Getting To Know: Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU)

Published by Stuart Nachbar at February 9, 2025

Formerly all-female, NDMU went co-ed/gender inclusive for undergrads starting in 2023.

I thought the decision was interesting given that NDMU was the first Catholic college in the US to grant bachelor’s degrees to women. This fall just over a fifth of the 700 undergraduates identified as male. Graduate and part-time degree programs were already co-ed. NDMU has added five NCAA D-3 (non-scholarship) mens varsity sports including baseball, basketball, cross country, lacrosse and soccer. The university has nine women’s sports. Given the small undergraduate population, it is is fair to state that a significant percentage of the undergraduate student body, male and female, is also likely to be athletes.

This is not an exceptionally selective school.

I went to College Navigator, operated by the National Center for Education Statistics to gather data about NDMU. Eighty-seven percent of all applicants for the Class of 2027 were admitted. Admissions are test optional. However, the yield rate was fairly low; only ten percent of those admitted decided to enroll.

The latest freshman retention rate I could find was 77 percent for the Class of 2026. This was coupled with a transfer out rate of 39 percent. The latest four-year graduation rate–and I realize that they are many paths towards advanced degrees–was 45 percent.

When I see numbers like this along with the academic offerings I have a sense that admissions are based as much on potential as they are on actual academic performance in high school. Further, when I read the mission description, I get the feeling that NDMU is a caring place, but caring also has its rules, especially within a school that is influenced by Catholic sisters. NDMU did not appear to be a “party school,” which even a small college can be. Students can mature quickly in a setting like this, but they can also give up quickly if they don’t feel that they are supported academically and socially.

NDMU has some interesting academic strengths.

Although this is a very small school, it grants more education degrees than any private college in Maryland. NDMU ranks fifth among all schools, public and private, in granting these degrees, This school is also becoming more invested in the sciences and health professions. Its current president, Dr. Marylou Yam, has a nursing background. The university has a very impressive science center for a very small school. There is also the Sister Alma Science Year program where NDMU students are matched up with research scientists at Johns Hopkins.

NDMU is organized around four schools: Arts and Sciences, Education, Nursing, and Pharmacy. This might be one of the smallest schools in America to grant advanced degrees in Nursing as well as the PharmD. Undergraduates can be admitted to accelerated paths to earn the:

BA and a Masters in Art Therapy at NDMU
Juris Doctor (law degree) at the University of Baltimore
BA in Chemistry, Computer Information Systems, Math or Physics and an engineering degree from Capital Technology University, Columbia University and Washington University is St. Louis.
MA from NDMU’s School of Education
BA in Communication Arts or Digital Media Arts and MA in Contemporary Communication from NDMU
BA in Business and an MA in Leadership & Management from NDMU
BA and the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) from NDMU in six years
BA and the PharmD from NDMU in six years

There are also majors that are hard to find at many colleges, large or small including:

Criminology & Social Deviance
Elementary, Early Childhood and Special Education
Leadership in Hospitality & Event Management
Marketing Communications
Politics & History

There are some pluses beyond the academic offerings.

Being a small school, NDMU students are likely to have small classes throughout their education. About half of the undergrads live on campus, and there is a two-year residency requirement, so there will be a tight-knit community. When the chemistry is there among classmates it can be the best situation for a motivated student who really needs the teacher as well as friends to help them through their education. The campus shares the advantage of location with Loyola-Maryland and can make very good connections in Baltimore.

NDMU tries to make the costs work out.

The direct charges (tuition & fees, room & board) average $57,400 for a student living in a double room. However, when I visited College Navigator to get a better sense of costs, I saw that the average scholarship covered over half of tuition and fees. There are some full-tuition merit awards as well.

I could not find student loan debt data on this school. My impression was that costs could be reasonable for a student who ranks high in the admit pool, but that NDMU would not undercut a public college for most of the students who come from Maryland, especially if they are pursuing one of the accelerated programs.

Conclusions

NUMU can be a nurturing and rewarding experience for student who really needs and wants a support structure to help through the academics. However, it is a small school, so a new student has to find their social fit faster than they might at a larger school like Towson.

The Report Card for Notre Dame Maryland University

Four-Year/Six-Year Graduation Rates: C-/C-
Freshman Retention: C
Costs: B
Comforts: B
Community: B
Curriculum: A
Connections: B+(Baltimore/Washington)/C (elsewhere)

Buy my new book, The Good College!

Listen to my latest interview on ‘Tests and the Rest’ with Amy Seeley and Mike Bergin!

Check out my talk, What Exactly Is a Good College? hosted by test-prep experts Amy Seeley and Mike Bergin on Tests And The Rest!

Listen to my talk, College Is A Learning AND Living Community hosted by Dr. Cynthia Colon from Destination YOUniversity on Voice of America Radio!

0 Shares