Best Colleges in Maine

The best colleges in Maine go to Colby College in first place and Bowdoin College in second. Home to some of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, Maine is an ideal state for students looking to pursue a quality education in a peaceful setting. Among the state's attractions are its delicious seafood and lobster, charming coastal towns dotted with lighthouses, and scenic routes along the coastline, such as Route 1 and Route 9.

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Studying in Maine

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Best Colleges in Maine

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15 Results

#1 in Maine | #3 in Liberal Arts

Colby College

Waterville, Maine

Economic score 1.37

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $16,507

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $80,490

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 90%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#2 in Maine | #7 in Liberal Arts

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, Maine

Economic score 1.52

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $18,533

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $82,735

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 94%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#3 in Maine
Economic score 1.66

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $21,385

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $89,964

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 75%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#4 in Maine | #38 in Liberal Arts

Bates College

Lewiston, Maine

Economic score 3.15

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $29,341

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $69,498

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 92%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#5 in Maine
Economic score 3.71

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $11,982

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $51,077

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 52%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#6 in Maine
Economic score 5.56

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $29,319

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $59,045

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 61%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#7 in Maine | #347 in National Universities
Economic score 7.02

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $17,175

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $48,653

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 56%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#8 in Maine
Economic score 7.54

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $13,698

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $44,433

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 61%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#9 in Maine | #370 in National Universities
Economic score 8.23

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $37,516

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $55,921

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 63%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#10 in Maine

Thomas College

Waterville, Maine

Economic score 10.93

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $21,279

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $44,991

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 52%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#11 in Maine | #385 in National Universities

Husson University

Bangor, Maine

Economic score 11.32

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $19,517

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $45,025

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 59%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#12 in Maine

Unity College

New Gloucester, Maine

Economic score 2,224.12

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $19,016

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $37,852

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 53%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

Economic score 4.75

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $12,137

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $49,958

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 48%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

Economic score 12.27

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $10,142

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $40,342

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 33%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

Economic score 53.87

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $34,545

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $40,778

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 37%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

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Average income based on education level

The following figures are the average salaries in Maine for each level of education.

Average Income

The average income of people in this state with a high-school diploma, certificate, associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or master’s degree, 10 years after enrollment, based on 2021-2022 CSC data.

HS Diploma $36,375
Certificate N/A
Associate $57,467
Bachelor $61,065
Master $79,806

Cost of attending college in Maine

In-state-tuition $28,106

The average in-state tuition, before financial aid, of all 4-year institutions in the state. Includes public, private, online, on-campus, non-profit, and for-profit institutions. Based on 2021-2022 CSC data.

Out-of-state-tuition $32,775

The average tuition for out-of-state students, before financial aid of all 4-year institutions in the state. Includes public, private, online, on-campus, non-profit, and for-profit institutions. Based on 2021-2022 CSC data.

Most popular degrees in Maine

In Maine the most popular degrees are Registered Nursing, Business Administration, and Education-grades & methods. To create this list, we complied and analyzed data from IPEDS and College Scorecard. 

They both provide information on how many graduates each program has annually. The list below is both undergraduate- and graduate-level programs.  

Fastest growing careers

Maine job growth 2.2%

Dental Laboratory Technicians
60%
Nurse Practitioners
37.4%
Occupational Therapy Assistants
25%
Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers
24.3%
Medical and Health Services Managers
23.4%
Physician Assistants
22.5%
Physical Therapist Assistants
21.9%
Statisticians
20%
Audiologists
20%
Financial Examiners
18.5%

Best bachelor’s degrees in Maine

These majors are most likely to pay off economically after graduation.

Best colleges for social mobility in Maine

Higher education is supposed to act as an economic elevator that lifts students from low-income households into the middle class. But not all colleges do this: unfortunately, many of the nation’s most “prestigious” schools accept very few students from low-income backgrounds. 

To determine what colleges are doing the best job at lifting students out of poverty, we have devised a Social Mobility Index (SMI).  

The best colleges for social mobility in Maine are shown below.

Explore other states

Propel your career from anywhere.

Take our quiz to find the online degree that’s best for you. Compare hundreds of schools and apply to your dream college today.