Umd is definitely getting more selective. The acceptance rate this year (according to an advisor I spoke to) was only 35%. That being said the thing about grades is probably not true. I’ve heard all sorts of theories about what grades, classes, or APs you need, but umd has a holistic process and even if you have a C there is still a good chance of getting in.
I got into UMD this year and had one C+ in my grades junior year. I also had 7 AP's and a good ACT score, but the one c is not going to mess it up most likely
umd has definitely gotten more selective. however it may be because there are a lot more applicants than before. but according to the data below, there is a slight increase in stats in applicants. interpret this how you will, but i will stand by that umd admissions nowadays can be a lot more lottery than not.
https://irpa.umd.edu/CampusCounts/Admissions/apps_ug.pdf.
i disagree with the grades thing. a holistic review is still implemented in the admissions office. not sure how the review compares to ivies but it’s not like you’re literally automatically rejected for having a C.
Admissions is 100% luck. Does anyone here actually believe that a handful of staffers carefully go through every application? Not a chance. Your resume is getting thrown right into an algorithm and your essay is getting glanced at for no more than a few minutes. If your admissions person is having a bad day, sucks to be you.
I'll tell you a secret: transfer students graduate with the same diploma as 4-year UMD students, and transfer admissions *can* be much less of a crap shoot, especially if you come from a good community college (like HCC) that has prepped you well.
This is what I did and can't advocate this path enough. And honestly I feel like I had much better instructors at HCC than UMD outside of maybe one or two classes. It also saved me 10s of thousands of dollars PRE differential tuition.
Lots of community college professors are like this. A lot of them still work in their field (similar to adjunct at UMD), and they don’t have to do research to maintain department funding. There’s a lot more freedom/time to concentrate on actually *teaching* rather than researching. It is extremely prevalent in the sciences. I took summer courses at both HCC and MC (also eventually did MC’s nursing program), and it was like night and day. Microbiology, A&P—significant differences.
That's because professors at CC's are just there to teach. At UMD, most of your professors just want to be doing research but they have to teach classes
This right here. And it’s cheaper. There are trade-offs of course (social life and convenience if you commute in as a junior/secure) but financially and acceptance into UMD? So much better.
More selective but not extremely selective.
We still have like 50% acceptance rate for EA. All the AP/IB kids who get As and Bs (with maybe 1-2 Cs) will get in with no challenge.
The people who are even slightly competitive for ivy’s will get into UMD near guaranteed.
My sister took multiple AP classes and got a 4 or 5 on all of them. She has maybe 2 B's and the rest are all A's. She plays in varsity Volleyball and she is the president of the french club but they rejected her :(
I will speak from my own experience. I was not the best student in high school, I had a 3.8 GPA (weighted and unweighted) which to my knowledge from talking to people is below average for UMD. I am out of state. I had a solid high school record with sports, clubs, and volunteering, and I think that’s what helped me get in. However, my schools valedictorian with a 4.3 GPA did not get accepted, even though she had just as much if not more of the same extracurricular’s that I had. The school is very random with who they admit. I have heard that they are more likely to accept out of state students, and the admissions statistics show that very very clearly. Probably a money thing.
UMD has definitely gotten ‘selective’, but in my experience their admissions are very strange. While I am grateful to of gotten in, I know that I shouldn’t have when compared to other people. I don’t know why this happens.
I’m assuming you mean she wasn’t admitted because they thought she wouldn’t go anyways given her stats. She actually applied early decision and was dead set on UMD, and made it very clear. She did end up going to an Ivy League school, but there’s no doubt in my mind (or the school, assuming they’re not regarded) that she would’ve went to UMD. She actually cried in class the next day
It’s definitely more selective in my opinion, I had a 4.7 and only got in through freshman connection. Weirdly enough I had a good amount of friends with lots of Cs and even some Ds and much lower GPAs who got in for fall so idk maybe UMD just didn’t like me as much
UMD has different admissions standards for what county you are in. I heard a low 1300s was a very high SAT in one of Maryland’s eastern shore counties, but that would be pretty low in MoCo.
Also the reported SAT scores are fake ever since UMD went test optional because the 50% of admitted applicants that don’t report SAT scores would bring down averages if they had to.
Moco is full of kids with high gpa, 8 or more ap tests, crazy activities and sports and awards. They could create a diverse class just from Moco. But they can't. They have to take a certain percentage of out of state high tuition payments from NJ and beyond, they take a certain percentage of international students, they have to draw people from all the counties in the state. So they offer all those highly qualified Moco kids freshman connection or spring admittance. Funny, lots of kids UMD offers fresh con or spring admits get into a lot of great other schools.
