TU at a Glance

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.

Students walking through campus
Towson University is located in Towson, Md., a suburb of Baltimore, in the heart of the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
Students at a football game
Towson Football is one of only a handful of programs in the nation to reach the national championship game at Division I, II, and III levels.
Three students in Cook Library
Albert S. Cook Library is more than just a repository of books. It houses TU's Archives and Special Collections, computer workstations and printers, collaborative workspaces and a multimedia lab.

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. Towson's educational experience also branches out to off-campus locations throughout Maryland, including a number of online options.

Media Honors

Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance are a few of the publications that have consistently recognized Towson 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 2018-19, TU received the following honors:

  • The U.S. News & World Report 2019 America’s Best Colleges guide ranked Towson University 12th in the public Regional Universities (North) category. In addition, TU placed 68th on U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Value Regional (North) Universities ranking and 30th on its Best Colleges for Veterans list. TU also was named to the magazine’s A+ Schools for B Students list. 
  • Money magazine ranked Towson University 147th on its 2018-2019 Best Colleges for Your Money list, where TU again joined the University of Maryland, College Park, and Johns Hopkins University as Maryland’s highest-ranked institutions.  
  • Forbes ranked TU 305th in a field of 650 public and private colleges surveyed for its 2018 America’s Top Colleges list. TU also placed 181st out of 300 public and private institutions on the Forbes 2018 America’s Best Value Colleges ranking.
  • Washington Monthly ranked Towson University 47th among the 150 colleges and universities surveyed for its 2018 Master’s category. The magazine also ranked TU 68th among the best value schools in its category.  
  • Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education 2019 student-sourced rankings put TU in the No. 484 slot on a national list of 968 U.S. colleges. WSJ/THE ranked TU 110th out of 286 on its regional list. TU is the University System of Maryland’s highest ranked regional campus. 
  • Princeton Review included TU among the 225 colleges selected for its 2019 Best Colleges: Region by Region list. Princeton Review does not assign numerical rankings.

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.

Academics

Enrollment

Undergraduate students: 19,818
Graduate students: 3,105
Total: 22, 923

Colleges

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)

Popular Graduate Programs (programs with 120+ majors in fall 2018)

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

The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the Maryland State Department of Education, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the National Association of Schools of Music, the National Association of Schools of Dance, the National Association of Schools of Theatre, the Accreditation Council of Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business for both business and accounting programs, the American Chemical Society, the American Association for Health Education/National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (AAHE/NCATE), the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), and the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET. The university is a member of the American Council on Education, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and the Association of American Colleges.

Updated 11/2018