13 college towns we ranked in Maryland for 2026.

Best College Towns In Maryland For 2026

Rank	City	Population	Undergrads	Median Rent
1	Towson, MD	58,679	16,136	$1,764
2	Annapolis, MD	40,720	4,945	$1,860
3	Baltimore, MD	573,243	37,327	$1,331
4	College Park, MD	34,540	30,760	$1,912
5	Frederick, MD	83,395	1,194	$1,764
6	Frostburg, MD	6,977	2,909	$945
7	Salisbury, MD	33,285	6,057	$1,318
8	Bowie, MD	57,926	5,043	$2,330
9	Takoma Park, MD	17,632	452	$1,432
10	Westminster, MD	20,445	1,617	$1,476
11	Owings Mills, MD	37,245	3,102	$1,841
12	Pikesville, MD	33,524	280	$1,707
13	Laurel, MD	29,798	315	$1,873