State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard
Cheapest Colleges in Maine
According to U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data, 31 Maine colleges ranked by average net price, what students actually paid after grant and scholarship aid, not the published sticker price.
- $3,910
- Cheapest net price
- $17,510
- Maine median
- 31
- Schools ranked
Data updated June 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage
The list in one line
Kennebec Valley Community College has the lowest average net price in Maine at $3,910/year, and the state's median net price is 2% above the $17,083 national median across 4,942 schools.
- $3,910
- cheapest ranked net price
- $17,510
- Maine median net price
- 14 public / 17 private
- schools in this ranking
- $14,503
- avg net price, <$30K income families
Average net price is the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, not counting loans that must be repaid. A very low figure at a specialty or religious institution can reflect a narrow enrollment mix rather than typical affordability, check the sector label and enrollment before comparing.
Sticker tuition and real net price diverge most at Bowdoin College, where in-state published tuition of $67,832 falls to an average net price of $14,398 after aid, a $53,434 gap. This is the widest sticker-to-net-price gap among ranked Maine schools, and a reminder that published tuition alone is a poor guide to what most admitted students actually pay.
Across all 31 ranked Maine schools, 14 are public institutions and 17 are private (nonprofit or for-profit). Sector is shown next to every school below because a low sticker-adjacent price at a small religious, seminary, or specialty school can reflect an unusual enrollment mix rather than broad affordability, check enrollment and sector before drawing conclusions from rank alone.
Average net price also blends every income bracket into one figure, so a family's own bracket can land well above or below the number shown here. Federal reporting requires an institution to have enough surveyed aid recipients in a bracket before that bracket is published, so a very small school can show only a partial income-bracket breakdown even when its overall average net price is fully reported. Use the school's own profile page for the full income-bracket table before treating a single average as a personal cost estimate.
Maine's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kennebec Valley Community College Fairfield, ME · Public | $3,910 90% of the leader · rank #1 | $3,361 | $13,255 | $44,404 | 2,381 |
| 2 | Washington County Community College Calais, ME · Public | $5,149 87% of the leader · rank #2 | $4,232 | - | - | 685 |
| 3 | York County Community College Wells, ME · Public | $5,875 85% of the leader · rank #3 | $3,948 | $8,861 | $40,535 | 1,782 |
| 4 | Central Maine Community College Auburn, ME · Public | $6,975 83% of the leader · rank #4 | $5,470 | $12,000 | $31,977 | 4,121 |
| 5 | University of Maine at Presque Isle Presque Isle, ME · Public | $7,035 82% of the leader · rank #5 | $5,934 | $16,000 | $33,793 | 2,187 |
| 6 | Northern Maine Community College Presque Isle, ME · Public | $7,181 82% of the leader · rank #6 | $6,750 | $10,825 | $34,802 | 772 |
| 7 | University of Maine at Fort Kent Fort Kent, ME · Public | $7,482 81% of the leader · rank #7 | $8,163 | $20,160 | $61,217 | 1,406 |
| 8 | Eastern Maine Community College Bangor, ME · Public | $8,928 78% of the leader · rank #8 | $7,818 | $11,293 | $40,444 | 2,531 |
| 9 | University of Maine at Augusta Augusta, ME · Public | $10,924 73% of the leader · rank #9 | $9,421 | $22,734 | $36,467 | 4,323 |
| 10 | Southern Maine Community College South Portland, ME · Public | $11,086 72% of the leader · rank #10 | $9,654 | $10,331 | $36,780 | 7,205 |
| 11 | University of Southern Maine Gorham, ME · Public | $13,596 66% of the leader · rank #11 | $9,999 | $19,060 | $47,107 | 7,528 |
