Towson University is the largest university in the Baltimore area and the second-largest university in the prestigious University System of Maryland – the 12th-largest public university system in America.
TU at a Glance
Some of the best students in America pursue 64 undergraduate majors, 46 master’s programs and four doctoral degree programs at Towson University. Founded in 1866 as a teacher’s college, today's students can also study majors like business administration, psychology, mass communications and nursing. TU's educational experience also branches out to off-campus locations throughout Maryland and a number of online options.
Location
Towson University is located in Towson, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore, in the heart of the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Washington, D.C., is less than an hour away. New York City is about three hours by train or car. Located within walking distance of the Towson campus is the Towson Town Center shopping mall, coffee shops, restaurants and a public library. More than 20 colleges and universities can be found in the Baltimore metropolitan area.
- Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association
- Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts
- Maryland Tourism
Academics
Enrollment
Undergraduate students: 19,818
Graduate students: 3,105
Total: 22, 923
Colleges
- College of Business and Economics
- College of Education
- College of Fine Arts and Communication
- College of Health Professions
- College of Liberal Arts
- The Jess & Mildred Fisher College of Science & Mathematics
- Honors College
Degrees Offered
Au.D., B.A., B.F.A., B.M., B.S., B.T.P.S., Ed.D., M.A., M.A.T., M.Ed., M.F.A., M.M., M.S., Sc.D.
Popular Undergraduate Programs (programs with 500+ majors in fall 2018)
- Art + Design
- Biology
- Business Administration
- Computer Science
- Exercise Science
- Information Technology
- Mass Communication
- Nursing
- Psychology
- Sociology & Anthropology
Popular Graduate Programs (programs with 120+ majors in fall 2018)
- Applied Information Technology
- Computer Science
- Human Resources Development (Ed Leadership Track)
- Instructional Technology
- Reading Education
- Special Education
- Teaching (MAT)
Tuition and Financial Aid
Estimated Undergraduate Annual Tuition and Fees (2018-19 academic year)
$9,440 in-state
$23,208 out-of-state
Standard Annual Room and Board (2018-19 academic year)
$12,464
Financial Aid
TU provided over $31 million in institutional aid, including grants, scholarships, tuition waivers and athletic aid.
Research
Albert S. Cook Library
395,191 volumes
154,618 e-books
21,779 journals (print and electronic)
10,148 films and videos
10,106 sound recordings
310 research databases
Sponsored Research
Fiscal Year 2018 — $13,196,168
Fiscal Year 2017 — $10,849,942
Fiscal Year 2016 — $16,970,018
Fiscal Year 2015 — $18,010,921
Fiscal Year 2014 — $14,447,113
Fiscal Year 2013 — $24,840,125
Fiscal Year 2012 — $21,788,837
Fiscal Year 2011 — $30,454,640
Athletics
19 NCAA Division I athletic teams (13 women's sports, six men's sports)
The school colors are black and gold, and the mascot is the Tigers.
Accreditation
View information about Towson University accreditation.
Media Honors
Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance are a few of the publications that have consistently recognized Towson University as one of the best values in higher education. Towson has been ranked among U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges every year since the guide’s inception in 1985. For the academic year 2019-20, TU received the following honors:
- U.S. News & World Report named TU one of the best public universities in the country. The publication’s 2021 rankings placed TU 100th among national public universities. Compared to last year, TU jumped 25 spots in the magazine’s social mobility rankings to No. 161.
- Money magazine ranked TU 103rd on its 2020 Best Colleges for Your Money list—four spots higher than its 2019 spot—and in Maryland, second only to Johns Hopkins University.
- Forbes ranked TU 320th in a field of 650 public and private colleges surveyed for its 2019 America’s Top Colleges list. TU also placed 137th out of 299 public and private institutions on the Forbes 2019 America’s Best Value Colleges ranking.
- Washington Monthly ranked TU No. 30 among national public universities and No. 55 among all national universities in its 2020 College Rankings. TU was also recognized as No. 31 in the sub-category of social mobility and one of just nine institutions in the nation with a student voter registration rate above 85%.
- Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education’s 2020 student-sourced rankings put TU in the No. 394 slot on a national list of more than 800 U.S. colleges.
- Princeton Review included TU among the 224 colleges selected for its 2021 Best Regional Colleges for the Best Northeastern category. Princeton Review does not assign numerical rankings. TU was also placed in the top 9% of universities worldwide in the Center for World University Rankings for 2020-2021.
Updated 11/2020