There are 39 colleges in Maine - 15 public and 24 private schools. At Maine colleges, rising college costs are evident in the Cost of Attendance (COA), which combines tuition, fees, textbooks, room and board, and personal living expenses; this figure has grown significantly in the last decade.
Maine Colleges Key COA Trends (2016-2025)
The total Cost of Attendance has increased substantially at Maine colleges:
- On-Campus: The COA has risen by 36.67%.
- Off-Campus: The COA has risen by 32.03%.
- 2024-2025 Total COA: the average total COA is $41,248 when living on campus and $37,460 when living off campus.
Maine Colleges Tuition & Fees Changes
Tuition and fees saw dramatic increases across institution types:
| Institution Type |
10-Year Increase (2016-2025) |
2025 Average Tuition & Fees |
| Public, In-State |
23.49% (from $9,272 to $11,450) |
$11,450 |
| Public, Out-of-State |
41.81% (from $17,108 to $24,261) |
$24,261 |
| Private Colleges |
12.87% (from $34,399 to $38,826) |
$38,826 |
Note on Degrees: Undergraduate tuition & fees increased by 41.81%, while graduate program tuition & fees increased by -20.09% over the same period.
Living and Other Costs
Living Costs (Room & Board, Other Expenses):
- At Maine colleges, living costs increased by 31.60% for on-campus and 17.93% for off-campus.
- The average living cost for 2024-2025 is $15,956 (on-campus) and $12,168 (off-campus).
Books & Supplies:
- Books and supplies costs have remained relatively stable (8.87%), with the average cost for 2024-2025 being $1,031.
COA (Cost of Attendance) Trends
Over the past 10 years, the COA has increased 36.67% when living on campus and 32.03% when living off campus at Maine Colleges.
In private Maine Colleges, the COA has increase by 17.57% (on-campus) and 13.93% (off-camus). The COA includes tuition, fees, books & supplies, room & board, and other personal expenses.
For the academic year 2024-2025, the total cost of attendance is $41,248 when a student lives on campus and $37,460 when living off campus at Maine Colleges. The following table and chart illustrate the changes of COA for Maine Colleges over the past 10 years.
COA (Cost of Attendance) Trends of Maine Colleges
| Year | Living On Campus | Living Off Campus |
|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools |
|---|
| 2015-16 |
$22,344 | $30,180 | $47,471 | $20,537 | $28,373 | $45,664 |
|---|
| 2016-17 |
$22,743
1.79% | $30,786
2.01% | $47,849
0.80% | $20,474
-0.31% | $28,517
0.51% | $45,580
-0.18% |
|---|
| 2017-18 |
$23,446
3.09% | $31,827
3.38% | $49,098
2.61% | $21,053
2.83% | $29,434
3.22% | $46,705
2.47% |
|---|
| 2018-19 |
$24,319
3.72% | $32,407
1.82% | $50,605
3.07% | $21,619
2.69% | $29,707
0.93% | $47,905
2.57% |
|---|
| 2019-20 |
$23,713
-2.49% | $34,108
5.25% | $52,039
2.83% | $20,980
-2.96% | $31,375
5.61% | $49,306
2.92% |
|---|
| 2020-21 |
$24,436
3.05% | $35,177
3.13% | $51,802
-0.46% | $21,533
2.64% | $32,274
2.87% | $48,899
-0.83% |
|---|
| 2021-22 |
$25,196
3.11% | $36,335
3.29% | $53,149
2.60% | $22,105
2.66% | $33,244
3.01% | $50,058
2.37% |
|---|
| 2022-23 |
$25,718
2.07% | $37,190
2.35% | $55,597
4.61% | $22,397
1.32% | $33,869
1.88% | $52,276
4.43% |
|---|
| 2023-24 |
$26,979
4.90% | $39,258
5.56% | $55,043
-1.00% | $23,183
3.51% | $35,462
4.70% | $51,247
-1.97% |
|---|
| 2024-25 |
$28,437
5.40% | $41,248
5.07% | $55,813
1.40% | $24,649
6.32% | $37,460
5.63% | $52,025
1.52% |
|---|
Tuition & Fees Changes
For the current year (2025), the average tuition & fees for Maine Colleges is $13,401 for Maine residents and $26,212 out-of-state students. In private schools, the average tuition & fees is $40,048.
