by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine ranking is part of that endeavor. Due to the amount of income-based financial aid available, many 'high-priced' schools are more affordable than you think.
In This Year's Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 19 schools in Maine to determine which ones have the best value programs. Our ranking for the best value schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine ranking, we first look at its average net price of a student coming from a family that makes $0-$30k a year. The net price is defined as the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that the student receives. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Bowdoin College to be the best value (income $0-$30k) school in Maine in this year’s ranking. Located in Brunswick, Maine, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is Bowdoin College a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Maine for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $4,531.
The quality degree programs at Colby College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine. Colby is located in Waterville, Maine and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Colby College has the honor of being ranked #2 in Maine for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $3,982.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine list means Bates College is a great place for students working on their degree. Bates is located in Lewiston, Maine and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Bates College has the honor of being ranked #3 in Maine for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $4,735.
The quality degree programs at University of Southern Maine helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine. University of Southern Maine is located in Portland, Maine and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
University of Southern Maine has the honor of being ranked #8 in Maine for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $6,164.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Maine Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine list. South Portland, Maine is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Southern Maine Community College has the honor of being ranked #12 in Maine for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $7,581.
University of Maine did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine ranking, coming in at #6. Orono, Maine is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Maine a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in Maine for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $13,310.
Central Maine Community College landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine ranking. This small public school is located in Auburn, Maine.
Not only is Central Maine Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #16 in Maine for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,268.
With a ranking of #8, University of Maine at Fort Kent did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine list. University of Maine at Fort Kent is a small public school located in Fort Kent, Maine.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Maine at Fort Kent is ranked #17 for quality in the state of Maine. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $7,344.
With a ranking of #9, University of Maine at Farmington did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine list. Farmington, Maine is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
University of Maine at Farmington has the honor of being ranked #10 in Maine for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $10,993.
University of Maine at Augusta came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine ranking. This small public school is located in Augusta, Maine.
University of Maine at Augusta has the honor of being ranked #15 in Maine for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $8,400.
York County Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine list. Located in Wells, Maine, the school is a small public institution.
Not only is York County Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #14 in Maine for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $10,089.
Maine Maritime Academy did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine ranking, coming in at #12. Maine Maritime is located in Castine, Maine and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Maine Maritime Academy a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Maine for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $19,681.
Eastern Maine Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine ranking, coming in at #13. Eastern Maine Community College is a public institution located in Bangor, Maine.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Eastern Maine Community College is ranked #18 for quality in the state of Maine. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,084.
Husson University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine ranking. Located in Bangor, Maine, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Husson University is ranked #9 for quality in the state of Maine. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $14,957.
With a ranking of #15, Unity College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine list. Located in New Gloucester, Maine, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Unity College has the honor of being ranked #11 in Maine for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $15,511.
Thomas College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine ranking, coming in at #16. Thomas College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Waterville, Maine.
Not only is Thomas College a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in Maine for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $18,631.
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine ranking. Located in Standish, Maine, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine has the honor of being ranked #7 in Maine for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $26,276.
Beal College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine ranking. This small private for-profit school is located in Bangor, Maine.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Beal College is ranked #19 for quality in the state of Maine. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $16,448.
With a ranking of #19, University of New England did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Maine list. UNE is located in Biddeford, Maine and has a medium-sized student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of New England is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Maine. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $35,240.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 19 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.