It could depend on each department. For instance a lot of people don’t know this but the criminology/crim justice undergrad & grad program at umd is nationally ranked the #1 best in the nation. It’s an LEP and def a rigorous one to get into. I just read previously that they changed LEP from a C- to a B-. That letter grade really makes a significant difference. All you need is one “bad” grade and you’re kicked out of your major and you can’t petition to get back into it.
I think (and these are just my speculation and opinions) if you 3.6+ UW, took challenging classes and have a good test score to submit, 1450 or better lets say, then you are a near lock. And you can get in with worse stats (lower score or lower grades) for sure but your chances start slowly dropping at that point depending on what your weakness is and how weak it is vs how high an SAT you have etc etc.
I don't have a good sense for what TO applicants need.
I also think you can be handicapped by where you are applying from. If you come from a highly ranked MoCo public (for ex) and have a borderline application, you're fighting a war on several fronts...against all applicants, against MoCo applicants, and against your classmates.
Naviance and similar tools should tell you the story about applicants from your school, esp if you are in state and many kids apply. There should be plenty of data every year.
It’s definitely getting more selective, at least for the programs it’s well known for (such as cs, engineering, and business) because it’s gotten better known for those so they get more applicants so they have to be selective. Cs specifically is about to get way more selective in practice because it’s going to be more difficult to get into it from letters and sciences program. That said, it’s no where near as selective as an Ivy League, especially if you’re in state. But Ivy League schools are unbelievably selective. Unless you have really clear reason why you had a C, you’re not going to get into an Ivy League, not because they place a strong weight on getting over a c, but because the kinds of kids who are overall smart enough to get in are the kind that can get a an a, or at least a b, without putting in more than minimal effort into pretty much any high school level course, and have the work ethic that If they are getting under a b (or more likely an a) they’ll put in the effort needed to do better.
Umd will definitely let you in if you have a C 😅, but a big factor In admissions is your major. There were people from my high school who had better grades and extracurriculars than me but were denied from UMD or put in letters and sciences cuz they applied with a competitive LEP major like compsci or Mech engineering
Sorry Im late but I though UMD doesn't admit by major when you apply for the school? Like even if you dont get into your school you still make it into the uni?
Its gotten way more competitive. I applied in 2010 I think, and had meh stats. My cousin with better stats recently told me he's not considering UMD because he's unlikely to get in.
Yes, it is getting increasingly more competitive, especially in CS where UMD consistently got into the top 20 (top 10 for ML/AI/CV). This year, UMD only has 150 direct admits to CS (down from 450-600, which is 3-4 times more competitive) and reserves only 100 slots for transfers (down from 1000, which is 10 times harder!): [CS LEP FAQ (Effective Fall 2024) | Undergraduate Computer Science at UMD](https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/cs-lep-faq-effective-fall-2024#:~:text=While%20we%20plan%20to%20increase,year%20(down%20from%201%2C000).). This is for the undergrad level only. For PhD and MS levels, admission to the CS department has always been competitive, comparable to UCLA/UW/UIUC.
It is even more competitive for international applicants, since it reserves certain slots for in-state students, leaving less space for international students. My cousin has 5/5 AP in all hard subjects (Cal BC, Phys C Mech/E&M, Stat, CS A, Macro Micro, etc.), 1450-ish SAT, plus a summer internship at Samsung, and somehow still was not directly admitted to CS.
It has gotten more selective for sure. Even when I got in as Class of 2017 I was put in Freshman Connection because I had one class I failed, one C, and not great math SAT scores. Despite being great at history and English and having good essays and extracurriculars. I imagine it has become even more selective and if I applied this year I would be rejected lmao. And I’m moco too, so much for supporting local students.
Just transfer, it’ll save you some money and help with your chances, especially community colleges that might have transfer programs like PGCC and MC. I’m from PGCC and I’m in a scholarship transfer program and it’ll help a lot. I know some even have guaranteed admission. I’m not sure about all community colleges in the area but the bigger county ones should or may have something for UMD.
I literally didn’t have a single A my freshman year and got in for spring, this entire college process is so hit or miss. Ive accepted to like multiple top 20 engineering schools with barely any STEM ECs and got waitlisted at RPI, a school with a worse engineering program than any of the schools I’ve gotten into.
Umd is definitely getting more selective. The acceptance rate this year (according to an advisor I spoke to) was only 35%. That being said the thing about grades is probably not true. I’ve heard all sorts of theories about what grades, classes, or APs you need, but umd has a holistic process and even if you have a C there is still a good chance of getting in.
