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Bowie State University

Bowie, Maryland

5,970 Students on Campus
Bowie Location
2,483,270 Metro Population
5,970 Students on Campus
Bowie Location
2,483,270 Metro Population

About This Campus

Bowie State is a public university and a part of the University System of Maryland. At Bowie State University, you will be part of a 300-acre suburban campus centrally located between Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis, Maryland. BSU is one of the oldest Historically Black Universities in the nation and serves persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds with educational opportunities that will enable students to function in a highly technological and interdependent world. The University continues to honor its heritage of providing access to higher education for under-represented populations with a continuing commitment to African-Americans. Involvement in campus life is central to the university. BSU places special emphasis on the science, technology, teacher education, business and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal education.

1st HBU in the state of Maryland.

Ranked #11 among the nation’s top HBCUs, #43 for public schools in the north.

Designated as a Military Friendly School since 2019.

Helpful Information

Bowie State has a large commuter student population, however, on-campus housing has been in extreme demand over the past several years, so the housing process can be challenging. If on-campus housing is needed, NSE students are encouraged to be on time with enrollment and housing application processes and vigilant in reading and comprehending housing communications. NSE students do have the option to live off campus and commute. Bowie State does not have any priority registration for classes. NSE students are able to register for classes when registration opens for the fall or spring semesters, provided they completed the necessary admission/enrollment process.

Location Information

Bowie State is in the midst of one of the nation's most exciting metropolitan areas, within easy reach of Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Annapolis. The University is centrally located on a scenic wooded tract next to the city of Bowie on ancestral lands of the Piscataway People. The Baltimore-Washington Parkway is less than five miles west of the University if using either the Greenbelt Route 193 exit or the Laurel Route 197 exit. In winter 1989, a MARC commuter rail station on the Penn Line opened at the University, that runs between Baltimore's Penn Station and Washington's Union Station. Additionally, Bowie State is a stop on three Metrobus lines operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority: B21, B22, and B27. These bus lines connect Bowie State with the New Carrollton station of the Washinton, D.C. Metro subway system. Lastly, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is an approximately a 25-minute drive from campus.

Academics

TERM DATES:

Fall Start Date: 08/24/2026 - Fall End Date: 12/14/2026

Spring Start Date: 01/25/2027 - Spring End Date: 05/17/2027

CLOSED PROGRAMS:

Nursing, Online Computer Science, Online Computer Technology, Online Criminal Justice, Online Early Childhood Education, and Online Elementary Education. *Online programs have specific course sections only available to the fully online degree-seeking students.

RESTRICTED/LIMITED PROGRAMS:

Computer Science courses tend to fill up quickly, so it is recommended NSE students who need computer science classes register as soon as possible.

NOTABLE ACADEMICS PROGRAMS:
  • Business Administration — Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
  • Communications — Students obtain professional broadcasting experience. WBSU Radio and BSU-TV provide students with experience in radio production, tv production, and digital technology.
  • Computer Science — The in-person B.S. in Computer Science offered at the main Bowie State campus is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.
  • Computer Technology — The in-person B.S. in Computer Technology offered at the main Bowie State campus is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.
  • Criminal Justice — Our state-of-the-art criminalistics lab is the gateway to the latest techniques and procedures in crime scene investigations. Students learn how to analyze physical evidence—from fingerprints and firearms to documents and toxicology reports—and reconstruct past events with high-powered microscopes and high-speed cameras.
UNIQUE ACADEMICS PROGRAMS:
  • Child & Adolescent Studies — As a student in our interdisciplinary Child and Adolescent Studies program, the only one of its kind in the University System of Maryland, you’ll plunge into a unique fusion of coursework in psychology, social work, education and sociology.
  • Cyber Operations Engineering — BSU’s cybersecurity programs are designated by the National Security Agency as models of excellence in Cyber Defense Education.
  • Immersive Media, Entertainment and Gaming — The IMEG program is an interdisciplinary partnership between the Department of Fine and Performing Arts and the Department of Computer Science. Bowie State University is among the few HBCUs offering courses in animation, cinematography and digital media arts. The IMEG program emphasizes entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity through cross-departmental and industry collaborations. It also prepares you to explore the socioeconomic, political, and cultural dimensions of emerging augmented, cinematic and mixed-reality experiences.
  • Philosophy, Politics & Economics — As the only program of its kind at a Maryland HBCU, BSU’s PPE majors will become strong leaders with a unique, diverse lens to view complex social and economic challenges.
  • Public Health Informatics & Technology — This groundbreaking program combines technology and communication processes to teach students to efficiently collect and disseminate health information and patient records.
  • Virtual Reality & Gaming — The B.S in Virtual Reality and Gaming combines the technical skills of computer science with the imaginative nature of visual arts to build an immersive gaming experience for an enthusiastic audience. By the end of the program, you will have the skills to code video games that function like interactive movies.
  • Visual Communication & Digital Media Arts — Concentration in Animation & Motion Graphics - LAIKA, the Oscar®-nominated and BAFTA and Golden Globe Award-winning feature film animation studio best known for Missing Link, Kubo and the Two Strings and Coraline partnered with BSU to build the nation's first stop-motion animation studio at a HBCU, enhancing BSU's animation curriculum.
OPTIONS:

