List of colleges and universities in Maine explained

The U.S. state of Maine has twenty-nine accredited, degree-granting institutions of higher learning. The state's land-grant university and only research university is the University of Maine in Orono. It is the flagship of the University of Maine System, which also has institutions in Augusta, Portland/Gorham/Lewiston, Farmington, Fort Kent, Machias, and Presque Isle.^[1] Maine's public education system also includes the Maine Community College System, comprising seven schools, and the Maine Maritime Academy.

The state's three oldest institutions of higher education are Bowdoin College (founded in 1794), Colby College (1813), and Bates College (1855). The three colleges collectively form the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium and are ranked among the best colleges in the United States; often placing in the top 10 percent of all liberal arts colleges.^{[2] [3] [4]}

The largest institution in the state is the public University of Maine, with 11,561 students. The smallest, with 79 students, is The Landing School, an institution focused on boat building. UMaine is home to the state's only NCAA Division I athletic program, the Maine Black Bears. The collegiate system of Maine also includes numerous baccalaureate colleges such as Husson University, Unity College, and Thomas College. There is only one medical school in the state, the University of New England's College of Osteopathic Medicine, and only one law school, the University of Maine School of Law.

Open institutions

School	Location(s)	Control	Type	data-sort-type="number"	Enrollment (2019)	Founded
Bates College	Lewiston	Private	Baccalaureate college	1,964	1855
Beal University	Bangor	Private (for-profit)	Associates college	229	1891^[5]
Bowdoin College	Brunswick	Private	Baccalaureate college	1,969	1794
Central Maine Community College	Auburn	Public	Associates college	3,746	1963^[6]
Colby College	Waterville	Private	Baccalaureate college	2,150	1813^[7]
College of the Atlantic	Bar Harbor	Private	Baccalaureate college	387	1969
Eastern Maine Community College	Bangor	Public	Associates college	3,145	1966^[8]
Husson University	Bangor	Private	Masters university	4,223	1898
Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts	Portland	Private	Special-focus institution	92	2007^[9]
Kennebec Valley Community College	Fairfield	Public	Associates college	3,341	1969^[10]
The Landing School	Arundel	Private	Special-focus institution	64	1978^[11]
Maine College of Art	Portland	Private	School of art	488	1882
Maine Maritime Academy	Castine	Public	Baccalaureate college	1,007	1941
Maine Media College	Rockport	Private	Special-focus institution	43	1973
Maine College of Health Professions	Lewiston	Private	Associates college	234	1891^[12]
New England Bible College and Seminary	Bangor	Private	Seminary	55	1959
Northern Maine Community College	Presque Isle	Public	Associates college	1,108	1961^[13]
Saint Joseph's College of Maine	Standish	Private	Masters university	3,397	1912
Southern Maine Community College	South Portland	Public	Associates college	8,847	1946^[14]
Thomas College	Waterville	Private	Baccalaureate college	1,987	1894
Unity Environmental University	New Gloucester and Unity	Private	Masters university	4,281	1965
University of Maine	Orono	Public	Research university	13,091	1865
University of Maine at Augusta	Augusta	Public	Baccalaureate college	5,515	1965
University of Maine at Farmington	Farmington	Public	Baccalaureate college	2,461	1863
University of Maine at Fort Kent	Fort Kent	Public	Baccalaureate college	2,142	1878
University of Maine at Machias	Machias	Public	Baccalaureate college	959	1909
University of Maine at Presque Isle	Presque Isle	Public	Baccalaureate college	1,916	1903
University of New England	Biddeford and Portland	Private	Masters university	13,439	1939
University of Southern Maine	Gorham, Portland and Lewiston	Public	Masters university	10,606	1878
Washington County Community College	Calais	Public	Associates college	489	1969^[15]
York County Community College	Wells	Public	Associates college	2,206	1994^[16]

Defunct institutions

School	Location(s)	Founded	Closed	Cite
Bangor Theological Seminary	Bangor	1814	2013	^[17]
Bliss College	Lewiston	1897	1972	^[18]
Casco Bay College	Portland	1863	1999	^[19] ^[20]
Eastern State Normal School	Castine	1867	1942	^[21]
Gorham State College	Gorham	1878	1970	^[22]
Immaculate Heart of Mary Institute	Saco			^[23]
John F. Kennedy College	Fort Kent	1965	1975	^[24]
LaMennais College	Alfred	1951	1959	^[25]
Mid-State College	Augusta	1867	2003	^[26]
Nasson College	Springvale	1912	1983	^[27]
Northern Conservatory of Music	Bangor	1929	1972	^[28]
Oblate College & Seminary	Bar Harbor	1941	1969	^[29]
Ricker College	Houlton	1848	1978	^[30]
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies	Portland	1973	2016	Acquired by the Maine College of Art ^[31]
Westbrook College	Portland	1831	1996

Out-of-state institutions

• Northeastern University's Roux Institute, a graduate school of technology, is located in Portland.^[32]
• Purdue University Global, formerly Kaplan University, part of the Indiana-based Purdue University system, has a campus in Augusta. It formerly had locations in South Portland and Lewiston and partly traces back to the formerly independent Andover College, which was acquired by Kaplan in 2005.^{[33] [34] [35]}
• Tufts University School of Medicine offers a "Maine Track" in their Doctor of Medicine (MD) program for students interested in community-based medicine. This program is jointly administered by Tufts University and is located by Maine Medical Center in Portland.^[36]

Unaccredited institutions

A few schools are recognized by the state as degree-granting institutions, but not have been accredited by a recognized accrediting body:^[37]

• Heartwood College of Art — Biddeford

See also

• List of college athletic programs in Maine
• Higher education in the United States
• Lists of American institutions of higher education
• Education in Maine

References

General

• Web site: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. National Center for Education Statistics. July 14, 2021.
• Book: Peterson's

. Peterson's. Peterson's. Peterson's Colleges in New England. 2004. Thomson Peterson's. 0-7689-13829.

