Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Maine
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every Maine college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our Maine scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $5,800 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
Maine's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Maine State Grant
A grant for Maine undergraduates with financial need, up to $2,500 for 2026-27. The FAFSA is the application, and a Student Aid Index of 10,000 or less qualifies this year. It is for colleges in Maine.
Source: Finance Authority of Maine
“the Maine State Grant Program provides need-based grants to Maine undergraduate students of all ages. Your completed FAFSA is your Maine State Grant application.”
“For the 2026-27 academic year, the maximum grant amount for the Maine State Grant Program is $2,500.”
“The maximum SAI for the 2026-27 academic year is 10,000.”
“Maine residents attending a school outside of the state of Maine are not eligible for the Maine State Grant, with the following possible exception – students enrolled in NEBHE’s Tuition Break Program, the New England Regional Student Program, may qualify for a grant.”
Tuition Waiver Programs
Tuition waivers at a Maine public college for certain foster and adopted children, and for the children and spouses of Maine firefighters, police officers and emergency medical providers killed on duty.
Source: Finance Authority of Maine
“The Tuition Waiver Program (Foster Care) is available to certain foster children and adopted children/wards under subsidy from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).”
“The Tuition Waiver Program (Public Servant) is available to children or spouses of Maine firefighters, law enforcement officers, or emergency medical services providers killed in the line of duty.”
“The award is the actual amount of tuition waived at the college/university that you attend.”
New England Tuition Break
A discount on out-of-state tuition for New England residents who attend a public college in another New England state.
Source: Finance Authority of Maine
“Tuition Break enables thousands of New England residents to enroll at out-of-state New England public colleges and universities at a discounted tuition rate”
Maine's 529 tax deduction
Money you put into any state's 529 plan comes off your Maine income, up to $1,000 for each child. There is no deduction above $100,000 of federal income, or $200,000 for a couple or a head of household.
Source: Maine Legislature, 36 M.R.S. § 5122(2)(YY)
“For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, the portion of contributions to a qualified tuition program established under Section 529 of the Code up to $1,000 per designated beneficiary. This deduction may not be claimed when federal adjusted gross income exceeds $100,000 for a single individual and married persons filing separate returns or $200,000 for individuals filing married joint returns and heads of households.”
Maine also has free community college and a scholarship for future doctors. See the Finance Authority of Maine's list.
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bates College private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay | $99,278 |
| Bowdoin College private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay; Summer work contribution replaced with need-based scholarship (combined parental income under $75,000) | $100,090 |
| Colby College private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay The Colby Commitment / Fair Shot Fund — parent or guardian contribution cap, band 1 (income $75,000 or less) The Colby Commitment / Fair Shot Fund — parent or guardian contribution cap, band 2 (income $75,001–$100,000) The Colby Commitment / Fair Shot Fund — parent or guardian contribution cap, band 3 (income $100,001–$150,000) The Colby Commitment / Fair Shot Fund — parent or guardian contribution cap, band 4 (income $150,001–$200,000) Weiland Welcome Grant | $100,047 |
| University of Maine public |
| — | $30,896 |
| University of Maine at Farmington public |
| — | $26,135 |
| University of Maine at Presque Isle public | None published | — | $22,938 |
| University of New England private | None published | — | $71,386 |
| University of Southern Maine public | None published | — | $27,931 |
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
3 more Maine colleges have no page here. For 0 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- University of Maine at Augusta
- Husson University
- Unity Environmental University
Across state lines
The New England Tuition Break, run by the New England Board of Higher Education.
Coming to Maine from elsewhere in New England
Students from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont can pay no more than 175% of resident tuition at New England public colleges, in the programs each college has approved.
Some programs are open to every New England student; others depend on the student's home state.
These 6 colleges in Maine take part:
- Maine Maritime Academy
- University of Maine
- University of Maine at Augusta
- University of Maine at Farmington
- University of Maine at Machias
- University of Southern Maine
Going from Maine to another New England state
A Maine student can use it at public colleges in the other five states. The Board's search lists the approved programs and the rate at each college.
Source: New England Board of Higher Education, Tuition Break
“provides significant tuition savings to residents of the six New England states when they enroll at out-of-state public colleges and universities within New England and pursue approved programs.”
“The rate is based on a percentage (up to a maximum of 175 percent) of a college’s in-state rate.”
“The programs that are marked with a [F] are eligible for all New England residents. The programs without a [F] are state dependent for eligibility.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $5,800 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our Maine scenarios. Each scenario is a household in Maine at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest, the federal tax credit and Maine's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in Maine.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.