Cheapest Colleges in Maine
Sticker prices at the 15 four-year colleges we rank in Maine run from $8,888 to $69,600 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $60,712 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 7 public colleges here charge a median of $11,284 a year, $1,344 (14%) above the national public median of $9,940. The 8 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $44,315, above the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
University of Maine at Augusta ranks first at $8,888, ahead of University of Maine at Presque Isle ($9,402) and University of Maine at Fort Kent ($9,420).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Maine
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Maine has 15
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 15 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | University of Maine at Augusta Augusta, ME Public · 4-year | $8,888 | $22,178 | $10,924 | 25% | 2,659 |
| 2 | University of Maine at Presque Isle Presque Isle, ME Public · 4-year | $9,402 | $14,862 | $7,035 | 45% | 1,913 |
| 3 | University of Maine at Fort Kent Fort Kent, ME Public · 4-year | $9,420 | $14,880 | $7,482 | 40% | 599 |
| 4 | University of Southern Maine Portland, ME Public · 4-year | $11,284 | $27,944 | $13,596 | 43% | 4,222 |
| 5 | University of Maine at Farmington Farmington, ME Public · 4-year | $11,308 | $23,878 | $16,857 | 52% | 1,140 |
| 6 | Unity Environmental University New Gloucester, ME Private nonprofit · 4-year | $12,640 | — | $19,104 | 44% | 6,483 |
| 7 | University of Maine Orono, ME Public · 4-year | $13,326 | $36,756 | $17,510 | 56% | 8,496 |
| 8 | Maine Maritime Academy Castine, ME Public · 4-year | $15,158 | $31,102 | $23,414 | 60% | 942 |
| 9 | Husson University Bangor, ME Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,304 | — | $21,005 | 58% | 2,618 |
| 10 | Thomas College Waterville, ME Private nonprofit · 4-year | $31,824 | — | $18,885 | 53% | 647 |
| 11 | University of New England Biddeford, ME Private nonprofit · 4-year | $44,210 | — | $38,107 | 65% | 2,135 |
| 12 | Saint Joseph's College of Maine Standish, ME Private nonprofit · 4-year | $44,420 | — | $27,555 | 67% | 964 |
| 13 | Bates College Lewiston, ME Private nonprofit · 4-year | $66,590 | — | $29,351 | 90% | 1,760 |
| 14 | Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME Private nonprofit · 4-year | $67,832 | — | $14,398 | 95% | 1,873 |
| 15 | Colby College Waterville, ME Private nonprofit · 4-year | $69,600 | — | $17,180 | 89% | 2,407 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Maine, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Maine
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All 25 colleges in Maine See the national version of this ranking