Maryland's online public
adult-learner university
You're deciding whether to start — or restart — a bachelor's at UMGC, a part-time-heavy online institution serving working adults and the military community. The decision turns on transfer-out rate, actual net price, and what earnings look like a decade later.
52,000+ undergrads, 76% part-time, 32% transfer out by year 8, median $65k 10-yr earnings, $22,063 net price.
A 52,000-undergrad online public university built around adult learners and military affiliates
UMGC enrolls over 52,000 undergraduates out of Adelphi, Maryland, with 76% attending part-time — a profile shaped by working adults, military members, and online learners rather than traditional 18-year-olds. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 32%, on the high side of what outcome data shows for large public institutions. Median earnings ten years out are $65k, and median borrower debt is $21,000 with a 0% three-year loan default rate. Top programs lean toward career-coded tracks: General Studies (2,577 completions), Information Science (1,909), Business Administration (1,636), and Cybersecurity (989). Net price is $22,063 — higher than in-state tuition alone suggests.
University of Maryland Global Campus is Maryland's state-operated online public university, with more than 52,000 undergraduates headquartered in Adelphi. Seventy-six percent attend part-time — UMGC's student base is dominated by working adults, military members, and transfer-in students rather than traditional first-time freshmen. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 32%, meaning roughly a third of undergraduates move on to another institution within eight years; 30% complete a credential at UMGC itself, and 2% remain enrolled. Program volume is heavily career-coded: General Studies tops the list at 2,577 completions, followed by Information Science at 1,909, Business Administration at 1,636, and Cybersecurity at 989. Median earnings ten years out are $65k and median borrower debt is $21,000 with a 0% three-year loan default rate. In-state tuition is $7,632, but net price is $22,063 — worth pricing out carefully before committing.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other. | 2,577 |
| Information Science/Studies. | 1,909 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 1,636 |
| Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance. | 989 |
| Psychology, General. | 788 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | 673 |
| Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General. | 561 |
| Criminal Justice/Safety Studies. | 357 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. | 256 |
| Health/Health Care Administration/Management. | 237 |
Source · IPEDS completions (all undergraduate credentials).
Where Maryland transfers tend to go
Reflects state-aggregated IPEDS transfer-in volume — CC-specific destinations are not publicly available from IPEDS or the College Scorecard.
Frequently asked
- Is University of Maryland Global Campus a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- UMGC is better understood as a place to continue or finish a bachelor's than a place to start one in the traditional sense. Its undergraduate population is dominated by working adults and military-affiliated students: 76% attend part-time, and the institution is built around online coursework and credit-for-experience policies rather than a residential first-year experience. The outcome numbers favor that use case — median earnings ten years out are $65k, median borrower debt is $21,000, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 32% and the completion rate is 30%, so roughly two-thirds of undergraduates either finish at UMGC or move to another institution within eight years. If you're a working adult restarting school or a military student using benefits, the model fits. If you're looking for a conventional on-campus starting point, this isn't that.
- How does UMGC's transfer-out rate compare to typical institutions?
- UMGC's eight-year transfer-out rate is 32%, which is high for a bachelor's-granting institution. Thirty percent of undergraduates complete a credential at UMGC itself within eight years, and 2% are still enrolled, so the data shows meaningful student movement in both directions. Context matters here: UMGC is structurally different from a traditional four-year residential university. Its students are overwhelmingly part-time (76%), many are already credentialed adults building on prior coursework, and military assignments regularly relocate students across institutions. A 32% transfer-out figure at this kind of institution reflects the adult-learner reality — students move between employers, duty stations, and schools — rather than a failure signal. Read it as a population that doesn't treat one institution as the whole story, not as a quality judgment.
- What programs does UMGC teach at meaningful scale?
- UMGC's top programs by completions are heavily career-coded. General Studies leads at 2,577 completions — a common adult-degree-completion track — followed by Information Science at 1,909, Business Administration and Management at 1,636, and Computer and Information Systems Security (Cybersecurity) at 989. Psychology produced 788 completions and general Computer and Information Sciences 673. Human Resources Management came in at 561, Criminal Justice at 357, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies at 256, and Health Care Administration at 237. The mix is telling: IT, cybersecurity, business, and administrative tracks dominate, reflecting UMGC's positioning around federal, military, and adult-workforce career paths rather than traditional liberal-arts or STEM research programs.
Methodology — Transfer signals reflect IPEDS Outcome Measures 8-year cohorts; earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard. Destinations are state-aggregated; we do not claim CC-specific transfer destinations without authoritative per-student tracking data.