Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

Towson University

Towson, Maryland·Public, 4-year or above·Mid East·towson.edu
6-yr Graduation
69%
+8.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
19,401
peer median 17,683
Avg net price
$17,413
-$165 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
19,777
19,777 candidates competed
Admitted
16,212
82.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2,947
18.2% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
69%+8.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
47%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
69%
Full-time retention
83%

Pell equity

4.8pp gap
Pell recipients
66%586 of 884
Non-Pell (all)
71%1488 of 2102
Subsidized loan, no Pell
71%454 of 638
No Federal Aid
71%1034 of 1464

Non-Pell students graduate at a 4.8-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 131 Title IV programs, 56 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 74 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
131
Passing
56
42.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.8% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.8%
+0.2pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

131programs
  • Passing56 · 42.7%
  • No Data74 · 56.5%
  • Failing1 · 0.8%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
1
Watch
3
Safe
52
No data
74

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

57
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-0.6%
$36,285 vs $36,491
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+8.9%
$39,753 vs $36,491
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+13.8%
$70,385 vs $61,854
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+16.7%
$42,584 vs $36,491
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+23.0%
$76,069 vs $61,854
Linguistic Comparative and Related Language Studies and Services
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+27.3%
$46,447 vs $36,491
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies General
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+30.4%
$47,597 vs $36,491
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences General
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+31.1%
$81,097 vs $61,854

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-0.6%
$206

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

43
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
67%
$24,328 debt · $36,285 earn
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
62%
$47,500 debt · $76,069 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
55%
$38,477 debt · $70,385 earn
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies General
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
46%
$21,750 debt · $47,597 earn
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
45%
$28,000 debt · $61,994 earn
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
44%
$18,750 debt · $42,584 earn
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences General
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
42%
$34,234 debt · $81,097 earn
Human Services General
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
41%
$21,125 debt · $52,223 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Accredited since 1949Next review Jan 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 15

Action history · 18

  1. Apr 2023Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation Removed
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree
  2. Dec 2022Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree
  3. Apr 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree
  4. Mar 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education
  5. Dec 2021Initial Accreditation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$6,962
$30–48k$12,590
$48–75k$16,784
$75–110k$22,720
$110k+$26,396

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$17,413
-$165vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $17,578
Federal loans
41.6%
In-state tuition
$11,728
Out-of-state
$29,820

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 6,827 students received $41.1M in Pell grants, alongside $89.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
6,827
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$41.1M
$41,076,784 total
Direct Loans
$89.6M
13,616 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

6k
20
6k
21
6k
22
6k
23
7k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$19.7M
5,037 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$21.5M
5,785 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$11.3M
745 loan awards
Parent PLUS$35.3M
1,935 loan awards
Grad PLUS$1.7M
114 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 4,453 borrowers who entered repayment, 80 (1.7%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.7%
-0.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
4,453
Defaulted
80
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.5%
2017
3.8%
2018
2.7%
2019
1.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Towson

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs113
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

4,113 total completions
01Health Professions
63315.4%
02Business
63215.4%
03Education
56913.8%
04Computer Sciences
56013.6%
05Psychology
4079.9%
06Communication
3438.3%
07Social Sciences
2947.1%
08Parks/Recreation
2466.0%
09Biological Sciences
2175.3%
10Visual/Performing Arts
2125.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
19,401
12-mo unduplicated
21,602
Undergraduate
17,881
Graduate
3,721

Gender split

Men
38%8,310
Women
62%13,292

Race / ethnicity composition

White
37.8%
Black
35.7%
Hispanic
11.5%
Asian
6.7%
Two or more
5.9%
Unknown
1.3%
Non-resident
1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
543
250 M · 293 W
Women athletes
54.0%
Athletic aid
$8.9M
Total student aid
Budget
$29.4M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$4.1M
$4.8M
Recruiting expense
$221K
$172K
Head-coach salaries
$256K
$117K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 13

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
· 113 W
$917K
Football
106 M ·
$5.6M
Lacrosse
49 M · 32 W
$2.8M
Swimming and Diving (combined)
23 M · 31 W
$1.1M
Baseball
46 M ·
$937K
Soccer
· 33 W
$1.1M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.84
36 offenses · 19,527 students

3-year trend

1.732 yrs ago2.171 yr ago1.84Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
115
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
77
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
5
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
7

