Maine Board of Delegates
Representative Mattie Daughtry
Maine Legislature
Robert Hasson
Commissioner, Maine Department of Education
Senator Lisa Keim
Maine Legislature
The Honorable Joan M. Nass
James Page
Chancellor, University of Maine System
Karen T. Pardue
Associate Dean, Westbrook College of Health Professions, University of New England
James C.Q. Weggler
Wanda L. Lincoln
Maine Legislative Advisory Committee Members
Senator Lisa Keim*
Member: Judiciary; Government Oversight
Representative Mattie Daughtry*
Member: Innovation Development Economic Activity and Commerce
Senator Matthew Pouliot
Member: Taxation
Representative Tori Kornfield
Chair: Education and Cultural Affairs
Senator Rebecca Millett
*NEBHE Board Member
Higher Education Fast Facts
• Read the 2017-18 Published Tuition and Fees at Colleges and Universities in Maine. In academic year 2017-18, the average combined cost of tuition and fees in Maine were $3,520 at public two-year colleges and $9,184 at public four-year colleges. These prices mark an increase of 0% and 4%, respectively, over 2016-17.
• The share of income needed to pay the average tuition and fee prices (both before and after the maximum Pell Grant award) has increased since 2011-12 in all income quintiles, except for the highest quintile (Figures 1 and 2).
• Maine is considered a “high-debt state;” it ranks 8th in the nation among states in which college students graduate with the most debt. The average debt amount for students graduating from four-year public and private institutions in Maine in 2016 was $31,295, and 55% of students graduated with loans. For comparison, the national average debt amount in 2016 was $28,699, and the proportion of students graduating with debt across the U.S. was 59%.
• In 2016-17, 11,090 first-time degree-/certificate-seeking undergraduates were enrolled in a Maine postsecondary institution, marking an increase of 1.4% since 2009-10.
• Maine’s postsecondary attainment goal is for 60% of working-age adults to hold a certificate, college degree, vocational education, or other industry-recognized credential by 2025. (Legislative Bill AP 589, No. 1638, 128th Maine Legislature) According to A Stronger Nation, a report by the Lumina Foundation, Maine’s current total attainment rate is 43.6%.
Program Participation and NEBHE’s Added Value
NEBHE’s Regional Student Program (RSP) Tuition Break provides Maine residents with access to specialized undergraduate and graduate degree programs at public campuses in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont — all at a substantial tuition discount.
• In FY 2018, 398 Maine residents participated in RSP Tuition Break and saved a total of $2,397,929 on tuition costs. The average program participant saved $6,971.
• In FY 2018, RSP provided $12,055,676 in tuition revenue and $1,875,818 in fee revenue to participating Maine postsecondary institutions.
The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is a voluntary, nationwide agreement among its member states and U.S. territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance-education courses and programs. It is intended to increases the accessibility of distance education courses to students across state lines. Institutions that choose to participate agree to operate under common standards and procedures, providing a more uniform and less costly regulatory environment for institutions, more focused oversight responsibilities for states, and better resolution of student complaints. Maine is a NEBHE state that serves as a member of SARA in this reciprocal relationship. For more information about Maine’s participation and a list of approved institutions, click here.
