Computer and Information Sciences at St. Mary's College of Maryland

Starting at nearly $73,000 straight out of college, St. Mary's computer science graduates earn about $10,000 more than their Maryland peers and significantly outpace the national median. That places this small public liberal arts college ahead of 60% of CS programs in Maryland—trailing only Hopkins and University of Maryland Global Campus among traditional institutions. The debt picture reinforces the value: $22,000 is exactly Maryland's median and below the national average, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.30. Graduates could theoretically pay off their loans in four months of gross income.

The caveat here matters: with fewer than 30 graduates in the data, these numbers could swing considerably year to year. That said, the fundamentals look solid for a college with a 75% admission rate and modest SAT profile. Earnings do plateau somewhat—just 5% growth from year one to year four suggests graduates may start strong but don't see explosive salary jumps early on, which can be typical for smaller employers or government-adjacent work in Southern Maryland.

For families seeking a tech education without the Hopkins price tag or the commuter-school experience of UMGC, St. Mary's delivers strong immediate outcomes. Just recognize you're looking at a boutique program where your child's experience could differ from what these small-sample averages suggest.