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
8
Robbery
7
Rape
6
Burglary
6
Fondling
5
Aggravated assault
4

By location

36total
  • On campus25
  • Non-campus11

Includes 11 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

5
Domestic violence
23
Dating violence
7
Stalking
35 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Sexual orientation1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons21
Drugs22
Liquor365

Residence-hall fires

  • A Tower-Glen Complex1 fire
    OtherDamage $0-$99
  • Residence Tower1 fire
    OtherDamage $0-$99
  • Douglas House1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Marshall Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Barnes Hall (West Village 2)1 fire
    OtherDamage $100,000-$249,999

Data quality: 6 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
951

Towson vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Towson selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectTowson University
69%19,401$17,413Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
68%87.5%7,025$17,743Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
38%72.4%6,353$19,298Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
72%47.5%20,081$3,033Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
53%64.3%15,965$4,195Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
20%63,012$22,063Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median61%68.4%17,683$17,578

Institutions like Towson

Explore the federal data for institutions in Towson's comparison group.

Towson Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Email
tuir [at] towson.edu
Phone
410-704-2636
Address
8000 York Road, Towson, MD 21252, Administration Building, Room 3266

We support institutional enrollment management, assessment, program review, accreditation, and academic planning by collecting, integrating, analyzing, and reporting varied institutional data and information. We also respond to requests for institutional data from state and federal agencies and other external organizations.

Visit IR office page
Team
5 members
  • Tim Bibo, Ed.D.
    Director
  • Dee Dee Race
    Assistant Director
  • Natsuko Chow
    Senior Research and Reporting Analyst
  • Heather Langenberg
    Course Evaluations Analyst
  • Amy Shive
    Data Visualization and Research Analyst

Common Data Set

Towson's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Total enrollment
19,793
16,861 UG · 2,932 grad
6-yr graduation rate
70%
First-year retention
82%
Student–faculty ratio
15 to 1
Est. net price (aided)
$14,741
after avg need-based grant
01

Affordability & Value

Cost of attendance

G
Total$28,840
Tuition
$7,38226%
Fees
$3,92414%
Room & board
$15,21453%
Books
$9603%
Other
$1,3605%

Total sticker cost of attendance is $28,840 (2023-2024).

Sticker vs. net price

G+H
Sticker COA
$28,840
Net (aided)
$14,741
Avg need grant
$14,099

Sticker $28,840 → about $14,741 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($14,099); 64% of demonstrated need is met.

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Federal41.4%
Institutional32.2%
State all states25.8%
Scholarships/grants from external sources0.6%

32% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
62%
Avg debt
$28,721

62% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $28,721 on average.

02

Outcomes & Equity

Graduation & retention

B
6-yr grad rate
70%
Retention
82%

6-year graduation rate 70%; first-year retention 82%.

Equity: Pell graduation gap

B4
All students70%
Pell recipients69%

Pell-grant recipients graduate 1 pts below the overall rate (69% vs 70%).

03

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students152
10-19 students784
20-29 students1,058
30-39 students498
40-49 students90
50-99 students69
100+ students8

35% of classes have under 20 students; 3% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
15 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
54%
Women faculty
60%

Key faculty indicators.

Degrees by discipline

J
Health professions and related programs14%
Business/marketing13%
Social sciences10%
Communication/journalism9%
Computer and information sciences9%
Education9%
Psychology9%
Parks and recreation6%

STEM-dominant: ~17% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.

04

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
White, non-Hispanic44.2%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic30.5%
Hispanic/Latino10.3%
Asian, non-Hispanic6.8%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic5.5%
Nonresidents1.5%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown1.0%
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.1%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.1%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
244
Share
1%

1% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
16,86185%
Graduate
2,93215%

16,861 undergraduates and 2,932 graduate students.

05

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
3,570
Admitted
2,972
Enrolled
1,747

3,570 transfer applicants → 2,972 admitted (83.2%) → 1,747 enrolled

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Towson University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Towson.

What is the graduation rate at Towson University?

Towson University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 69% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Towson University?

Towson University reports a total enrollment of 19,401 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Towson University?

The average net price at Towson University is $17,413 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Towson University?

Towson University's yield rate is 18.2%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Towson University located?

Towson University is located in Towson, Maryland 21252-0001.

Who runs Institutional Research at Towson University?

Towson University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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