Allegany College of Maryland was established to provide high quality, low-cost higher education for the residents of the area. Its accessibility to the county’s center of population allows students to live at home, thus saving a substantial part of out-of-pocket costs associated with a college education.

Although heavy emphasis was placed on liberal arts transfer programs in the College’s early years, recently the College has developed highly specialized curricula, including those in the technological and pre-professional areas, as career programs to satisfy identified needs of the region. Ever aware of its responsibility to an industrial area pocketed in Appalachian Western Maryland, Allegany College of Maryland has accepted a mission to make tangible contributions through higher education to the economic and cultural growth of the area.