College of Southern Maryland
- The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) is an open-admissions, regional community college preparing students and community to meet the challenges of individual, social and global changes. CSM makes accessible a broad range of affordable, high-quality learning opportunities that allow students to define and achieve their goals, enhance their knowledge, and make smooth transitions at various stages of their development.
School Highlights
College of Southern Maryland serves 6,882 students (36% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 23:1 is higher than the state community college average of 21:1.
Minority enrollment is 47% of the student body (majority Black), which is less than the state average of 58%.
Top Rankings
College of Southern Maryland ranks among the top 20% of community colleges in Maryland for:
- Category Attribute
- Debt For Students Least debt for graduating students
School Overview
The teacher population of 295 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
| College of Southern Maryland | (MD) Community College Avg. | |
| Carnegie Classification | Associate's Colleges: High Transfer-High Traditional | Associate's Colleges: High Vocational & Technical-High Traditional |
| Institution Level | Less than 2 yrs | At least 2 but less than 4 years |
| Institution Control | Public | Public |
| Total Faculty | 295 staff | 179 staff |
Source: 2019 (or latest year available) IPEDS
School Notes
- The College of Southern Maryland is rich in history with a promising and exciting future ahead. The college's history dates to 1958 when the Charles County Community College was established as part of the continuing expansion of the community college within America. At its inception in 1958, the college was governed by the Charles County Board of Education, with the first classes being held at La Plata High School in the evenings. The Friendly Hall Campus, which is now the La Plata campus, was established in 1968. The college expanded its services to St. Mary's County in 1978 and Calvert County in 1980. The College of Southern Maryland is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and others. The college offers Associate (Transfer and Terminal) Degrees and Certificate in more than 120 programs. CSM contributes to the well being of the region by providing an array of associate degree and certificate programs; enhanced access to bachelor degree programs; workforce development and job training; corporate consulting; leadership and community development; wellness, fitness and personal enrichment opportunities, and cultural experiences. CSM operates four campuses in the tri-county area. The La Plata Campus, nestled on 173 wooded acres off of Mitchell Road and the Waldorf Center for Higher Education on Old Washington Road, are both located in Charles county. The Prince Frederick Campus is located in Calvert County, and the Leonardtown Campus is situated in St. Mary's County. The La Plata Campus hosts a variety of amenities, including large indoor pool, fine arts center with a 400-seat theater, high-tech computer laboratories, outdoor and indoor sports facilities, bookstore fitness center, cafeteria, distance learning center and state-of-the-art conference center.
Nearby Schools
The nearest community college to College of Southern Maryland is Northern Virginia Community College (22.7 miles away).
- College Location Mi. Students
- 50,929 students | 22.70 Mi4001 Wakefield Chapel Rd
Annandale, VA 22003
(703) 323-3000 22.7050,929 - Medtech InstitutePrivate, for profit1,371 students | 23.10 Mi6565 Arlington Boulevard
Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 237-6200 23.101,371 - 11,885 students | 24.90 Mi301 Largo Rd
Largo, MD 20774
(301) 546-7422 24.9011,885 - Stratford UniversityPrivate for-profit2,096 students | 26.40 Mi3201 Jermantown Road, Suite 500
Fairfax, VA 22030
(703) 539-6890 26.402,096 - 327 students | 28.20 Mi8255 Shopper\'s Square
Manassas, VA 20111
(703) 334-2501 28.20327
Recent Articles
Check out the latest rankings by Community College Times that shows the community colleges that were the top degree producers in the country last year.
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July 30, 2021
Going to college is a major commitment and a big decision – one that thousands of students postponed during the pandemic. Now that things are slowly returning to normal, what does the world of academia look like and what challenges are educators currently facing?
