Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 15:09     Subject: Re:UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Isn't the reason why UMD rejects students from Moco is because they think moco kids would go somewhere else instead of UMD? Yield rate?


I don't think so. My observation from my county (not MoCo) is UMD attempts to scoop up valedictorians and top ten percent.

In a certain year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who chose UMD. At least one is in honors but I am mot sure that all are.

I’ve also seen evidence they will accept those outside of top ten if student has significant accomplishments, such as national champion.



What about this who are not vals or don't have national championship related to their resume?

Those kids are getting in too. That person is uninformed. Admits are the “top” 20 to 30% of the class from MCPS.


Nope. And if so that is still a high gpa. We know a few kids not admitted to UMD this year. These are kids with 4.2+ gaps, AP/IB classes, good SATs, and no they were not all applying to CS.


According to B-CC’s school profile 40% of graduating seniors have GPAs of 4.51+. I expect they are the only school were a 4.2 is not near the top 20-30% of the class.


At Poolesville it’s 60% at 4.51+. So no BCC is not the only school where you need to likely be 4.7 or higher to be in the top 20%.


The massive grade inflation and grading policies in MCPS makes it harder for top students to distinguish themselves. Grade inflation results in a lot of average students having the same GPA as very strong students. This is good for average students and hurts strong students.

Unpopular opinion- if you really want your strong student to go to UMD you should consider a private without grade inflation and a strict grading policy. Your student will have a better chance of separating themselves from the pack there. Yes, you’ll have to pay for tuition in high school but you’ll probably save money overall if your child gets in state tuition at UMD (compared to oos public or private college tuition).


We aren’t seeing grade inflation. Maybe you are as the rules are different at each school but with UMD they can only take so many students per school so you are better off at the higher end of a bad school than a so called good school. Where you go to college is far more important than hs.


You need to be able to show that you are at the top of your high school class to get into UMD. This is hardest at a good MCPS high school ( lots of average to smart students ) who all have the same GPA.


No reason to believe that's true, whe UMD already publicly declared that they care more about diversity than "top students".

Obviously they want people that UMD courses can serve, so people at the low end of preparation are routed to community college, but there's no reason to prefer the "top" students over the "good" students except for a few had picked for the Honors program.


All the evidence in this thread points to the fact that the top 10 to 20% of each MCPS school is regularly admitted to UMD.


And presumably, the same at private schools. The question is for a certain type of student is it easier (because of grading policies) to prove that you are in the top 20% of your class in a top public or a private school?

No one knows this. My kid got into UMD from a mid-ranked MCPS school. Only 20% in 4.51 plus. Also the ACT/SAT as reported on school profile are quite low.

Not a "top" student but if I had to guess, from grades/SAT/rigor kid probably viewed as top 15%.. Did not consider UMD a likely admit either. We put odds at 50/50.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 15:06     Subject: UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That's a bit absurd to do the FC when they have classes from 3-9 vs. having a normal class schedule. UMD should not be doing that.


No one makes a student participate in FC. All FC students are admitted for spring and can do FC, take courses elsewhere, take off thr fall, or go to another school all together.


And the 3-9 thing is only for one semester. They’re regular students after that.


Correction— they are regular students when they choose FC. They can live on campus just like all the other kids and participate in campus life just like everyone else. They just take their classes later in the day. FC has a perk in that their classes sizes are usually smaller.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 15:05     Subject: Re:UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Isn't the reason why UMD rejects students from Moco is because they think moco kids would go somewhere else instead of UMD? Yield rate?


I don't think so. My observation from my county (not MoCo) is UMD attempts to scoop up valedictorians and top ten percent.

In a certain year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who chose UMD. At least one is in honors but I am mot sure that all are.

I’ve also seen evidence they will accept those outside of top ten if student has significant accomplishments, such as national champion.



What about this who are not vals or don't have national championship related to their resume?

Those kids are getting in too. That person is uninformed. Admits are the “top” 20 to 30% of the class from MCPS.


Nope. And if so that is still a high gpa. We know a few kids not admitted to UMD this year. These are kids with 4.2+ gaps, AP/IB classes, good SATs, and no they were not all applying to CS.


According to B-CC’s school profile 40% of graduating seniors have GPAs of 4.51+. I expect they are the only school were a 4.2 is not near the top 20-30% of the class.


