UMGC Recognized as Opportunity College Under Carnegie Classification
UMGC has been designated as an Opportunity College and University under the Carnegie Classification. This designation is part of a Student Access and Earnings Classification published by the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education.
This classification examines the extent to which institutions foster opportunities for student success by measuring whether they are enrolling students reflective of the communities they serve and how the earnings of those students compare to peers in their area.
Military & Veteran Awards
| Year | Award | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | No. 3 "Best for Vets Employer" in Education - Teaching - Administration | Military Times |
| 2025 | No. 3 “Best For Vets” in Primarily Online Education | Military Times |
| 2025 | Institution of the Year | Council of Colleges and Military Educators (CCME) |
| 2024 | No. 1 "Best for Vets" in Primarily Online Education | Military Times |
| 2023 | No. 1 "Best for Vets" Online/Hybrid University | Military Times |
| 2023 | No. 1 "Best for Vets" Employer (Education Category) | Military Times |
| 2022 | No. 1 “Best For Vets” in Primarily Online Education | Military Times |
| 2022 | No. 5 “Best for Vets” Colleges | Military Times |
| 2022 | No. 1 "Best for Vets Employer" in Education - Teaching - Administration | Military Times |
| 2021 | No. 1 "Best for Vets Employer" in Education - Teaching - Administration | Military Times |
Specific Academic Program Awards
| Year | Award | Source |
| 2022 | Among the premier global DBA providers | CEO Magazine |
| 2021 | Best Online Accounting Bachelor's Degree Programs for ROI | OnlineU.com |
Cybersecurity Competition Team Awards
Learn more about the Cybersecurity Competition Team and see a historical list of their awards and achievements.
| Year | Award | Source |
| 2026 | 1st Place | First Annual Maryland Capture the Flag (Overall) |
| 2026 | 1st Place | First Annual Maryland Capture the Flag (Universities) |
| 2026 | 1st Place | Zscaler CTF Beta Test |
| 2026 | 1st Place | Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (MACCDC) Hack the Box CTF |
| 2026 | 1st Place | BloomCON 0x0A CTF |
| 2026 | Elite Eight | Hack the Madness CTF |
| 2026 | 2nd Place | WWT Haystack CTF |
| 2026 | 1st Place | WWT F5 CTF Beta Test |
| 2026 | 1st Place | WWT CrowdStrike CTF |
| 2025 | No. 3 | Hack the Box Worldwide University Rankings |
| 2025 | No. 1 | Hack the Box U.S. University Rankings |
| 2025 | 3rd & 4th Place | MAGIC CTF Competition 18 |
| 2025 | Final Four (East Region) | Hack the Madness |
| 2024 | 1st & 2nd Place | MAGIC CTF Competition 17 |
| 2024 | No. 1 | Hack the Box U.S. University Rankings |
| 2024 | No. 5 | Hack the Box Worldwide University Rankings |
| 2024 | 3rd Place | Parsons CTF (June 2024) |
| 2024 | 2nd & 3rd Place | MAGIC CTF Competition 16 |
| 2024 | 2nd Place | World Wide Technology Disarm Me CTF: Hack, Decrypt, Disable |
| 2024 | No. 1 in Eastern Region | Virtual Internship and Varied Innovative Demonstrations (VIVID) CTF |
| 2024 | Advanced to Regionals | Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (MACCDC) |
Award Archives
| Year | Award | Source |
| 2020 | EC-Council Academia Circle of Excellence Award | EC-Council |
| 2019 | EC-Council Academia Circle of Excellence Award | EC-Council |
| 2019 | Leader in Online Education | The BestSchools.org |
| 2019 | Best Online Colleges in Maryland | GuideToOnlineSchools.com (now OnlineU) |
| 2019 | Top Online Bachelor's Degree Programs in the United States | GuideToOnlineSchools.com (now OnlineU) |
| 2019 | Top Online Colleges in the United States | GuideToOnlineSchools.com (now OnlineU) |
| 2018 | Academia Circle of Excellence Award | EC-Council |
| 2017 | Academia Circle of Excellence Award | EC-Council |
| 2016 | Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award | INSIGHT into Diversity |
| 2015 | Educator of the Year | World Affairs Council |
| 2015 | President's Award | Open Education Consortium |
| 2015 | Outstanding Work Award | Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education |
| 2015 | Top 10 in Degrees Awarded to African American Students | Diverse: Issues in Higher Education |
| 2015 | Award for Excellence in Advancing Student Success | UPCEA |
| Year | Award | Source |
| 2019 | No. 3 Best for Vets 2020, Online & Nontraditional Schools | Military Times |
| 2019 | Best Military Friendly Online Colleges | GuideToOnlineSchools.com (now OnlineU) |
| 2019 | No. 1 Best Yellow Ribbon Online Schools 2019 | GuideToOnlineSchools.com (now OnlineU) |
| 2018 | No. 4 Best Cybersecurity Program 2018 | Military Times |
| 2018 | No. 1 Best College 2018, Online & Nontraditional Schools | Military Times |
| 2017 | Top School | Military Advanced Education & Transition |
| 2017 | No. 5 in the United States, UMGC Cybersecurity Programs | Military Times |
