2023 Best Value Schools in Maine
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools and bootcamps with offerings that you might find attractive.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Schools in Maine ranking. This report analyzed 17 schools in Maine to see which ones offered the best value programs for students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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Top Value Schools in Maine
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Northern Maine Community College to be the best value school for students in Maine. Northern Maine Community College is a very small public school located in Presque Isle, Maine that handed out 157 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northern Maine Community College are $6,710 per year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,253 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, Northern Maine Community College graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $35,991 during the early year of their career.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Southern Maine Community College is a great place for students who want to get the most value for their educational dollar. Located in South Portland, Maine, the medium-sized public school awarded 793 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SMCC are $6,754 per year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,187 in student loans.After graduating from SMCC, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $35,919 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Maine Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Schools in Maine list. Eastern Maine Community College is a public institution located in Bangor, Maine. The school has a small population, and it awarded 427 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Eastern Maine Community College are $6,745 a year. On average, students take out $18,881 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Eastern Maine Community College graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $40,182 during the early year of their career.
Out of the 17 schools in Maine that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Maine Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Auburn, Maine is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 395 students in 2020-2021.
Central Maine Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,744 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,306 in student loans. During the early years of their career, Central Maine Technical College graduates make an average of $37,625 annually.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Maine at Augusta. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Schools in Maine list. This small public school is located in Augusta, Maine, and it awarded 572 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMA are $19,238 per year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $28,948 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Once they receive their degree, UMA graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $36,249 during the early year of their career.
University of Southern Maine ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Schools in Maine list. University of Southern Maine is a medium-sized public school located in Portland, Maine that handed out 1,926 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Southern Maine are $23,881 per year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,922 in student loans. During the early years of their career, University of Southern Maine graduates make an average of $42,906 annually.
University of Maine at Farmington ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Schools in Maine list. Located in Farmington, Maine, the small public school handed out 416 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at UMaine Farmington are $20,780 a year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,480 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, UMaine Farmington graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $32,570 during the early year of their career.
University of Maine landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value programs. UMaine is a public institution located in Orono, Maine. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,641 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at UMaine are $33,586 a year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,711 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $153 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from UMaine, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $40,242 during the early years of their career.
Unity College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Schools in Maine list. Unity is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Unity, Maine. It awarded 205 degrees in 2020-2021.
Unity undergraduate students pay an average of $12,640 in tuition and fees each year. On average, students take out $26,633 in loans while pursuing their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $447 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Unity graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $25,195 during the early year of their career.
Husson University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students. It came in at #10 on the list. Husson is located in Bangor, Maine and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 950 degrees to qualified students.
Husson undergraduate students pay an average of $19,790 in tuition and fees each year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $28,063 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $204, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Husson graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $48,847 during the early year of their career.
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Schools in Maine list. Saint Joseph’s Maine is located in Standish, Maine and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 560 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saint Joseph’s Maine are $39,986 per year. On average, students take out $23,622 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $582, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Saint Joseph’s Maine, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $58,620 during the early years of their career.
Bowdoin College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value programs. Bowdoin College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Brunswick, Maine that handed out 619 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bowdoin are $58,322 per year. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $450, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Bowdoin, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $46,246 during the early years of their career.
Bowdoin also made our Best Schools in Maine list, coming in at #1.
Bates College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students. It came in at #13 on the list. Bates is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lewiston, Maine. It awarded 564 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Bates are $59,062 a year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,824 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, Bates graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $39,698 during the early year of their career.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Bates is ranked #2 for overall quality in Maine.
University of New England came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Schools in Maine ranking. UNE is a private not-for-profit institution located in Biddeford, Maine. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,578 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNE are $39,820 per year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $26,205 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $493, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from UNE, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $61,270 during the early years of their career.
UNE not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Schools in Maine list.
Colby College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Schools in Maine ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Waterville, Maine, and it awarded 711 degrees in 2020-2021.
Colby undergraduate students pay an average of $61,220 in tuition and fees each year. During the early years of their career, Colby graduates make an average of $45,726 annually.
Colby did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Schools in Maine list.
Thomas College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Schools in Maine list. Located in Waterville, Maine, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 251 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Thomas College are $29,152 a year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,598 in student loans.After graduating from Thomas College, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $37,918 during the early years of their career.
Beal College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value programs. Beal College is a private for-profit institution located in Bangor, Maine. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 173 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Beal College are $0 a year. On average, students take out $19,603 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Beal College graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $35,440 during the early year of their career.
Beal College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Schools in Maine list.
Best Value Schools in the New England Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 17 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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