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2024 Best Colleges in Maine

19 Colleges
$44,801 Avg Salary*
49% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

There are lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Top Maine Colleges ranking is part of that endeavor.

Our analysis looked at 19 schools in Maine to determine which ones were the best in terms of overall quality. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on over 20 objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as student-to-faculty ratio, average graduate earnings, and graduation rate.

See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.

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We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.

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Top Colleges in Maine

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

1
Bowdoin crest
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine

Our analysis found Bowdoin College to be the best school for overall quality in Maine in this year’s ranking. Bowdoin is located in Brunswick, Maine and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 619 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $66,864 during the early years of their career..

Read More…

2
Colby crest
Colby College
Waterville, Maine

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Colby College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Maine. Colby College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Waterville, Maine that handed out 711 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 86%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Colby go into careers with an average salary of $71,127 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Colby College

3
Bates crest
Bates College
Lewiston, Maine

A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in Maine list means Bates College is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.Lewiston, Maine is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 564 students in 2020-2021.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from Bates make an average of $64,706 a year.

Read full report on Bates College

4

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Maine Maritime Academy helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Maine. Maine Maritime Academy is a small public school located in Castine, Maine that handed out 203 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Maine Maritime make an average of $72,837 a year.

Full Maine Maritime Academy Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of New England. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Colleges in Maine list. Located in Biddeford, Maine, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,578 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

The low student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UNE make an average of $47,415 per year during the early years of their career.

Full University of New England Report

6

Saint Joseph’s College of Maine ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges in Maine list. Located in Standish, Maine, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 560 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

With a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. During the early years of their career, graduates from Saint Joseph’s Maine make an average of $49,797 a year.

Read More…

7

University of Southern Maine did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Maine ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Portland, Maine, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,926 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from University of Southern Maine make an average of $49,223 a year.

Read More…

8
Unity crest
Unity College
New Gloucester, Maine

Unity College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Maine ranking, coming in at #8.New Gloucester, Maine is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 205 students in 2020-2021.

Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Unity make an average of $39,076 per year during the early years of their career.

Full Unity College Report

9

University of Maine at Farmington came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Maine ranking. Located in Farmington, Maine, the small public school awarded 416 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UMaine Farmington make an average of $35,051 per year during the early years of their career.

Read full report on University of Maine at Farmington

10
Husson crest
Husson University
Bangor, Maine

Husson University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges in Maine list. Located in Bangor, Maine, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 950 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low student loan default rate of 4.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $43,582 during the early years of their career..

Read full report on Husson University

11

With a ranking of #11, York County Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in Maine list. York County Community College is a public institution located in Wells, Maine. The school has a small population, and it awarded 241 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from York County Community College make an average of $31,846 per year during the early years of their career.

Full York County Community College Report

12

Southern Maine Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges in Maine list. This medium-sized public school is located in South Portland, Maine, and it awarded 793 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $35,067 during the early years of their career..

Read More…

13

University of Maine at Fort Kent came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Maine ranking. This small public school is located in Fort Kent, Maine, and it awarded 244 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

During the early years of their career, graduates from UMFK make an average of $32,709 a year.

Read full report on University of Maine at Fort Kent

14
Thomas College crest
Thomas College
Waterville, Maine

Thomas College landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Maine ranking. Located in Waterville, Maine, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 251 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Thomas College is $39,760 during the early years of their career.

Read More…

15

Central Maine Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Maine ranking. Located in Auburn, Maine, the small public school awarded 395 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Central Maine Technical College is $33,774 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Central Maine Community College

16

University of Maine at Augusta came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Maine ranking. Located in Augusta, Maine, the small public school awarded 572 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UMA is $34,202 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on University of Maine at Augusta

17

With a ranking of #17, Eastern Maine Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in Maine list. Located in Bangor, Maine, the small public school handed out 427 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Maine Community College go into careers with an average salary of $34,261 during the early years of their career.

Read More…

18
Beal College crest
Beal College
Bangor, Maine

Beal College landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Maine ranking.Bangor, Maine is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 173 students in 2020-2021.

During the early years of their career, graduates from Beal College make an average of $25,542 a year.

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19

University of Maine landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Maine ranking. UMaine is a fairly large public school situated in Orono, Maine. It awarded 2,641 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UMaine is $44,376 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on University of Maine

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 19 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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