At Poolesville it’s 60% at 4.51+. So no BCC is not the only school where you need to likely be 4.7 or higher to be in the top 20%.


The massive grade inflation and grading policies in MCPS makes it harder for top students to distinguish themselves. Grade inflation results in a lot of average students having the same GPA as very strong students. This is good for average students and hurts strong students.

Unpopular opinion- if you really want your strong student to go to UMD you should consider a private without grade inflation and a strict grading policy. Your student will have a better chance of separating themselves from the pack there. Yes, you’ll have to pay for tuition in high school but you’ll probably save money overall if your child gets in state tuition at UMD (compared to oos public or private college tuition).


We aren’t seeing grade inflation. Maybe you are as the rules are different at each school but with UMD they can only take so many students per school so you are better off at the higher end of a bad school than a so called good school. Where you go to college is far more important than hs.


The previous posters said that 60% of students at Poolesville and 40% of the students at BCC have over a 4.51 GPA. Those figure definitely point to grade inflatation. (And Bethesda magazine had a long article about 1 year ago that outlined all of the ways that MCPS policies led to grade inflation.)

Yes some grade inflation but Poolesville has a high concentration of magnet students and BCC is a wealthy area.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 14:59     Subject: Re:UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Isn't the reason why UMD rejects students from Moco is because they think moco kids would go somewhere else instead of UMD? Yield rate?


I don't think so. My observation from my county (not MoCo) is UMD attempts to scoop up valedictorians and top ten percent.

In a certain year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who chose UMD. At least one is in honors but I am mot sure that all are.

I’ve also seen evidence they will accept those outside of top ten if student has significant accomplishments, such as national champion.



What about this who are not vals or don't have national championship related to their resume?

Those kids are getting in too. That person is uninformed. Admits are the “top” 20 to 30% of the class from MCPS.


Nope. And if so that is still a high gpa. We know a few kids not admitted to UMD this year. These are kids with 4.2+ gaps, AP/IB classes, good SATs, and no they were not all applying to CS.


According to B-CC’s school profile 40% of graduating seniors have GPAs of 4.51+. I expect they are the only school were a 4.2 is not near the top 20-30% of the class.


At Poolesville it’s 60% at 4.51+. So no BCC is not the only school where you need to likely be 4.7 or higher to be in the top 20%.


The massive grade inflation and grading policies in MCPS makes it harder for top students to distinguish themselves. Grade inflation results in a lot of average students having the same GPA as very strong students. This is good for average students and hurts strong students.

Unpopular opinion- if you really want your strong student to go to UMD you should consider a private without grade inflation and a strict grading policy. Your student will have a better chance of separating themselves from the pack there. Yes, you’ll have to pay for tuition in high school but you’ll probably save money overall if your child gets in state tuition at UMD (compared to oos public or private college tuition).


We aren’t seeing grade inflation. Maybe you are as the rules are different at each school but with UMD they can only take so many students per school so you are better off at the higher end of a bad school than a so called good school. Where you go to college is far more important than hs.


You need to be able to show that you are at the top of your high school class to get into UMD. This is hardest at a good MCPS high school ( lots of average to smart students ) who all have the same GPA.


No reason to believe that's true, whe UMD already publicly declared that they care more about diversity than "top students".

Obviously they want people that UMD courses can serve, so people at the low end of preparation are routed to community college, but there's no reason to prefer the "top" students over the "good" students except for a few had picked for the Honors program.


All the evidence in this thread points to the fact that the top 10 to 20% of each MCPS school is regularly admitted to UMD.


And presumably, the same at private schools. The question is for a certain type of student is it easier (because of grading policies) to prove that you are in the top 20% of your class in a top public or a private school?
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 14:56     Subject: Re:UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Isn't the reason why UMD rejects students from Moco is because they think moco kids would go somewhere else instead of UMD? Yield rate?


I don't think so. My observation from my county (not MoCo) is UMD attempts to scoop up valedictorians and top ten percent.

In a certain year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who chose UMD. At least one is in honors but I am mot sure that all are.

I’ve also seen evidence they will accept those outside of top ten if student has significant accomplishments, such as national champion.



What about this who are not vals or don't have national championship related to their resume?

Those kids are getting in too. That person is uninformed. Admits are the “top” 20 to 30% of the class from MCPS.


Nope. And if so that is still a high gpa. We know a few kids not admitted to UMD this year. These are kids with 4.2+ gaps, AP/IB classes, good SATs, and no they were not all applying to CS.


