Streamline Tutors recently started offering point-based improvement packages, wherein parents can choose to purchase either 150 or 200 points of improvement. Streamline is excited to offer these results oriented packages and we urge you to read more about them here. As a follow up to this momentous announcement, we plan to publish a series of blogs that outline what exactly 150-200 SAT points can do for a student in terms of college acceptances and scholarships! Today, we’re going to focus on admission to University of Maryland (UMD) College Park.
Many of our families are interested in University of Maryland, and for great reasons! It’s a fabulous school that keeps getting better and better, and for Maryland families, it’s extremely affordable. If you are considering applying to University of Maryland, keep reading— we are going to discuss admission, scholarships, and the honors college!
UMD has a competitive admissions process—last year about 47% of those who applied were admitted. The admissions cycle for Fall 2019 saw just over 33,000 applicants for a class of 4300 students (remember, not every admitted student chooses to enroll). The Class of 2023 middle 50% of test scores ranged from 1330 to 1470 on the SAT and 30 to 34 on the ACT. This means that to be a competitive applicant, you should be scoring within or above these ranges. The good news is, if your PSAT10 or PSAT11 is 1180 or higher, these point based improvement packages will move you within these ranges!
If you are applying to the Honors College at UMD, a high SAT or ACT is especially important. The Honors College accepts about 1000 students each year and offers a small college feel by providing students with special living learning housing, small class sizes, and special research opportunities.
To have a good shot at being admitted to the Honors College, you want to be at the higher end or above these ranges (remember, 25% of UMD students are above 1470 on the SAT or 34 on the ACT). There is no minimum SAT/ACT score to apply for the honors college, but the most successful applicants are among the highest-achieving students in the applicant pool. Perhaps most importantly, only Honors College acceptees are considered for the Banneker/Key Scholarship, a full tuition scholarship that 150 freshman receive each year. Thus, improving your score is especially worthwhile if you would like to be accepted into the honors college (or receive a full tuition scholarship!).
Improving your SAT score can also help you qualify for merit scholarships at UMD. To be considered for merit scholarships, students should have submitted a completed undergraduate admission application by the November 1st early action deadline. No separate application is necessary to be considered, but you do need to fill out FAFSA to qualify for both merit and need based scholarships. You can be awarded both merit and need based in the same year. UMD offers merit scholarships ranging from $1,000-$12,500, and all students, regardless of Honors College status, will be considered upon acceptance.
Thus, because the UMD has such a competitive and multifaceted admissions process, it is important that you score as high as possible on these standardized tests. We’ve put together a table below that compares UMD against other Maryland public colleges. As you can see, UMD fares better than its peers in terms of graduation rates and employment outcomes. UMD gives better aid than every state school besides St. Mary’s College. UMD also ends up the second cheapest— behind Frostburg State— if you subtract the average aid package from tuition.
If you’re interested in attending a state school in Maryland, you should definitely have your sights set on UMD. And, if you want to get in, you’ll need a solid score. If you are looking for ways to improve your score, be sure to check out our point-based packages!