Times Higher Education (THE) cites the University of Maryland, Baltimore County as a model for supporting student achievement by graduating more low-income and minority students in the sciences, referring to this strength as ‘the holy grail of academia.’

UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski calls it ‘inclusive excellence.’ The University’s work to support underrepresented students in STEM fields has led to investments in support programs for students of all majors across UMBC. “Everybody wants to understand our model,” he says. He qualifies that the lessons learned in one area can inform on another. So far, the University has been replicating its efforts university-wide to achieve greater impact.

THE points out that UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholarship Program, which is focused on minority scholarship and awareness in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), is considered the gold standard in supporting diverse students in STEM fields. UMBC is the #1 producer of African American undergraduates who go on to complete postgraduate degrees and #2 for African American undergraduates who complete a doctoral degree in any STEM field in the United States. The program is serving as a model for other U.S. universities following suit, according to Times Higher Education.

UMBC ranked a leading global and U.S. university yet again

Times Higher Education and Wall Street Journal named the University of Maryland, Baltimore County a leading global and U.S. university. This came on the heels of the 2020 U.S. News & World Report ranking UMBC as one of the nation’s top universities for teaching and innovation. 

The Times Higher Education (THE) and Wall Street Journal College Rankings 2020 note that UMBC performs particularly well in student outcomes and learning environment. Outcomes include factors such as graduate salary, university reputation and graduation rate. Environment includes faculty and student diversity, international students and student inclusion.

The 2020 THE World University Rankings recognises UMBC as among the top 800 universities worldwide and #130 among U.S. universities, performing highly in faculty research and citation impact.