College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Towson University

MDLarge public institution · Overall rank #114 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth’s overall assessment falls in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Towson University is a public university in Towson, Maryland, where the degree mix is led by Health Professions, Business, and Social Sciences. Mobility is among the highest we track.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes an addition to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — and a subtraction to what it cannot explain.

Pell recipients complete within a few points of the overall rate, and access is well above average. Families at the bottom of the income scale pay well below the published cost, while those at the top pay closer to it.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are not the largest.

Towson University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
82.0%
Six-year completion[2]
69.5%
Four-year earnings[3]
$65,610

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$16,784
Median student debt[4]
$18,718
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$28,489

Towson University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Towson University is a public university in Towson, Maryland, enrolling 16,136 undergraduates. The university sits near the top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (92nd percentile).

Towson University admits 82.0% of applicants, against a peer median of 78.1% for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of full-time first-year students, 82.8% return after the first year, against a peer median of 83.1%.

The six-year graduation rate is 69.5%, against a peer median of 65.0%. An estimated 34.2% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the graduation rate covers only the first-time full-time cohort and does not reflect transfer outcomes.

The four at Towson University sit far apart from one another. Mobility is the strongest (95th percentile), while return is the weakest (58th percentile).

Access and affordability sit between them (86th and 71st percentiles respectively).

Towson University stands out most for mobility, but return is the part of its profile that warrants the closest scrutiny. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places mobility in the 95th percentile and access in the 86th percentile.

Azimuth puts affordability in the 71st percentile and return, the weakest pillar, in the 58th percentile. High mobility and access sit alongside more moderate affordability and return.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores at Towson University fell between 950 and 1,235, and the middle 50% of ACT scores fell between 19 and 27. 35.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

Those students complete at 68.3%, 1.2 percentage points below the rate for the cohort as a whole (69.5%). Azimuth ranks the university #207 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth ranks the university #69 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,564 less than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Towson University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#114

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 95
Access & reach
National percentile: 86
Affordability
National percentile: 71
Return on investment
National percentile: 58

Top-ranked majors

  1. Social Sciences, Other#4
  2. Communication Disorders Sciences and Services#7
  3. Special Education and Teaching#9

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Towson University briefing

Towson University cost & financial aid[6][7]

For aid recipients, Towson University has an average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, of $17,413. The published cost of attendance is $28,535 before aid.

In-state tuition and fees are $11,728, with $16,260 for room and board; out-of-state tuition and fees are $29,820. Financial aid offsets $11,122 of the published cost on average.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $15,634, and Towson’s average is $1,779 above that benchmark. Azimuth ranks the university #415 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average aid brings the price below the published total, but the resulting net price remains above the peer median.

For families receiving aid, Towson University presents a wide price range beneath its $28,535 published cost of attendance. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $6,962 for the lowest family-income band, $12,590 for the lower-middle band, $16,784 for the middle band, $22,720 for the upper-middle band, and $26,396 for the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $19,434. Azimuth ranks the university #415 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, and average aid savings against the sticker price are $11,122. Across all aid recipients, the is $17,413.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634; Towson’s average is $1,779 above that figure. Published in-state tuition is $11,728, compared with $29,820 for out-of-state tuition.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $18,718, and 85.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $1,358 below the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing for parent borrowers is $28,489.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$16,784

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Towson University

Federal borrowing is common at Towson University, with 85.6% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $18,718.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, placing Towson's median $1,358 below it. Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $28,489.

Four years after completion, Towson University graduates who are working and not enrolled earn $65,610. That earnings level falls in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $1,564 less than the model expects for similar students. That outcome is at the 49th percentile.

Scenarios estimated from the program mix run from $48,331 on the downside to $86,591 on the upside. The typical earnings scenario is $65,610.

Borrowers who finish hold a median of $18,718 in federal student loans. That is $1,358 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Debt is below the peer median, yet earnings trail the model's expectation. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month.

Parent borrowers face a separate federal borrowing figure: median Parent PLUS borrowing is $28,489. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$18,718
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$28,489

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$213/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$362/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Towson University briefing

Towson University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

The return pillar at Towson University sits at the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $65,610.

That is level with the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $1,564 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 49th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $9,490.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $11,054. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,510.

Mobility is Towson University’s strongest Azimuth pillar, while graduate earnings provide a separate view of what completers make after leaving college. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $65,610 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that measure in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 4,609 completers. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offers another comparison.

Graduates earn about $1,564 less than the model expects for similar students. The typical earnings scenario is $65,610, with a downside scenario of $48,331 and an upside scenario of $86,591.

An estimated 29.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The scenario range and the model comparison point to earnings that vary with program mix.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $65,610 at Towson University, in the 67th percentile nationally. That is level with the peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #621 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,564 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap in earnings beyond expectations at the 49th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $9,490.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $11,054. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,510.

The program mix spans health, business and the social sciences, with only 19.1% of degrees awarded in STEM fields. Earnings scenarios estimated from that mix run from $48,331 on the downside to $86,591 on the upside.

An estimated 29.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Program choice leaves a wide modeled earnings range at Towson University. The downside scenario is $48,331, the typical scenario is $65,610, and the upside scenario is $86,591; these are earnings scenarios from the program mix, not observed groups.

Among published program medians four years after completion, Computer Science reaches $104,653, Accounting reaches $91,252, and Nursing reaches $91,044. Those program figures give the modeled range practical context: earnings differ considerably across fields.

Borrowers who complete at Towson University leave with less federal debt than the peer median, even as graduate earnings fall short of the model’s expectation. Median federal student loan debt is $18,718 among borrowers who completed, excluding Parent PLUS.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, placing Towson’s figure below it by $1,358. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month if repaid over ten years.

