Bowdoin College's Massachusetts Hall

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 private University of New England, with 13,439 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

List of colleges and universities in Maine is located in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
List of colleges and universities in Maine
Universities and colleges in Maine blue=public; green=private
School Location(s) Control Type[a] Enrollment (2019)[b] 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 [c][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 [d]

Out-of-state institutions

Unaccredited institutions

A few schools are recognized by the state as degree-granting institutions, but not have been accredited by a recognized accrediting body:[36]

See also

References

General
Specific
  1. ^ "About UMaine". Umaine.edu. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  2. ^ "National Liberal Arts College Rankings | Top Liberal Arts Colleges | US News Best Colleges". colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2016-08-12.
  3. ^ "College Guide Rankings 2015 – Liberal Arts Colleges". Washington Monthly. Retrieved 2016-08-12.
  4. ^ "America's Top Colleges". Retrieved 2016-08-12.
  5. ^ Beal University. "Course Catalog". p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  6. ^ Central Maine Community College. "About CM". Archived from the original on 2008-05-08. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  7. ^ "About". Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  8. ^ Eastern Maine Community College. "Our History". Archived from the original on 2007-07-02. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  9. ^ Wunsch, Oliver (September 1, 2010). "Do artists need PhDs?". Art21. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  10. ^ Kennebec Valley Community College. "Fall 2006 Profile". Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  11. ^ The Landing School. "History". Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  12. ^ "History of the College". Maine College of Health Professions. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  13. ^ Northern Maine Community College. "About NMCC". Archived from the original on 2007-10-23. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  14. ^ Southern Maine Community College. "History of SMCC". Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  15. ^ Washington County Community College. "Student Handbook" (PDF). p. 6. Retrieved September 29, 2007.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ York County Community College. "History". Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  17. ^ "About". The BTS Center. Retrieved 2016-08-12.
  18. ^ "Bliss College on Lisbon Street, Lewiston". Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  19. ^ Vegh, Steven G. (August 10, 1999). "Andover buys Casco Bay College". Portland Press Herald. ProQuest 276912665.  – via ProQuest (subscription required)
  20. ^ "Casco Bay College advertisement". Burlington Free Press. July 7, 1986 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Beveridge, Pam (2012-01-18). "Heirlooms Reunited: Eastern State Normal School at Castine, Maine - 1881 Catalog/Names". Heirlooms Reunited. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  22. ^ "Campus Descriptions - Gorham | Special Collections | University of Southern Maine". usm.maine.edu. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  23. ^ "Saco school is among affiliates of Catholic U". Biddeford-Saco Journal. May 5, 1962 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Daigle, Laurel J. (2009-01-01). Fort Kent. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738563831.
  25. ^ Robert Crichton (1959-01-01). The Great Impostor. RandomHouse.
  26. ^ Chmelecki, Lisa (August 27, 2003). "Questions left at Mid-State". Sun Journal. Lewiston, Maine. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  27. ^ www.dawnsweb.net. "Nasson College Alumni Association: History". www.nasson.org. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  28. ^ Burnham, Emily (September 26, 2008). "Rite of fall: Bangor Symphony Orchestra kicks off new season Sunday". Bangor Daily News.  – via ProQuest (subscription required)
  29. ^ "Several new assignments made by Oblates of Mary". The Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  30. ^ "America's Lost Colleges". America's Lost Colleges. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  31. ^ "Maine College of Art Announces Acquisition of Salt Institute of Documentary Studies". Maine College of Art. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  32. ^ Grunewald, Will (2021-03-30). "Can the Roux Institute Turn Portland Into a Tech Hub?". Down East Magazine. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  33. ^ "Andover College becomes Kaplan University" (Press release). Kaplan University. May 26, 2010. Retrieved 2018-02-21 – via BusinessWire.
  34. ^ Collins, Kate Irish (December 6, 2017). "Kaplan University closes South Portland campus". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  35. ^ Sherlock, Steve (March 7, 2018). "Purdue gets final OK to purchase Kaplan; Purdue Global to launch in April". Sun Journal. Lewiston, Maine. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  36. ^ "Maine Degree Granting". Maine Department of Education. Retrieved July 14, 2021.

Notes

  1. ^ School types are based on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
  2. ^ Enrollment is the 12-month unduplicated headcount as reported by IPEDS for 2018-19.
  3. ^ Casco Bay College was purchased by Andover College in 1999.
  4. ^ The Westbrook College campus is now known by the University of New England as the UNE Portland Campus.

External links

Universities and colleges in Maine
Lists of American universities and colleges
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