Why This Matters
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10 COMMUNITY COLLEGES AVAILABLE IN MAINE
According to College Navigator, Maine has 10 two-year institutions that award students with associate degrees.
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$3,842 AVERAGE IN-DISTRICT TUITION & FEES IN MAINE
College Board estimates that the average Maine resident paid approximately $3,842 in tuition and fees at in-district community colleges during the 2022-23 school year.
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80.6% OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID
The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 370,718 students attending two-year institutions during the 2020-21 school year received some type of financial aid.
Our Research
This list features some of the best community colleges in Maine. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality for post-secondary institutions. We included small, midsize, and large colleges as well as trade, technical, and vocational programs. Next, we compared this comprehensive list to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications like the U.S. News & World Report among others to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.
The colleges on our list are accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), a reputable organization that examines objectives, quality and overall effectiveness of education programs in the northeastern United States.
We evaluated each school on tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation as well as the student resources provided for students. Then we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.
Online College Programs That Might Interest You
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
The Top 50 Community Colleges in Maine
What You Should Know About Graduating From Community College in Maine
When selecting a community college, it’s important to consider the earning potential of your degree. In 2021, the top five highest-paying careers in Maine that require an associate degree were engineering technologists, radiation therapists, diagnostic medical sonographers, nuclear medicine technologists, and mechanical engineering technologists.
New graduates approaching the job market may want to consider careers that have a large number of job openings. The five careers with the most job openings for associate degree holders in Maine are preschool teachers, paralegals, calibration technologists, radiologic technicians, and mechanical drafters.
In addition to reviewing careers with high earning potential and job openings, you should be aware of occupations with a negative outlook. Jobs expected to have the greatest decline for associate degree holders in Maine include desktop publishers, broadcast technicians, and human resources analysts.
What’s Next?
When researching community colleges in Maine, it’s important to consider the cost of higher education. Below is a list of federal and state resources that showcase financial aid opportunities available for associate degree students in Maine.
- Maine Department of Education. The Maine Department of Education website describes who is eligible for in-state tuition prices. It also provides information on financial aid and loan programs managed by the state.
- Federal Student Aid. Every year, the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid offers over $120 billion to students enrolled in U.S. institutions. Financial aid opportunities include scholarships, grants, and loans. To see if you qualify, visit the FAFSA4caster. You can also apply by completing the online FAFSA form.
- CareerOneStop. Sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CareerOneStop is a leading source for information about scholarships. The site lets users filter information by degree level and state. It also includes details about award amounts, qualification requirements, and deadlines.