Graduates earn about $1,564 less than the model expects for similar students. Parent borrowers using Parent PLUS have median borrowing of $28,489.

Lower borrower debt than comparable institutions and below-expected earnings point in different directions, so the return picture depends on both the field chosen and borrowing.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$9,490
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$11,054
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$1,564

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Towson University briefing

Towson University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Towson University admitted 82.0% of applicants in the reported entering class, a rate that describes the share admitted from that year’s applicant pool rather than an individual forecast. That rate is above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
82.0%
Approximate lower endpoint
950
Reported average
1095
Approximate upper endpoint
1235

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Towson University briefing

What are the largest majors at Towson University?[12]

Program choice spans higher and more moderate earnings four years after completion. Computer Science had median earnings of $104,653 and 167 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #92 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Accounting recorded $91,252 with 117 degrees awarded, ranking #55 nationally by Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. At more moderate earnings, Social Sciences posted $62,559 and 231 degrees awarded; Azimuth places it #4 nationally in its field.

Human Services had $52,223 with 102 degrees awarded and an Azimuth rank of #11 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Towson University has 32 ranked bachelor’s fields, with several highly placed programs in service-oriented areas. Communication Disorders Sciences and Services ranks #7, with 66 degrees awarded and median earnings of $72,365.

Human Services ranks #11, with 102 degrees awarded and $52,223 in median earnings.

Towson University awards bachelor's degrees across 32 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 38 with published four-year earnings data. The program mix is spread across several fields, with Health Professions accounting for 13.2% of degrees awarded, Business at 12.8%, and Social Sciences at 10.2%.

The largest single programs are Business Administration and Management at 481 degrees awarded, Psychology at 421, and Radio, Television, and Digital Communication at 315. The highest-ranked program is Social Sciences, which awards 231 degrees a year and reports median earnings of $62,559 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #1 in Maryland within its field. Communication Disorders Sciences and Services is another top performer, ranking #1 in Maryland within its field, with 66 degrees awarded and median earnings of $72,365.

Computer Science is the highest-earning program, with a median of $104,653 from 167 degrees awarded. Accounting follows at $91,252 and 117 degrees awarded, with a benchmark ratio of 1.20x against the national median for its field.

Communication Disorders Sciences and Services carries a benchmark ratio of 1.23x against the national median for its field. The pattern is one of strength concentrated in health, education, and social science programs, with several top-ranked fields in Maryland.

The largest programs by degrees awarded are not the highest earners, and the highest-earning programs are smaller. Across all fields, 19.1% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 481 degrees awarded
$78,497
Psychology, General 421 degrees awarded
$55,497
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication 315 degrees awarded
$42,584
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 294 degrees awarded
$58,624
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 288 degrees awarded
$91,044
Social Sciences, Other 231 degrees awarded
$62,559

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Towson University briefing

How does Towson University serve students from different backgrounds?

Completion is a particular strength at the university: the six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 69.5%. Pell recipients in that cohort complete within six years at 68.3%, below the overall rate by 1.2 percentage points.

Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,564 less than the model expects for similar students, placing earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, in the 49th percentile. Strong completion sits beside lower-than-expected earnings.

Towson University has several measured routes into undergraduate study: its admission rate is 82.0%, and it enrolls 16,136 undergraduates. Pell Grant recipients account for 35.8% of undergraduates, with an estimated 34.2% entering as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The ranking sits alongside an entry profile that includes both Pell Grant participation and estimated transfer entry.

06 / Towson University briefing

What colleges are similar to Towson University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Towson University.

Admissions peerGwynedd Mercy University89.6% admitted
Comparison with Towson University
MeasureTowson UniversityGwynedd Mercy University
Peer earnings · 4 years$65,610$89,170+$23,560 vs Towson University
Average annual net price$17,413$27,483+$10,070 vs Towson University · higher cost
Admission rate82.0%89.6%
Higher-admission alternativeTrinity Washington University99.5% admitted
Comparison with Towson University
MeasureTowson UniversityTrinity Washington University
Peer earnings · 4 years$65,610$64,019-$1,591 vs Towson University
Average annual net price$17,413$9,302-$8,111 vs Towson University · lower cost
Admission rate82.0%99.5%
Nearby alternativeCoppin State UniversityNearby option · MD
Comparison with Towson University
MeasureTowson UniversityCoppin State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$65,610$63,359-$2,251 vs Towson University
Average annual net price$17,413$9,977-$7,436 vs Towson University · lower cost
Admission rate82.0%45.8%
Higher-earnings alternativeNotre Dame of Maryland University$75,732 earnings
Comparison with Towson University
MeasureTowson UniversityNotre Dame of Maryland University
Peer earnings · 4 years$65,610$75,732+$10,122 vs Towson University
Average annual net price$17,413$19,169+$1,756 vs Towson University · higher cost
Admission rate82.0%82.2%
Lower-cost alternativeTrinity Washington University$9,302 average net price
Comparison with Towson University
MeasureTowson UniversityTrinity Washington University
Peer earnings · 4 years$65,610$64,019-$1,591 vs Towson University
Average annual net price$17,413$9,302-$8,111 vs Towson University · lower cost
Admission rate82.0%99.5%
Similar profileOld Dominion UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Towson University
MeasureTowson UniversityOld Dominion University
Peer earnings · 4 years$65,610$64,472-$1,138 vs Towson University
Average annual net price$17,413$14,638-$2,775 vs Towson University · lower cost
Admission rate82.0%90.4%
Explore Old Dominion University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings