---
title: McDaniel College — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Westminster, MD
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# McDaniel College

Westminster, MD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $60,663 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $40,571 – $81,977 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $15,000 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $5,500 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 63% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $65,294 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 81% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.25× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $32,663 | derived |

**63% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $15,000 (≈ 25% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $22,472 to $69,637 across 15 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education. | Post-baccalaureate Certificate | $69,637 | not reported |
| Curriculum and Instruction. | Master's Degree | $59,058 | not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $55,898 | $23,335 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $52,841 | $25,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $51,549 | not reported |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services. | Master's Degree | $45,696 | $51,237 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,833 | $20,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $35,587 | not reported |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,153 | $25,300 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,448 | $25,000 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,850 | $25,000 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,623 | not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,295 | $24,500 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,715 | $21,375 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,472 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore McDaniel College by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?164270

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/mcdaniel-college-md.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`