According to B-CC’s school profile 40% of graduating seniors have GPAs of 4.51+. I expect they are the only school were a 4.2 is not near the top 20-30% of the class.


At Poolesville it’s 60% at 4.51+. So no BCC is not the only school where you need to likely be 4.7 or higher to be in the top 20%.


The massive grade inflation and grading policies in MCPS makes it harder for top students to distinguish themselves. Grade inflation results in a lot of average students having the same GPA as very strong students. This is good for average students and hurts strong students.

Unpopular opinion- if you really want your strong student to go to UMD you should consider a private without grade inflation and a strict grading policy. Your student will have a better chance of separating themselves from the pack there. Yes, you’ll have to pay for tuition in high school but you’ll probably save money overall if your child gets in state tuition at UMD (compared to oos public or private college tuition).


We aren’t seeing grade inflation. Maybe you are as the rules are different at each school but with UMD they can only take so many students per school so you are better off at the higher end of a bad school than a so called good school. Where you go to college is far more important than hs.


You need to be able to show that you are at the top of your high school class to get into UMD. This is hardest at a good MCPS high school ( lots of average to smart students ) who all have the same GPA.


No reason to believe that's true, whe UMD already publicly declared that they care more about diversity than "top students".

Obviously they want people that UMD courses can serve, so people at the low end of preparation are routed to community college, but there's no reason to prefer the "top" students over the "good" students except for a few had picked for the Honors program.


All the evidence in this thread points to the fact that the top 10 to 20% of each MCPS school is regularly admitted to UMD.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 14:49     Subject: UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:UMD can only take so many kids from each school. They have great programs at a great price, so it’s become much more competitive than people realize.


That's why the price is going up!
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 14:49     Subject: Re:UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Isn't the reason why UMD rejects students from Moco is because they think moco kids would go somewhere else instead of UMD? Yield rate?


I don't think so. My observation from my county (not MoCo) is UMD attempts to scoop up valedictorians and top ten percent.

In a certain year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who chose UMD. At least one is in honors but I am mot sure that all are.

I’ve also seen evidence they will accept those outside of top ten if student has significant accomplishments, such as national champion.



What about this who are not vals or don't have national championship related to their resume?

Those kids are getting in too. That person is uninformed. Admits are the “top” 20 to 30% of the class from MCPS.


Nope. And if so that is still a high gpa. We know a few kids not admitted to UMD this year. These are kids with 4.2+ gaps, AP/IB classes, good SATs, and no they were not all applying to CS.


According to B-CC’s school profile 40% of graduating seniors have GPAs of 4.51+. I expect they are the only school were a 4.2 is not near the top 20-30% of the class.


At Poolesville it’s 60% at 4.51+. So no BCC is not the only school where you need to likely be 4.7 or higher to be in the top 20%.


The massive grade inflation and grading policies in MCPS makes it harder for top students to distinguish themselves. Grade inflation results in a lot of average students having the same GPA as very strong students. This is good for average students and hurts strong students.

Unpopular opinion- if you really want your strong student to go to UMD you should consider a private without grade inflation and a strict grading policy. Your student will have a better chance of separating themselves from the pack there. Yes, you’ll have to pay for tuition in high school but you’ll probably save money overall if your child gets in state tuition at UMD (compared to oos public or private college tuition).


Schools can still differentiate between a 4.9, 4.8, 4.7, etc. the point is that a 4.2 just isn’t that great at lots of MCPS schools and parents of kids who have 4.2 GPAs think their kids are being yield protected or their slots are going to OOS students.


"Differentiating" between 4.9 and 4.7 is nuts though.


Yes, it's nuts but it happens. My kid (1540 SAT) has a 4.5 WGPA and she still was rejected to UMD. 4.5 just isn't high enough when others are getting 4.6-4.9 at a W school.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 14:48     Subject: UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately the bar is different at different HS. I am 100% sure it is more difficult to get into UMD CP out of a magnet or W school.


Don't students from those high schools/magnet want to go elsewhere tho?


Maybe no if they were trying for CS which has one of the best programs on the east coast (after MIT). Another limited enrollment program is business.


I work with top CS, cybersecurity, and AI scientists. They don’t hire based on an applicant’s school/program. They look at what the candidate has accomplished (often in their free time), they give practical problems to solve/architect, and generally look for people who can think outside the box.


