List of colleges and universities in Maine


The U.S. state of Maine has twenty-eight 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 branch campuses in Augusta, Portland/Gorham/Lewiston, Farmington, Fort Kent, Machias, and Presque Isle.
The state's three oldest institutions of higher education are Bowdoin College, Colby College, and Bates College. 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.
The largest institution is the University of Maine, with 12,488 students, and the smallest is the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, with a total of 79 students. 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 College of the Atlantic, the Maine Maritime Academy, 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

SchoolLocationControlTypeEnrollment Founded
Bates CollegeLewistonPrivateBaccalaureate college1,9031855
Beal CollegeBangorPrivate
Associates college6001891
Bowdoin CollegeBrunswickPrivateBaccalaureate college1,9521794
Central Maine Community CollegeAuburnPublicAssociates college3,9781963
Colby CollegeWatervillePrivateBaccalaureate college2,0551813
College of the AtlanticBar HarborPrivateBaccalaureate college4241969
Eastern Maine Community CollegeBangorPublicAssociates college4,0511966
Husson UniversityBangor and South PortlandPrivateMasters university3,8601898
Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual ArtsPortlandPrivateBaccalaureate college792007
Kennebec Valley Community CollegeFairfieldPublicAssociates college3,2841969
Maine College of ArtPortlandPrivateSchool of art4951882
Maine Maritime AcademyCastinePublicBaccalaureate college1,0371941
Maine College of Health ProfessionsLewistonPrivateAssociates college2161891
Northern Maine Community CollegePresque IslePublicAssociates college1,2851961
Saint Joseph's College of MaineStandishPrivateMasters university4,4651912
Southern Maine Community CollegeSouth PortlandPublicAssociates college8,6481946
Thomas CollegeWatervillePrivateBaccalaureate college1,9181894
Unity CollegeUnityPrivateBaccalaureate college7661965
University of MaineOronoPublicResearch university12,4881865
University of Maine at AugustaAugustaPublicBaccalaureate college6,1931965
University of Maine at FarmingtonFarmingtonPublicBaccalaureate college2,4241863
University of Maine at Fort KentFort KentPublicBaccalaureate college2,0321878
University of Maine at MachiasMachiasPublicBaccalaureate college1,0071909
University of Maine at Presque IslePresque IslePublicBaccalaureate college1,6571903
University of New EnglandBiddeford and PortlandPrivateMasters university12,2451939
University of Southern MaineGorham, Portland and LewistonPublicMasters university9,8351878
Washington County Community CollegeCalaisPublicAssociates college5971969
York County Community CollegeWellsPublicAssociates college2,3641994

Defunct institutions

Out-of-state institutions

in South Portland offers several faith-related degrees, but is not accredited by a recognized accrediting body.