For graduate programs, the 2025 average graduate tuition & fees is $12,222 for Maine residents and $17,923 out-of-state students. In private schools, the average graduate program tuition & fees is $30,887.
The tuition & fees has increased 41.81% for undergraduate programs at Maine Colleges. The following table and chart illustrate the changes of tuition & fees by tuition rates and degrees.
Tuition & Fees Changes for Maine Colleges
| Year | Undergraduate | Graduate |
|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools |
|---|
| 2015-16 |
$9,272 | $17,108 | $34,399 | $11,711 | $21,208 | $24,536 |
|---|
| 2016-17 |
$9,391
1.28% | $17,434
1.91% | $34,497
0.28% | $11,800
0.76% | $21,408
0.94% | $22,703
-7.47% |
|---|
| 2017-18 |
$9,856
4.95% | $18,237
4.61% | $35,508
2.93% | $11,857
0.48% | $21,642
1.09% | $23,938
5.44% |
|---|
| 2018-19 |
$10,334
4.85% | $18,422
1.01% | $36,620
3.13% | $13,132
10.75% | $23,082
6.65% | $24,883
3.95% |
|---|
| 2019-20 |
$9,579
-7.31% | $19,974
8.42% | $37,905
3.51% | $8,450
-35.65% | $18,866
-18.27% | $26,007
4.52% |
|---|
| 2020-21 |
$9,824
2.56% | $20,565
2.96% | $37,190
-1.89% | $8,557
1.27% | $17,125
-9.23% | $25,479
-2.03% |
|---|
| 2021-22 |
$10,184
3.66% | $21,323
3.69% | $38,137
2.55% | $9,735
13.77% | $15,699
-8.33% | $25,994
2.02% |
|---|
| 2022-23 |
$10,194
0.10% | $21,666
1.61% | $40,073
5.08% | $9,071
-6.82% | $16,674
6.21% | $24,102
-7.28% |
|---|
| 2023-24 |
$10,667
4.64% | $22,946
5.91% | $38,731
-3.35% | $9,561
5.40% | $16,404
-1.62% | $25,075
4.04% |
|---|
| 2024-25 |
$11,450
7.34% | $24,261
5.73% | $38,826
0.25% | $11,247
17.63% | $16,948
3.32% | $30,079
19.96% |
|---|
Books & Supplies Costs Changes
For the current year (2025), the average book & supplies costs is $1,031 for Maine Colleges. The following table shows the changes of book & supplies costs from year 2016 to 2025.
Books & Supplies Costs Changes for Maine Colleges
| Year | Books & Supplies |
|---|
| 2015-16 | $947 |
|---|
| 2016-17 | $969
2.32% |
|---|
| 2017-18 | $978
0.93% |
|---|
| 2018-19 | $984
0.61% |
|---|
| 2019-20 | $949
-3.56% |
|---|
| 2020-21 | $952
0.32% |
|---|
| 2021-22 | $963
1.16% |
|---|
| 2022-23 | $1,005
4.36% |
|---|
| 2023-24 | $1,023
1.79% |
|---|
| 2024-25 | $1,031
0.78% |
|---|
Living Costs Changes
For Maine Colleges, the living have increased 29.15% when a student lives on campus facilities and 21.70% when living off campus from year 2016 to 2025. The living costs includes costs for room & board, and other living expenses.
Living Costs Changes for Maine Colleges
| Year | Living On Campus | Living Off Campus |
|---|
| 2015-16 | $12,125 | $12,834 |
|---|
| 2016-17 | $12,383
2.75% | $12,789
1.56% |
|---|
| 2017-18 | $12,612
2.17% | $13,129
-0.14% |
|---|
| 2018-19 | $13,001
3.66% | $13,518
1.04% |
|---|
| 2019-20 | $13,185
0.89% | $13,459
3.98% |
|---|
| 2020-21 | $13,660
3.71% | $13,931
3.02% |
|---|
| 2021-22 | $14,049
4.43% | $14,317
3.90% |
|---|
| 2022-23 | $14,519
3.60% | $14,797
2.22% |
|---|
| 2023-24 | $15,289
4.70% | $15,507
1.91% |
|---|
| 2024-25 | $15,956
5.26% | $16,115
8.36% |
|---|