This guide covers the real cost of attending Maine College of Art & Design, including attendance costs, projected four- and two-year degree costs, average net price, debt outcomes, and how aid is distributed across income levels.
Want a specific number? Skip ahead to any section using the links below:
The full cost of attending Maine College of Art & Design is about $57,027.00 a year.
The three scenarios below move from the full sticker price, to the net price after average aid, to the net price low-income students typically pay.
| Tuition and fees | $42,942.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $14,085.00 |
| Total cost | $57,027.00 |
| That is 74% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $57,027.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$21,790.00 |
| Net price | $35,237.00 |
| That is 7% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $57,027.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$28,539.00 |
| Net price | $28,488.00 |
| That is 13% below the national average net price. | |
| For the full breakdown, see tuition and fees and room and board. |
Costs have trended upward in recent years by roughly 3.5% annually, so the projections below total more than one year of attendance. The projections below run a full degree for a low-income aided student, an average-aid student, and the full sticker price. Loan math assumes ten-year repayment at 6.8% interest.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Freshman year | $29,496.00 | $36,484.00 | $59,044.00 |
| Senior year | $32,738.00 | $40,494.00 | $65,535.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $124,393.00 | $153,862.00 | $249,008.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $47,389.00 | $58,616.00 | $94,863.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $1,432.00 | $1,771.00 | $2,866.00 |
| Total amount paid | $171,782.00 | $212,478.00 | $343,872.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Freshman year | $29,496.00 | $36,484.00 | $59,044.00 |
| Senior year | $30,539.00 | $37,774.00 | $61,133.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $60,035.00 | $74,258.00 | $120,178.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $22,871.00 | $28,290.00 | $45,783.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $691.00 | $855.00 | $1,383.00 |
| Total amount paid | $82,906.00 | $102,547.00 | $165,961.00 |
Jump to the net-price detail in the net price section below.
The net price is the real out-of-pocket cost — what families pay after grant and scholarship aid is applied. For most students, this is the more useful number than published tuition because it reflects the real out-of-pocket cost.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $38,338.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $36,443.00 |
What families actually pay shifts with income, since need-based grants are larger for lower-income students. Below, average net price is broken out by family income:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $29,849.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $31,197.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $34,323.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $37,820.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $38,490.00 |
Get a tailored estimate from the Maine College of Art & Design Net Price Calculator, or check with the financial aid office.
Dig into how aid is awarded on the financial aid breakdown.
Typical debt at graduation from Maine College of Art & Design works out to $19,000.00, which the Department of Education classifies as a Low ($10-20k) burden tier.
Here’s how debt at graduation distributes across borrowers:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $3,750.00 |
| 25th | $5,500.00 |
| Median (50th) | $19,000.00 |
| 75th | $27,000.00 |
| 90th | $31,000.00 |
The gap between 10th and 90th percentile borrowers gives a sense of how uneven debt outcomes are.
Dig deeper into debt on the student loan debt detail.
Family income tracks closely with debt at graduation. The table below divides borrowers into three income tiers:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $22,824.00 |
| Middle income | $17,002.00 |
| High income | $19,500.00 |
On average, low-income graduates leave with $3,324.00 more than graduates from high-income families.
First-generation college students often carry different debt loads than their continuing-generation peers.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,000.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,750.00 |
Pell Grants are the federal government’s primary need-based undergraduate aid program. The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap reveals how borrowing differs by need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at Maine College of Art & Design stands at $7,074.00. This school carries a federal Pell-debt-inequity flag.
The federal default-rate tier for Maine College of Art & Design is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 2.8% |
To give some context for these rates, Stafford loans disbursed at Maine College of Art & Design total $46,470,734.00 distributed across 2,463 student borrowers.
Veterans and active-duty servicemembers can tap dedicated federal aid programs like the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD tuition assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 13 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $28,633.00 |
Dig into veteran education benefits on the veterans benefits detail.
The figures above are a starting point — as you weigh Maine College of Art & Design, keep these questions in mind:
Use the pages below to go deeper on a specific part of the cost story:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.