And you assume that the school/program has no influence on those things?
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 14:46     Subject: Re:UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Isn't the reason why UMD rejects students from Moco is because they think moco kids would go somewhere else instead of UMD? Yield rate?


I don't think so. My observation from my county (not MoCo) is UMD attempts to scoop up valedictorians and top ten percent.

In a certain year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who chose UMD. At least one is in honors but I am mot sure that all are.

I’ve also seen evidence they will accept those outside of top ten if student has significant accomplishments, such as national champion.



What about this who are not vals or don't have national championship related to their resume?

Those kids are getting in too. That person is uninformed. Admits are the “top” 20 to 30% of the class from MCPS.


Nope. And if so that is still a high gpa. We know a few kids not admitted to UMD this year. These are kids with 4.2+ gaps, AP/IB classes, good SATs, and no they were not all applying to CS.


According to B-CC’s school profile 40% of graduating seniors have GPAs of 4.51+. I expect they are the only school were a 4.2 is not near the top 20-30% of the class.


At Poolesville it’s 60% at 4.51+. So no BCC is not the only school where you need to likely be 4.7 or higher to be in the top 20%.


The massive grade inflation and grading policies in MCPS makes it harder for top students to distinguish themselves. Grade inflation results in a lot of average students having the same GPA as very strong students. This is good for average students and hurts strong students.

Unpopular opinion- if you really want your strong student to go to UMD you should consider a private without grade inflation and a strict grading policy. Your student will have a better chance of separating themselves from the pack there. Yes, you’ll have to pay for tuition in high school but you’ll probably save money overall if your child gets in state tuition at UMD (compared to oos public or private college tuition).


We aren’t seeing grade inflation. Maybe you are as the rules are different at each school but with UMD they can only take so many students per school so you are better off at the higher end of a bad school than a so called good school. Where you go to college is far more important than hs.


You need to be able to show that you are at the top of your high school class to get into UMD. This is hardest at a good MCPS high school ( lots of average to smart students ) who all have the same GPA.


No reason to believe that's true, whe UMD already publicly declared that they care more about diversity than "top students".

Obviously they want people that UMD courses can serve, so people at the low end of preparation are routed to community college, but there's no reason to prefer the "top" students over the "good" students except for a few had picked for the Honors program.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 14:44     Subject: Re:UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Isn't the reason why UMD rejects students from Moco is because they think moco kids would go somewhere else instead of UMD? Yield rate?


I don't think so. My observation from my county (not MoCo) is UMD attempts to scoop up valedictorians and top ten percent.

In a certain year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who chose UMD. At least one is in honors but I am mot sure that all are.

I’ve also seen evidence they will accept those outside of top ten if student has significant accomplishments, such as national champion.



What about this who are not vals or don't have national championship related to their resume?

Those kids are getting in too. That person is uninformed. Admits are the “top” 20 to 30% of the class from MCPS.


Nope. And if so that is still a high gpa. We know a few kids not admitted to UMD this year. These are kids with 4.2+ gaps, AP/IB classes, good SATs, and no they were not all applying to CS.


According to B-CC’s school profile 40% of graduating seniors have GPAs of 4.51+. I expect they are the only school were a 4.2 is not near the top 20-30% of the class.


At Poolesville it’s 60% at 4.51+. So no BCC is not the only school where you need to likely be 4.7 or higher to be in the top 20%.


The massive grade inflation and grading policies in MCPS makes it harder for top students to distinguish themselves. Grade inflation results in a lot of average students having the same GPA as very strong students. This is good for average students and hurts strong students.

Unpopular opinion- if you really want your strong student to go to UMD you should consider a private without grade inflation and a strict grading policy. Your student will have a better chance of separating themselves from the pack there. Yes, you’ll have to pay for tuition in high school but you’ll probably save money overall if your child gets in state tuition at UMD (compared to oos public or private college tuition).


Schools can still differentiate between a 4.9, 4.8, 4.7, etc. the point is that a 4.2 just isn’t that great at lots of MCPS schools and parents of kids who have 4.2 GPAs think their kids are being yield protected or their slots are going to OOS students.


"Differentiating" between 4.9 and 4.7 is nuts though.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 14:40     Subject: Re:UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Isn't the reason why UMD rejects students from Moco is because they think moco kids would go somewhere else instead of UMD? Yield rate?