| 12 | Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME · Private nonprofit | $14,398 64% of the leader · rank #12 | $3,145 | $18,500 | $61,692 | 1,850 |
| 13 | Empire Beauty School-Maine Bangor, ME · Private for-profit | $16,191 60% of the leader · rank #13 | $15,026 | $13,000 | $19,338 | 118 |
| 14 | University of Maine at Farmington Farmington, ME · Public | $16,857 58% of the leader · rank #14 | $13,301 | $24,499 | $31,513 | 1,950 |
| 15 | Colby College Waterville, ME · Private nonprofit | $17,180 57% of the leader · rank #15 | $4,049 | $19,157 | $60,052 | 2,284 |
| 16 | University of Maine Orono, ME · Public | $17,510 56% of the leader · rank #16 | $12,642 | $25,000 | $43,124 | 11,760 |
| 17 | Capilo School of Hair Design Augusta, ME · Private for-profit | $18,711 53% of the leader · rank #17 | $17,452 | $7,700 | - | 133 |
| 18 | Thomas College Waterville, ME · Private nonprofit | $18,885 53% of the leader · rank #18 | $12,655 | $24,250 | $40,495 | 1,669 |
| 19 | Unity Environmental University New Gloucester, ME · Private nonprofit | $19,104 52% of the leader · rank #19 | $18,370 | $25,000 | $31,698 | 6,359 |
| 20 | Husson University Bangor, ME · Private nonprofit | $21,005 48% of the leader · rank #20 | $16,606 | $27,000 | $41,554 | 3,133 |
| 21 | Maine Maritime Academy Castine, ME · Public | $23,414 42% of the leader · rank #21 | $9,511 | $27,000 | $93,944 | 913 |
| 22 | College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor, ME · Private nonprofit | $25,184 37% of the leader · rank #22 | $20,415 | $25,050 | - | 367 |
| 23 | Maine College of Health Professions Lewiston, ME · Private nonprofit | $26,312 34% of the leader · rank #23 | $26,054 | $15,250 | - | 228 |
| 24 | Northeast Technical Institute Scarborough, ME · Private for-profit | $26,546 34% of the leader · rank #24 | $24,569 | $8,708 | $37,873 | 274 |
| 25 | Saint Joseph's College of Maine Standish, ME · Private nonprofit | $27,555 31% of the leader · rank #25 | $20,728 | $27,000 | $52,884 | 1,463 |
See all 31 ranked Maine schools →
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Bates College Lewiston, ME · Private nonprofit | $29,351 27% of the leader · rank #26 | $2,397 | $14,275 | $59,202 | 1,753 |
| 27 | Spa Tech Institute-Westbrook Westbrook, ME · Private for-profit | $29,953 25% of the leader · rank #27 | $27,286 | $6,333 | $24,126 | 261 |
| 28 | The Landing School Arundel, ME · Private nonprofit | $35,532 11% of the leader · rank #28 | $30,023 | - | - | 43 |
| 29 | University of New England Biddeford, ME · Private nonprofit | $38,107 5% of the leader · rank #29 | $31,371 | $25,250 | $48,957 | 6,473 |
| 30 | Maine College of Art & Design Portland, ME · Private nonprofit | $38,338 4% of the leader · rank #30 | $31,589 | $27,000 | $24,333 | 474 |
| 31 | Beal University Bangor, ME · Private for-profit | $40,109 4% of the leader · rank #31 | $37,660 | $19,500 | $40,158 | 520 |
What this means for you
Use Maine's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.
- Kennebec Valley Community College reports the lowest average net price in Maine, but "average" blends every income bracket, check your bracket's figure before assuming it applies to you. View Kennebec Valley Community
- See your specific school's in-state cost rank and nearest-price peers. My School Profile
- Compare campus safety alongside cost before deciding. Maine safety
Figures reflect the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23 release.
Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. Only schools with a reported average net price in the DOE College Scorecard dataset are ranked. Schools with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting institutions in a state or territory are not given a dedicated ranking page.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23
Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every ranked figure on this page is queried directly from the DOE College Scorecard dataset at request time; no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.