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F A S T   F A C T S
Location | Bowie
Population | 58,329
Enrollment | 6,353
Language | English
Calendar | Semester
Canada | N/A

Term Dates
Fall | 08/25-12/17
Spring | 01/26-05/20

Bowie State University

Bowie, MD

     
1st HBCU in the state of Maryland.
Ranked #11 among the nation’s top HBCUs; top 10 among public HBCUs.
Top 5 Maryland university for graduating African Americans in STEM degrees.

About This Campus

At Bowie State University, you will be part of a 300-acre suburban campus centrally located between Washington D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland. As a member of the BSU family, you will join a close-knit community of outstanding faculty, caring staff and dedicated students where every aspect of campus life is designed to help you succeed. 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.

Location Information

Bowie State is in the midst of one of the nation's most exciting metropolitan areas, within easy reach of Washington, DC, and Baltimore. The University is centrally located on a scenic wooded tract next to the city of Bowie. This location is about five miles east of Greenbelt and Lanham, less than 15 miles west of Annapolis, and seven miles north of the Capital Beltway (I-95) at the New Carrollton exit at Route 450. 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. Route 197 brings motorists within 200 yards of the campus. In winter 1989, a MARC commuter rail station opened at the University, serving the Baltimore-Washington Corridor and adding a second public transportation option to existing Metrobus service.

Helpful Information

•1st HBCU in the state of Maryland •Designated as a Military Friendly School •Top STEM degree producer •Entrepreneurship: undergraduate concentration & certificate programs offer academic credentials that prepare students to create new businesses and innovate in the workplace •Modern Facilities that include nursing simulation labs, research & instructional labs, fashion studio, digital design labs, recording studio, 3D virtual reality lab, makerspace with 3D printers, forensic laboratory, etc.
2025-2026 Chance of Placement
Home Payment |Limited
Campus Availability & Deadlines
2026-2027 Chance of Placement
Home Payment |Excellent
Understand Chances of Placement

Academics

RegistrationClosed Programs
Nursing

Notable Academic Programs

  • Business Administration - Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
  • 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.
  • 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 Computer Technology program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.
  • Communications - Students obtain professional broadcasting experience. WBSU Radio and BSU-TV provide students with experience in radio production, tv production, and digital technology.

Unique Academic 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.
  • 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.
  • Visual Communication & Digital Media Arts - 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.

Undergraduate Majors Open to NSE Students

Accounting, Advertising, Animation and Special Effects... ++ show all

Conditions

GPA and Other Academic Requirements Exchange Preferences
  • Full-year exchange Accepted
  • Single term exchange Accepted
Summer Exchange
  • Not available
International Students (Visa Students)
  • Will not accept
Canadian Students - learn more
  • Will NOT accept

Tuition / Finances

Figures per Semester are current as of 05/09/25

Finances Tuition and Fees - Home Payment Students
  • Pay regular tuition to your home campus. No tuition/fees are paid to your host campus.
Maximum Credit Hours Per Semester
  • Home Payment: 18 ($411.13 per additional hour)

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

Miscellaneous Fees - Per Semester

Purpose Amount Period Plan Status
Admission Fee $17 Year Home Mandatory
NSE Program Fee $150 Year Home Mandatory
Housing Deposit $325 Year Home Mandatory
Parking Fee $65 Semester Home Optional
Course Fees / MaterialsVariesSemesterHost & HomeMandatory

Important Notes: Housing Deposit - this gets subtracted from the overall room and board bill. Parking Fee - semester student rate is $65, however, if a student drives a vehicle scoring 40 or higher as rated by American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy, they pay a discounted rate of $52.

Room / Meals

Figures are current as of 05/09/25

On-Campus Housing Per Semester Off-Campus Housing
  • Off-Campus Housing
  • Approximate monthly cost: $1800
  • Proximity to campus:
  • Local Public Transportation Available to Campus
Notes About Housing
On campus residence halls fill up quickly, so it is important to apply for housing early and follow all housing instructions on time.

Meal Plans

Health

Figures per Semester are current as of 05/09/25

Important Notes about Health Insurance
Bowie State University encourages all students to maintain health insurance coverage. Students who are not covered under their parents’ health insurance can sign up for individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Students are encouraged to register for health insurance through the Maryland Health Connection, the state-based health insurance marketplace.

Requirements

All data in this document is the responsibility of the campus and has been provided by the campus NSE coordinator.
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