I don't think so. My observation from my county (not MoCo) is UMD attempts to scoop up valedictorians and top ten percent.

In a certain year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who chose UMD. At least one is in honors but I am mot sure that all are.

I’ve also seen evidence they will accept those outside of top ten if student has significant accomplishments, such as national champion.



What about this who are not vals or don't have national championship related to their resume?

Those kids are getting in too. That person is uninformed. Admits are the “top” 20 to 30% of the class from MCPS.


Nope. And if so that is still a high gpa. We know a few kids not admitted to UMD this year. These are kids with 4.2+ gaps, AP/IB classes, good SATs, and no they were not all applying to CS.


According to B-CC’s school profile 40% of graduating seniors have GPAs of 4.51+. I expect they are the only school were a 4.2 is not near the top 20-30% of the class.


At Poolesville it’s 60% at 4.51+. So no BCC is not the only school where you need to likely be 4.7 or higher to be in the top 20%.


The massive grade inflation and grading policies in MCPS makes it harder for top students to distinguish themselves. Grade inflation results in a lot of average students having the same GPA as very strong students. This is good for average students and hurts strong students.

Unpopular opinion- if you really want your strong student to go to UMD you should consider a private without grade inflation and a strict grading policy. Your student will have a better chance of separating themselves from the pack there. Yes, you’ll have to pay for tuition in high school but you’ll probably save money overall if your child gets in state tuition at UMD (compared to oos public or private college tuition).


Schools can still differentiate between a 4.9, 4.8, 4.7, etc. the point is that a 4.2 just isn’t that great at lots of MCPS schools and parents of kids who have 4.2 GPAs think their kids are being yield protected or their slots are going to OOS students.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 14:16     Subject: Re:UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Isn't the reason why UMD rejects students from Moco is because they think moco kids would go somewhere else instead of UMD? Yield rate?


I don't think so. My observation from my county (not MoCo) is UMD attempts to scoop up valedictorians and top ten percent.

In a certain year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who chose UMD. At least one is in honors but I am mot sure that all are.

I’ve also seen evidence they will accept those outside of top ten if student has significant accomplishments, such as national champion.



What about this who are not vals or don't have national championship related to their resume?

Those kids are getting in too. That person is uninformed. Admits are the “top” 20 to 30% of the class from MCPS.


Nope. And if so that is still a high gpa. We know a few kids not admitted to UMD this year. These are kids with 4.2+ gaps, AP/IB classes, good SATs, and no they were not all applying to CS.


According to B-CC’s school profile 40% of graduating seniors have GPAs of 4.51+. I expect they are the only school were a 4.2 is not near the top 20-30% of the class.


At Poolesville it’s 60% at 4.51+. So no BCC is not the only school where you need to likely be 4.7 or higher to be in the top 20%.


How different do folks think this is going to be with the new grading policy? Are more kids in the top portion of the class getting Bs this year?
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 14:07     Subject: Re:UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Isn't the reason why UMD rejects students from Moco is because they think moco kids would go somewhere else instead of UMD? Yield rate?


I don't think so. My observation from my county (not MoCo) is UMD attempts to scoop up valedictorians and top ten percent.

In a certain year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who chose UMD. At least one is in honors but I am mot sure that all are.

I’ve also seen evidence they will accept those outside of top ten if student has significant accomplishments, such as national champion.



What about this who are not vals or don't have national championship related to their resume?

Those kids are getting in too. That person is uninformed. Admits are the “top” 20 to 30% of the class from MCPS.


Nope. And if so that is still a high gpa. We know a few kids not admitted to UMD this year. These are kids with 4.2+ gaps, AP/IB classes, good SATs, and no they were not all applying to CS.


According to B-CC’s school profile 40% of graduating seniors have GPAs of 4.51+. I expect they are the only school were a 4.2 is not near the top 20-30% of the class.


At Poolesville it’s 60% at 4.51+. So no BCC is not the only school where you need to likely be 4.7 or higher to be in the top 20%.


The massive grade inflation and grading policies in MCPS makes it harder for top students to distinguish themselves. Grade inflation results in a lot of average students having the same GPA as very strong students. This is good for average students and hurts strong students.

Unpopular opinion- if you really want your strong student to go to UMD you should consider a private without grade inflation and a strict grading policy. Your student will have a better chance of separating themselves from the pack there. Yes, you’ll have to pay for tuition in high school but you’ll probably save money overall if your child gets in state tuition at UMD (compared to oos public or private college tuition).


