The best community colleges provide an effective springboard into higher education, offering students high-quality two-year degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. The top-rated community colleges in Maine offer a broad selection of associate’s degrees, affordable tuition rates, and strong partnerships with public four-year schools so that students can easily transfer their credits into accredited bachelor’s degree programs.
At $9,970, Maine is right on target with the national average, making the state an affordable choice for those looking to receive an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree. The 16 public colleges and universities range in tuition from $4,000 to $14,000. The 10 private schools tend to cost more, ranging from $27,000 to $55,000, though the class sizes are often much smaller. The largest private university is the University of New England, with just under 6,000 students, and a tuition of $38,000.
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The University of Maine (UMaine), with just under 10,000 students, is the largest public school, with a tuition rate of $11,000. Based in Orono, the public research university offers degrees in fields like literature, earth sciences, and physics. Stephen King and Bernard Lown are among the influential alumni who attended this school. The cost for higher education in Maine varies, but the state offers loan forgiveness programs for many professions, including dentists, lawyers, educators, health professionals, and veterinarians. The Alfond Leaders program forgives up to $60,000 for residents working in eligible science, technology, engineering, and mathematics occupations.
The northernmost state in New England, Maine is known for its fishing, quaint coastal towns, and of course, lobster. Maine is also home to over 60 lighthouses. Students looking to earn their degree while living in a state that has both ocean beaches and lush forests can choose from 26 private and public higher education institutions.
Come see why Maine is an excellent option for earning your higher education degree and starting a career.
We’ve identified 8 community colleges in Maine. The following list shows the best community colleges and primarily associate degree granting colleges in Maine.
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
42%
Student body
<1K
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
22%
Student body
4K
Southern Maine Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
25%
Student body
2K
Central Maine Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
39%
Student body
1K
Kennebec Valley Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
24%
Student body
1K
Eastern Maine Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
32%
Student body
<1K
York County Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$38K
Graduation
63%
Student body
<1K
Beal University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
48%
Student body
<1K
Washington County Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utiulized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