| 2017 | Top Public University for Veterans in 2017 | Military Times |
| 2016 | Best of the Best: Top Veteran-Friendly Schools | U.S. Veterans Magazine |
| 2016 | No. 4 Best for Vets in Nontraditional Universities Category | Military Times |
| 2015 | No. 1 Best for Vets in Nontraditional Universities Category | Military Times |
| 2015 | Best of the Best | Top Veteran-Friendly Schools U.S. Veterans Magazine |
| Year | Award | Source |
| 2020 | No. 2 Best Online Master's in Information Technology | Guide to Online Schools (now OnlineU) |
| 2020 | No. 14 Most Affordable Online Master's in Systems Engineering for 2020 | OnlineSchoolsReport.com |
| 2020 | No. 2 Best Online Information Science Degrees for 2020, BS in Information Systems Management | OnlineSchoolsReport.com |
| 2019 | Best Online Colleges Offering Bachelor's in Human Resources | SR Education Group |
| 2019 | Best Online Colleges Offering Master's in Human Resources | SR Education Group |
| 2019 | Top Online Master's in Data Science Programs, UMGC's Master of Science in Data Analytics | OnlineMasters.com |
| 2019 | Top Online Master's in Biotechnology Programs, UMGC's Master of Science in Biotechnology | OnlineMasters.com |
| 2019 | Top Online Master's in Public Relations, UMGC's Master of Science in Management with a Specialization in Public Relations | BestCollegeReviews.org |
| 2019 | Best Cybersecurity Higher Education Program | SC Magazine |
| 2018 | 2018 Most Affordable Online Colleges for Law Degrees | OnlineU |
| 2018 | Top Online Master's in Project Management Programs, UMGC's Master of Science in Management with a Specialization in Project Management | OnlineMasters.com |
| 2018 | Top 50 Best Online Master's in Health Administration Programs, UMGC's Master of Science in Healthcare Administration Program | Online Masters |
| 2018 | Best Information Governance Service Provider 2018 | InfoGov18 |
| 2018 | Best Cybersecurity Higher Education Program | SC Magazine |
| 2017 | No. 3 Most Affordable Online Master's in Software Engineering, MS in Cloud Computing Architecture, MS in Information Technology Specialization in Software Engineering | SR Education Group |
| 2017 | No. 1 Forensic Accounting Degree Program, Bachelor of Science in Accounting | Best College Reviews |
| 2017 | No. 5 Online Risk Management Degree Program, Bachelor of Science in Finance | Best College Reviews |
| 2017 | No. 6 Online Bachelor's in Finance, Bachelor of Science in Finance | Best College Reviews |
| 2017 | No. 6 Online Bachelor's in Management Information Systems, Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management | Best College Reviews |
| 2017 | No. 9 Online Master's in Nonprofit Management, Master of Science in Management Specialization in Nonprofit Management | Best College Reviews |
| 2017 | No. 8 Top Online Master's in Education Technology in 2017, UMGC's Master of Education in Instructional Technology | GetEducated.com |
| 2017 | No. 19 Most Affordable Online Supply Chain Management Degrees, MS in Management Specialization in Acquisition and Supply Chain Management, Graduate Certificate in Acquisition and Supply Chain Management | SR Education Group |
| 2017 | 10 Best Cyber Security Colleges That Are Not Ivy League | University Herald |
| 2016 | Best Value College, Master of Science in Health Care Administration Program | College Values Online |
| 2016 | Effective Practice Award, College Essentials of Computer Programming (UCSP 635) | Online Learning Consortium |
| 2016 | UPCEA Mid-Atlantic Region Outstanding Program Award, UMGC Master of Science in Data Analytics | UPCEA, Mid-Atlantic Region |
| 2016 | UPCEA Mid-Atlantic Region Partnership Award, UMGC Master of Science in Data Analytics | UPCEA, Mid-Atlantic Region |
| 2016 | Best Online Master's in Health Informatics Degrees, 2016 | College Choice |
| 2016 | Distance Education Innovation Award Finalist, Master of Science in Data Analytics | National University Technology Network |
| 2016 | Top 50 Best Value Online Big Data Programs of 2016 | ValueColleges.com |
| 2015 | National Center of Digital Forensics Academic Excellence | U.S. Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center |
| 2015 | National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance & Cyber Defense Education | National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security |
UMGC maintains an archived list of awards for the UMGC Cybersecurity Competition Team. For other student team award archives, please see below:
| Year | Award | Source |
| 2018 | 1st Place, MS in Data Analytics Students | Watson Analytics Global Academics Network |
| 2018 | 3rd Place, MS in Data Analytics Students | Watson Analytics Global Academics Network |
| 2017 | No. 2, 2017 Watson Analytics Global Competition, University of Maryland Global Campus Data | Analytics Team Watson Analytics Global Academics Network |