We aren’t seeing grade inflation. Maybe you are as the rules are different at each school but with UMD they can only take so many students per school so you are better off at the higher end of a bad school than a so called good school. Where you go to college is far more important than hs.


You need to be able to show that you are at the top of your high school class to get into UMD. This is hardest at a good MCPS high school ( lots of average to smart students ) who all have the same GPA.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 13:52     Subject: Re:UMD Admissions from MCPS

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Isn't the reason why UMD rejects students from Moco is because they think moco kids would go somewhere else instead of UMD? Yield rate?


I don't think so. My observation from my county (not MoCo) is UMD attempts to scoop up valedictorians and top ten percent.

In a certain year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who chose UMD. At least one is in honors but I am mot sure that all are.

I’ve also seen evidence they will accept those outside of top ten if student has significant accomplishments, such as national champion.



What about this who are not vals or don't have national championship related to their resume?

Those kids are getting in too. That person is uninformed. Admits are the “top” 20 to 30% of the class from MCPS.


Nope. And if so that is still a high gpa. We know a few kids not admitted to UMD this year. These are kids with 4.2+ gaps, AP/IB classes, good SATs, and no they were not all applying to CS.


According to B-CC’s school profile 40% of graduating seniors have GPAs of 4.51+. I expect they are the only school were a 4.2 is not near the top 20-30% of the class.


At Poolesville it’s 60% at 4.51+. So no BCC is not the only school where you need to likely be 4.7 or higher to be in the top 20%.


The massive grade inflation and grading policies in MCPS makes it harder for top students to distinguish themselves. Grade inflation results in a lot of average students having the same GPA as very strong students. This is good for average students and hurts strong students.

Unpopular opinion- if you really want your strong student to go to UMD you should consider a private without grade inflation and a strict grading policy. Your student will have a better chance of separating themselves from the pack there. Yes, you’ll have to pay for tuition in high school but you’ll probably save money overall if your child gets in state tuition at UMD (compared to oos public or private college tuition).


We aren’t seeing grade inflation. Maybe you are as the rules are different at each school but with UMD they can only take so many students per school so you are better off at the higher end of a bad school than a so called good school. Where you go to college is far more important than hs.


The previous posters said that 60% of students at Poolesville and 40% of the students at BCC have over a 4.51 GPA. Those figure definitely point to grade inflatation. (And Bethesda magazine had a long article about 1 year ago that outlined all of the ways that MCPS policies led to grade inflation.)
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 12:50     Subject: Re:UMD Admissions from MCPS

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Anonymous wrote:Isn't the reason why UMD rejects students from Moco is because they think moco kids would go somewhere else instead of UMD? Yield rate?


I don't think so. My observation from my county (not MoCo) is UMD attempts to scoop up valedictorians and top ten percent.

In a certain year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who chose UMD. At least one is in honors but I am mot sure that all are.

I’ve also seen evidence they will accept those outside of top ten if student has significant accomplishments, such as national champion.



What about this who are not vals or don't have national championship related to their resume?

Those kids are getting in too. That person is uninformed. Admits are the “top” 20 to 30% of the class from MCPS.


Nope. And if so that is still a high gpa. We know a few kids not admitted to UMD this year. These are kids with 4.2+ gaps, AP/IB classes, good SATs, and no they were not all applying to CS.


According to B-CC’s school profile 40% of graduating seniors have GPAs of 4.51+. I expect they are the only school were a 4.2 is not near the top 20-30% of the class.


At Poolesville it’s 60% at 4.51+. So no BCC is not the only school where you need to likely be 4.7 or higher to be in the top 20%.


The massive grade inflation and grading policies in MCPS makes it harder for top students to distinguish themselves. Grade inflation results in a lot of average students having the same GPA as very strong students. This is good for average students and hurts strong students.

Unpopular opinion- if you really want your strong student to go to UMD you should consider a private without grade inflation and a strict grading policy. Your student will have a better chance of separating themselves from the pack there. Yes, you’ll have to pay for tuition in high school but you’ll probably save money overall if your child gets in state tuition at UMD (compared to oos public or private college tuition).


We aren’t seeing grade inflation. Maybe you are as the rules are different at each school but with UMD they can only take so many students per school so you are better off at the higher end of a bad school than a so called good school. Where you go to college is far more important than hs.