Liberal arts colleges are a great option for students seeking a well-rounded education in an intimate campus setting. The best liberal arts colleges in Maine offer a diverse selection of degree programs with opportunities for a highly individualized educational experience.
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.
Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges
The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why, at the undergraduate level, we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call “Concentrated Influence”. Concentrated Influence takes the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers (including faculty and alums) and divides it by the school’s total number of undergraduates.
Using concentrated influence gives small and mid-sized schools an opportunity to shine by taking away the size advantage of larger universities. A small school with proportionately more influential faculty than a large school, whose influence in absolute terms may be bigger, will nonetheless score higher in a concentrated influence ranking. Our approach highlights undergraduate schools that truly rank for excellence, regardless of size.
If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence.
Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.
A liberal arts college is a school that puts a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. We’ve identified a total of 15 liberal arts colleges and universities in Maine, 10 of which satisfy our criteria. The list below of the best liberal arts schools in the state satisfies the following four conditions:
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
95%
Student body
2K
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Bowdoin College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
14%
Graduation
92%
Student body
<1K
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Bates College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$44K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
66%
Student body
<1K
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Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
10%
Graduation
90%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1450/32
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Colby College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
100%
Graduation
47%
Student body
<1K
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Unity College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
95%
Graduation
60%
Student body
2K
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University of Maine at Farmington’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
52%
Graduation
74%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1105/24
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Maine Maritime Academy’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
87%
Graduation
59%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1070/21
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Saint Joseph's College of Maine’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$28K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
50%
Student body
1K
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Thomas College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Andover College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
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