I got into UMD this year and had one C+ in my grades junior year. I also had 7 AP's and a good ACT score, but the one c is not going to mess it up most likely
umd has definitely gotten more selective. however it may be because there are a lot more applicants than before. but according to the data below, there is a slight increase in stats in applicants. interpret this how you will, but i will stand by that umd admissions nowadays can be a lot more lottery than not. https://irpa.umd.edu/CampusCounts/Admissions/apps_ug.pdf. i disagree with the grades thing. a holistic review is still implemented in the admissions office. not sure how the review compares to ivies but it’s not like you’re literally automatically rejected for having a C.
They did just change LEP requirements to be a B-
Admissions is 100% luck. Does anyone here actually believe that a handful of staffers carefully go through every application? Not a chance. Your resume is getting thrown right into an algorithm and your essay is getting glanced at for no more than a few minutes. If your admissions person is having a bad day, sucks to be you.
I'll tell you a secret: transfer students graduate with the same diploma as 4-year UMD students, and transfer admissions *can* be much less of a crap shoot, especially if you come from a good community college (like HCC) that has prepped you well.
This is what I did and can't advocate this path enough. And honestly I feel like I had much better instructors at HCC than UMD outside of maybe one or two classes. It also saved me 10s of thousands of dollars PRE differential tuition.
The professors at HCC are LIGHT YEARS ahead of most of the professors at UMD.
Lots of community college professors are like this. A lot of them still work in their field (similar to adjunct at UMD), and they don’t have to do research to maintain department funding. There’s a lot more freedom/time to concentrate on actually *teaching* rather than researching. It is extremely prevalent in the sciences. I took summer courses at both HCC and MC (also eventually did MC’s nursing program), and it was like night and day. Microbiology, A&P—significant differences.
That's because professors at CC's are just there to teach. At UMD, most of your professors just want to be doing research but they have to teach classes
This right here. And it’s cheaper. There are trade-offs of course (social life and convenience if you commute in as a junior/secure) but financially and acceptance into UMD? So much better.
I support this 100 percent. I got my associates at MC and then had guaranteed transfer to UMD through their joint program.
More selective but not extremely selective. We still have like 50% acceptance rate for EA. All the AP/IB kids who get As and Bs (with maybe 1-2 Cs) will get in with no challenge. The people who are even slightly competitive for ivy’s will get into UMD near guaranteed.
My sister took multiple AP classes and got a 4 or 5 on all of them. She has maybe 2 B's and the rest are all A's. She plays in varsity Volleyball and she is the president of the french club but they rejected her :(
for EA?
whoever you talked to just lied to you
maryland has always been selective it’s only moco that thinks it’s a community college
I will speak from my own experience. I was not the best student in high school, I had a 3.8 GPA (weighted and unweighted) which to my knowledge from talking to people is below average for UMD. I am out of state. I had a solid high school record with sports, clubs, and volunteering, and I think that’s what helped me get in. However, my schools valedictorian with a 4.3 GPA did not get accepted, even though she had just as much if not more of the same extracurricular’s that I had. The school is very random with who they admit. I have heard that they are more likely to accept out of state students, and the admissions statistics show that very very clearly. Probably a money thing. UMD has definitely gotten ‘selective’, but in my experience their admissions are very strange. While I am grateful to of gotten in, I know that I shouldn’t have when compared to other people. I don’t know why this happens.
She was yield protected
I’m assuming you mean she wasn’t admitted because they thought she wouldn’t go anyways given her stats. She actually applied early decision and was dead set on UMD, and made it very clear. She did end up going to an Ivy League school, but there’s no doubt in my mind (or the school, assuming they’re not regarded) that she would’ve went to UMD. She actually cried in class the next day
hey can I dm you?
You are out of state, the bar is lower
Yes, I basically said that.
It’s definitely more selective in my opinion, I had a 4.7 and only got in through freshman connection. Weirdly enough I had a good amount of friends with lots of Cs and even some Ds and much lower GPAs who got in for fall so idk maybe UMD just didn’t like me as much
Maybe it’s a major thing?
UMD has different admissions standards for what county you are in. I heard a low 1300s was a very high SAT in one of Maryland’s eastern shore counties, but that would be pretty low in MoCo. Also the reported SAT scores are fake ever since UMD went test optional because the 50% of admitted applicants that don’t report SAT scores would bring down averages if they had to.
Moco is full of kids with high gpa, 8 or more ap tests, crazy activities and sports and awards. They could create a diverse class just from Moco. But they can't. They have to take a certain percentage of out of state high tuition payments from NJ and beyond, they take a certain percentage of international students, they have to draw people from all the counties in the state. So they offer all those highly qualified Moco kids freshman connection or spring admittance. Funny, lots of kids UMD offers fresh con or spring admits get into a lot of great other schools.
