National university
#3 Most affordable colleges with strong academics in MaineUniversity of Maine
Orono, ME · Public · 4-year
Your real cost
Average price after aid About $18,000 a year
Median debt at graduation: $25,000 (all students)
Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator
Rankings
Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list
In America
In Maine
Academic Excellence
Each measure counts for the share shown.
- Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.55%
- First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.83%
- Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
- Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.15 to 1
- Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$12,786
Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.
Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))
What families pay, by income
Average paid by families who received aid, by income. Families who get no aid pay the full cost of attendance: $27,328 a year.
| Family income | Price after aid |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | |
| $30,001–$48,000 | |
| $48,001–$75,000 | |
| $75,001–$110,000 | |
| Over $110,000 |
Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.
Cost and value
Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.
| Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS) | 9,267 |
|---|---|
| Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023 | Men 52% · Women 48% |
| First-generation students College Scorecard | 23% |
| First-year students from another state IPEDS, fall 2023 | 40% |
| Total students | 11,760 |
| Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid | About $18,000 |
| Cost of attendance (per year) | $27,328 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $25,000 |
| Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time | 55% |
| Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients College Scorecard, within 6 years | 47% |
| Graduation rate for first-generation students College Scorecard, within 6 years | 44% |
| Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years | 72% |
| First-year retention | 83% |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $48,653 |
| Admission rate | 97% |
| Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24 | No application fee |
| Students receiving Pell grants | 23% |
Value: Good (how it’s computed)
Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.
Earnings by major
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).
| Major | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Computer engineering | |
| Electrical engineering | |
| Computer science | |
| Chemical Engineering | |
| Mechanical engineering technology | |
| Electrical engineering technology | |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | |
| Mechanical engineering | |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | |
| Civil engineering | |
| Nursing | |
| Finance | |
| Marketing | |
| Business administration | |
| Accounting | |
| Economics | |
| International relations | |
| Communication studies | |
| Political science | |
| Sociology | |
| Biology | |
| Food Science and Technology | |
| Secondary education | |
| Forestry | |
| Journalism | |
| History | |
| Speech-language pathology | |
| Natural resources and conservation | |
| Social work | |
| Animal Sciences | |
| English | |
| Psychology | |
| Broadcasting | |
| Marine Sciences | |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | |
| Teacher education | |
| Liberal arts | |
| Family and human development | |
| Fine arts | |
| Zoology/Animal Biology |
Also offered (no earnings published yet): Agricultural Production Operations, Allied health, Anthropology, Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services, Biochemistry, Botany/Plant Biology, Chemistry, Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Clinical and counseling psychology, Clinical laboratory science, Ecology and evolutionary biology, Education (general), Engineering (general), Engineering Physics, Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Entrepreneurship, Ethnic and gender studies, Geology and earth science, Interdisciplinary studies, Kinesiology and exercise science, Management information systems, Managerial economics, Mathematics, Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Music, Nutrition Sciences, Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies, Philosophy, Physics, Romance languages, Statistics, Surveying Engineering, Theatre.
What students study most
Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).
| Field | Share of degrees |
|---|---|
| Business | |
| Engineering | |
| Education | |
| Biology | |
| Natural resources |
Campus life
| Setting | Suburb |
|---|---|
| Part-time undergraduates | 12% |
| Undergraduates aged 25 and older | 10% |
| On-campus room and board (per year) | $13,410 |
| Sports | NCAA Division I · America East |
| ROTC | Army · Navy |
| Study abroad | Offered |
| Students per faculty member | 15 to 1 |
| Undergraduates registered with the disability office | About 10%IPEDS, 2023–24 |
| Faculty who are full-time | 70%College Scorecard, fall 2023 |
| Endowment per student | $43,357IPEDS, 2023, per student |
| Dorm space | For about 39% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus |
| Nearest airport with airline service | Bangor International Airport (BGR)About 10 miles away · about 30 minutes by car |
| Town population | 11,151Census, 2020–2024 |
| Nearest city of 250,000 people or more | BostonAbout 212 miles away · about 4 hours 55 minutes by car |
| Typical weather | 19°F in January · 70°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Orono, ME |
Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Questions families ask
- What is University of Maine’s Compass Score?
- Good (grade B). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
- How much does University of Maine cost after financial aid?
- The average net price is about $18,000 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
- How hard is it to get into University of Maine?
- University of Maine admitted 97% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
- How do University of Maine’s graduates do?
- 55% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $48,653; the median federal debt at graduation is $25,000.
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About this school’s data
- IPEDS unit ID 161253
- Carnegie classification: Doctoral university (very high research)
- Accreditation: New England Commission on Higher Education (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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