Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

University of Southern Maine

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

CompareOfficial site
Portland, Maine4,222 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 55Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

University of Southern Maine: U.S. News ranks it #139 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #598 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1133 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 4,222 undergraduates, admits 79.2% of applicants, and posts a 40.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $27,944; aid recipients pay $13,596 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $49,958.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
79.2%

About the dataset median

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

Average net price
$13,596

66% below the $40,224 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
$49,958

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
40.4%

Below the dataset median of 56%

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

Median debt at graduation
$19,060

Above 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%
990–1250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Southern 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 News2026Regional Universities (North)#139of 170Regional univ. (North)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#598of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1133of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Southern Maine's position moves 42 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 Southern Maine

University of Southern Maine is a public institution in Portland, Maine. Federal data show 73.9% first-year retention and a 14:1 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 $13,596 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 $40,224 sticker cost against $13,596 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 Southern 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
$11,284

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

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$27,944

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

Room & board
$12,280

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

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $40,224 a year, but the average family pays $13,596 — a 66% difference. 28.3% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Southern 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
    14:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    73.9%

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

    Undergraduate enrollment
    4,222

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

    Southern Maine: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $27,944 and on-campus room and board is $12,280, for a published total of $40,224 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $13,596.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 79.2%. 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.

    College of Staten Island CUNY

    Staten Island, NYPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    College of Staten Island CUNY: U.S. News ranks it #101 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Forbes ranks it #451 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #338 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1267 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 9,657 undergraduates, admits 92.3% of applicants, and posts a 33.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $15,440; aid recipients pay $5,579 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $53,501.

    Acceptance rate
    92.3%
    Average net price
    $5,579
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $53,501
    6-yr graduation rate
    33.9%
    US News · Regional univ. (North)#101 of 170Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#451 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#338 of 1,504+1 more on profile

    9,657 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 55 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    CUNY York College

    Jamaica, NYPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    CUNY York College: U.S. News ranks it #139 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #610 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1082 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 4,345 undergraduates, admits 64.1% of applicants, and posts a 32.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $15,308; aid recipients pay $4,456 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $56,945.

    Acceptance rate
    64.1%
    Average net price
    $4,456
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $56,945
    6-yr graduation rate
    32.3%
    US News · Regional univ. (North)#139 of 170Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#610 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1082 of 2,605

    4,345 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 55 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Bridgewater State University

    Bridgewater, MAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Bridgewater State University: U.S. News ranks it #95 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #703 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #361 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #1241 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 7,829 undergraduates, admits 87.8% of applicants, and posts a 53.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $17,948; aid recipients pay $16,383 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $57,466.

    Acceptance rate
    87.8%
    Average net price
    $16,383
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $57,466
    6-yr graduation rate
    53.4%
    US News · Regional univ. (North)#95 of 170Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#703 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#361 of 500+2 more on profile

    7,829 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 56 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Southern Maine against these