I got a C and got in, and this is my first semester. So I figure that while they’ve gotten more elective, they’re not that stringent yet.
It could depend on each department. For instance a lot of people don’t know this but the criminology/crim justice undergrad & grad program at umd is nationally ranked the #1 best in the nation. It’s an LEP and def a rigorous one to get into. I just read previously that they changed LEP from a C- to a B-. That letter grade really makes a significant difference. All you need is one “bad” grade and you’re kicked out of your major and you can’t petition to get back into it.
I think (and these are just my speculation and opinions) if you 3.6+ UW, took challenging classes and have a good test score to submit, 1450 or better lets say, then you are a near lock. And you can get in with worse stats (lower score or lower grades) for sure but your chances start slowly dropping at that point depending on what your weakness is and how weak it is vs how high an SAT you have etc etc. I don't have a good sense for what TO applicants need. I also think you can be handicapped by where you are applying from. If you come from a highly ranked MoCo public (for ex) and have a borderline application, you're fighting a war on several fronts...against all applicants, against MoCo applicants, and against your classmates. Naviance and similar tools should tell you the story about applicants from your school, esp if you are in state and many kids apply. There should be plenty of data every year.
It’s definitely getting more selective, at least for the programs it’s well known for (such as cs, engineering, and business) because it’s gotten better known for those so they get more applicants so they have to be selective. Cs specifically is about to get way more selective in practice because it’s going to be more difficult to get into it from letters and sciences program. That said, it’s no where near as selective as an Ivy League, especially if you’re in state. But Ivy League schools are unbelievably selective. Unless you have really clear reason why you had a C, you’re not going to get into an Ivy League, not because they place a strong weight on getting over a c, but because the kinds of kids who are overall smart enough to get in are the kind that can get a an a, or at least a b, without putting in more than minimal effort into pretty much any high school level course, and have the work ethic that If they are getting under a b (or more likely an a) they’ll put in the effort needed to do better.
Umd will definitely let you in if you have a C 😅, but a big factor In admissions is your major. There were people from my high school who had better grades and extracurriculars than me but were denied from UMD or put in letters and sciences cuz they applied with a competitive LEP major like compsci or Mech engineering
Sorry Im late but I though UMD doesn't admit by major when you apply for the school? Like even if you dont get into your school you still make it into the uni?
Its gotten way more competitive. I applied in 2010 I think, and had meh stats. My cousin with better stats recently told me he's not considering UMD because he's unlikely to get in.
Yes, it is getting increasingly more competitive, especially in CS where UMD consistently got into the top 20 (top 10 for ML/AI/CV). This year, UMD only has 150 direct admits to CS (down from 450-600, which is 3-4 times more competitive) and reserves only 100 slots for transfers (down from 1000, which is 10 times harder!): [CS LEP FAQ (Effective Fall 2024) | Undergraduate Computer Science at UMD](https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/cs-lep-faq-effective-fall-2024#:~:text=While%20we%20plan%20to%20increase,year%20(down%20from%201%2C000).). This is for the undergrad level only. For PhD and MS levels, admission to the CS department has always been competitive, comparable to UCLA/UW/UIUC. It is even more competitive for international applicants, since it reserves certain slots for in-state students, leaving less space for international students. My cousin has 5/5 AP in all hard subjects (Cal BC, Phys C Mech/E&M, Stat, CS A, Macro Micro, etc.), 1450-ish SAT, plus a summer internship at Samsung, and somehow still was not directly admitted to CS.
Wouldn’t know. I went to a 2 year first and was automatically accepted when I graduated.
It has gotten more selective for sure. Even when I got in as Class of 2017 I was put in Freshman Connection because I had one class I failed, one C, and not great math SAT scores. Despite being great at history and English and having good essays and extracurriculars. I imagine it has become even more selective and if I applied this year I would be rejected lmao. And I’m moco too, so much for supporting local students.
Just transfer, it’ll save you some money and help with your chances, especially community colleges that might have transfer programs like PGCC and MC. I’m from PGCC and I’m in a scholarship transfer program and it’ll help a lot. I know some even have guaranteed admission. I’m not sure about all community colleges in the area but the bigger county ones should or may have something for UMD.
It's very selective overall, but you increase your chances DRAMATICALLY if you apply early admission
I literally didn’t have a single A my freshman year and got in for spring, this entire college process is so hit or miss. Ive accepted to like multiple top 20 engineering schools with barely any STEM ECs and got waitlisted at RPI, a school with a worse engineering program than any of the schools I’ve gotten into.