Maryland's only four-year public university west of Baltimore-Washington in Appalachia, founded 1898.
Frostburg State University offers 47 undergraduate degrees, 80 specialized programs, and 16 graduate degrees across three colleges: Business, Education, and Liberal Arts and Sciences. The university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, with additional specialized accreditations including AACSB for business, NCATE for education, and MPCAC for counseling psychology. Notable unique programs include Ethnobotany (one of only two in the US) and an Adventure Sports Concentration offered collaboratively with Garrett College. The university emphasizes experiential learning and maintains exchange partnerships with institutions in Ireland, China, France, Japan, Germany, and Korea.
The university occupies a rural 260-acre campus in Frostburg's Appalachian Highlands. As of Fall 2023, the undergraduate population is 59% White, 24% Black, 7% Hispanic, 5% two or more races, 2% international, and 1% Asian; 38% are low-income and 62% are from affluent backgrounds. The campus features the Center for Communications and Information Technology, Compton Science Center, and athletic facilities including Bobcat Stadium. Students engage with FSU-TV3 (24-hour educational channel), WFWM radio, and numerous fraternities, sororities, academic clubs, and student associations.
Frostburg State competes in NCAA Division II as a member of the Mountain East Conference (since 2019–20 academic year) and the East Coast Conference as an associate member in men's lacrosse. The university previously competed at Division III level in the Capital Athletic Conference. Baseball has won the most championships among FSU teams. Club and intramural sports are also available.
Founded in 1898 by Maryland State Senator John Leake, Frostburg began as a teacher-training institution. It survived closure recommendations in the 1940s and 1950s through community support and enrollment growth following World War II. The institution evolved from a two-year normal school to a comprehensive university, granting its first Bachelor of Arts degrees in 1960 and achieving university status in 1987. It opened a satellite campus in Hagerstown in 1988 (now University System of Maryland at Hagerstown) and offered its first doctoral degree in 2012.