• Web site: America's Best Colleges 2008. U.S. News & World Report. September 29, 2007.

Specific

External links

• Department of Education listing of accredited institutions in Maine

Notes and References

1. Web site: About UMaine . Umaine.edu . 2016-07-18.
2. Web site: National Liberal Arts College Rankings Top Liberal Arts Colleges US News Best Colleges . colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com . 2016-08-12 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161012042527/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges?int=a73d09 . 2016-10-12 .
3. Web site: College Guide Rankings 2015 – Liberal Arts Colleges. Washington Monthly. en-US. 2016-08-12.
4. Web site: America's Top Colleges. 2016-08-12.
5. Web site: Beal University . Course Catalog . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20080309101102/http://www.bealcollege.edu/2008catalog.pdf . March 9, 2008 . March 27, 2023 . 5.
6. Web site: Central Maine Community College. About CM. September 29, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20080508212102/http://cmcc.edu/about_cmcc/#history. 2008-05-08. dead.
7. Web site: About. en-US. 2016-08-19.
8. Web site: Eastern Maine Community College. Our History. September 29, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070702143720/http://www.emcc.edu/showcontents.aspx?id=1632. 2007-07-02. dead.
9. News: Do artists need PhDs?. Art21. Oliver. Wunsch. September 1, 2010. 2018-02-21.
10. Web site: Kennebec Valley Community College. Fall 2006 Profile. September 29, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20080513011421/http://www.kvcc.me.edu/Website/Frames/WebSiteData/ExploreKVTC/ExploreKVTC.aspx. 2008-05-13. dead.
11. Web site: The Landing School. History. July 14, 2021.
12. Web site: History of the College. Maine College of Health Professions. June 9, 2016.
13. Web site: Northern Maine Community College. About NMCC. September 29, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071023213129/http://www.nmcc.edu/about_nmcc.php. 2007-10-23. dead.
14. Web site: Southern Maine Community College. History of SMCC. September 29, 2007.
15. Web site: Washington County Community College. Student Handbook. 6. September 29, 2007.
16. Web site: York County Community College. History. September 29, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070807110152/http://www.yccc.edu/about_yccc/history.html. 2007-08-07. dead.
17. Web site: About. The BTS Center. en-us. 2016-08-12.
18. Web site: Bliss College on Lisbon Street, Lewiston. 2016-08-19.
19. News: Andover buys Casco Bay College. Portland Press Herald. Steven G.. Vegh. August 10, 1999. .
20. News: Casco Bay College advertisement. Burlington Free Press. July 7, 1986. Newspapers.com.
21. Web site: Heirlooms Reunited: Eastern State Normal School at Castine, Maine - 1881 Catalog/Names. Beveridge. Pam. 2012-01-18. Heirlooms Reunited. 2016-08-19.
22. Web site: Campus Descriptions - Gorham Special Collections University of Southern Maine. usm.maine.edu. 2016-08-19.
23. News: Saco school is among affiliates of Catholic U. Biddeford-Saco Journal. May 5, 1962. Newspapers.com.
24. Book: Daigle, Laurel J.. Fort Kent. 2009-01-01. Arcadia Publishing. 9780738563831. en.
25. Book: Robert Crichton. The Great Impostor. 1959-01-01. RandomHouse.
26. News: Questions left at Mid-State. Sun Journal. Lewiston, Maine. Lisa. Chmelecki. August 27, 2003. 2018-02-21.
27. Web site: Nasson College Alumni Association: History. www.dawnsweb.net. www.nasson.org. 2016-08-20.
28. News: Rite of fall: Bangor Symphony Orchestra kicks off new season Sunday. Bangor Daily News. Emily. Burnham. September 26, 2008.
29. Web site: Several new assignments made by Oblates of Mary. The Bangor Daily News. 2016-08-20.
30. Web site: America's Lost Colleges. America's Lost Colleges. 2016-08-20.
31. Web site: Maine College of Art Announces Acquisition of Salt Institute of Documentary Studies. Maine College of Art. 2020-05-14.
32. Web site: Grunewald . Will . 2021-03-30 . Can the Roux Institute Turn Portland Into a Tech Hub? . 2023-08-09 . Down East Magazine . en-US.
33. Andover College becomes Kaplan University. Kaplan University. May 26, 2010. BusinessWire. 2018-02-21.
34. News: Kaplan University closes South Portland campus. Portland Press Herald. Kate Irish. Collins. December 6, 2017. 2018-02-21.
35. News: Purdue gets final OK to purchase Kaplan; Purdue Global to launch in April. Sun Journal. Lewiston, Maine. Steve. Sherlock. March 7, 2018. 2019-03-04.
36. Web site: Medical Students - Maine Track Program MaineHealth . 2024-05-06 . www.mainehealth.org . en.
37. Web site: Maine Degree Granting. Maine Department of Education. July 14, 2021.