Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

University of Maine

Students comparing University of Maine on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Orono, Maine8,496 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 52Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

University of Maine: U.S. News ranks it #257 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #525 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #493 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #417 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 8,496 undergraduates, admits 96.6% of applicants, and posts a 54.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $36,756; aid recipients pay $17,510 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $48,653.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
96.6%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$17,510

65% below the $50,166 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$48,653

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
54.9%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$25,000

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedUniversity of Maine reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Maine ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#257of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#525of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#493of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#417of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)ListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Maine's position moves 83 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Maine

University of Maine is a public institution in Orono, Maine. Federal data show 83.4% first-year retention and a 15:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $17,510 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $50,166 sticker cost against $17,510 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing University of Maine on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$13,326

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$36,756

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$13,410

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $50,166 a year, but the average family pays $17,510 — a 65% difference. 23.3% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Maine's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    15:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    83.4%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    8,496

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Maine: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $36,756 and on-campus room and board is $13,410, for a published total of $50,166 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $17,510.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 96.6%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Rowan University

    Glassboro, NJPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Rowan University: U.S. News ranks it #169 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #396 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #470 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #338 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #442 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 15,841 undergraduates, admits 77.7% of applicants, and posts a 67.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $26,932; aid recipients pay $22,408 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $59,988.

    Acceptance rate
    77.7%
    Average net price
    $22,408
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $59,988
    6-yr graduation rate
    67.4%
    US News · National universities#169 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#396 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#470 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    15,841 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 47 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    College of Charleston

    Charleston, SCPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    College of Charleston: U.S. News ranks it #9 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Forbes ranks it #431 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #888 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #377 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #803 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 10,558 undergraduates, admits 60.0% of applicants, and posts a 65.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $38,296; aid recipients pay $18,960 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $56,416.

    Acceptance rate
    60.0%
    Average net price
    $18,960
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $56,416
    6-yr graduation rate
    65.8%
    US News · Regional univ. (South)#9 of 135Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#431 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#888 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    10,558 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 52 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Louisville

    Louisville, KYPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Louisville: U.S. News ranks it #158 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #309 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #521 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #396 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #178 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #1161 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 14,727 undergraduates, admits 79.4% of applicants, and posts a 61.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $29,482; aid recipients pay $17,988 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $53,899.

    Acceptance rate
    79.4%
    Average net price
    $17,988
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $53,899
    6-yr graduation rate
    61.2%
    US News · National universities#158 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#309 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#521 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    14,727 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 49 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Maine against these