Honors Access: No

UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS OPEN TO NSE STUDENTS:
Limited Closed

Conditions

GPA AND OTHER ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS:
EXCHANGE PREFERENCES:
  • Full Year Exchange: Accepted
  • Single Term Exchange: Accepted
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS (Visa Students):
  • Does your campus accept International Students (those already in the U.S. on a student visa)? Will Not Accept
CANADIAN EXCHANGE:
Learn More
  • Receive from Canada: Not Participating
  • Accept international students studying in Canada on a visa? - No

Tuition/Finance

Figures per Semester are current as of 08/17/2026
TUITION:
  • Campus Budget
  • Fees are subject to change without notice
  • Home Tuition Payment: Available
  • Away Tuition Payment: Not Available
MAXIMUM CREDIT HOURS PER SEMESTER:
  • Home Payment: 18
MISCELLANEOUS FEES:
Purpose
Amount
Period
Plan
Status
Housing Fee
$325
Term
Home
Mandatory
Admission Fee
$17
Term
Home
Mandatory
Parking Fee
Varies
Term
Home
Optional
IMPORTANT NOTES:

The Housing Fee is a deposit that is mandatory if you are living on campus. It goes towards the cost of your housing bill.

Financial Aid for NSE Students. Regardless of Payment Plan, financial aid is awarded by and disbursed from your home campus.

Room/Meals

Figures per Semester are current as of 08/17/2026
ON-CAMPUS HOUSING PER SEMESER:
  • Is on-campus housing available? Yes
  • Is on-campus living required? No
  • Number of reserved housing spaces: 6
  • Average Room Cost (per term): $4480
  • On-Campus Housing
Off-CAMPUS HOUSING:
NOTES ABOUT ON-CAMPUS HOUSING:

On-Campus Housing is in high demand at Bowie State University. NSE students must be registered in a minimum of 12 credits before they are able to access the Housing Application portal. It is recommended to register for classes and apply for housing as soon as possible.

NOTES ABOUT OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING:

NSE students living off-campus are required to notify coordinator of where they are living off-campus and what their commuting plan is to get to and from campus.

MEAL PLANS:
  • Are meal plans available on campus? Yes
  • Is a meal plan purchase required for on-campus, non-apartment residence halls? Yes
  • Average Meal Plan Cost (per term): $3281.85
  • Campus Meal Plans
NOTES ABOUT MEAL PLANS:

Meal Plan Fees: https://www.bowiestate.edu/about/administration-and-governance/division-of-administration-and-finance/office-of-student-accounts-archived/tuition-and-fees/housing-and-meal-fees.php

Fees are subject to change without notice.

Chance of Acceptance

Direct Placement for Spring 2027

Home Tuition Payment Plan

Waitlist

Direct placement is not available for this payment plan during Spring 2027.

Away Tuition Payment Plan

N/A

Direct placement is not available for this payment plan during Spring 2027.

Priority Placements for Academic Year 27/28

If this is your top choice campus...

Home Tuition Payment Plan

Excellent

This campus accepts most (75%+) applicants. You may want to consider adding alternate choice campuses marked as OPEN or EXCELLENT to ensure placement.

Away Tuition Payment Plan

N/A

This campus is not accepting students on this tuition payment plan.

If this is your alternate choice campus...

Home Tuition Payment Plan

Good

This campus accepts many (50-74%) applicants. You definitely want to consider adding alternate choice campuses marked as OPEN or EXCELLENT to ensure placement.

Away Tuition Payment Plan

N/A

This campus is not accepting students on this tuition payment plan.

Resources

CAMPUS SOCIAL MEDIA: