9 Top Maine Colleges and Universities

Water lovers take note—you'll be hard-pressed to find a Maine college that isn't located near a lake, river, or the Atlantic. Several of the top picks for the state have ocean-front campuses. Maine is particularly strong when it comes to liberal arts colleges, but you will also find a couple comprehensive universities and public institutions on the list.

The selected schools range in size from a few hundred students to over 10,000, and the admissions standards vary greatly. Bowdoin College is one of the most selective colleges in the country while the University of Maine at Farmington admits the great majority of applicants. Selection criteria include retention rates, four- and six-year graduation rates, value, student engagement, and notable curricular strengths. The schools are listed alphabetically rather than forcing them into any kind of artificial ranking (indeed, trying to rank a school like the College of the Atlantic with the University of Maine would be an exercise in ridiculousness).

For a quick visual of how these main colleges compare on the admissions front, be sure to look at the table of SAT scores for Maine colleges and the corresponding article on ACT Scores for Maine Colleges.

Bates College

Location: Lewiston, Maine
Enrollment: 1,780 (all undergraduate)
Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
Distinctions: one of the top liberal arts colleges; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; test-optional admissions; 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio
For the acceptance rate costs and other admissions information, visit the Bates College profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Bates admissions

Bowdoin College

Location: Brunswick, Maine
Enrollment: 1,806 (all undergraduate)
Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
Distinctions: 9 to 1 student / faculty ratio; one of the strongest colleges with test-optional admissions; a top liberal arts colleges; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; loan-free financial aid; 118-acre research center on Orr's Island
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Bowdoin College profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Bowdoin admissions

Colby College

Location: Waterville, Maine
Enrollment: 1,879 (all undergraduate)
Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; one of the country's top liberal arts colleges; attractive 714-acre campus; strong environmental initiatives
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Colby College profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Colby admissions

College of the Atlantic

Bar Harbor, Maine. Garden State Hiker / Flickr

Location: Bar Harbor, Maine
Enrollment: 344 (337 undergraduate)
Type of Institution: environmental liberal arts college
Distinctions: one of the country's best colleges for sustainability (campus is carbon-neutral); 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 12; beautiful ocean-front location; test-optional admissions
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the College of the Atlantic profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for COA admissions

The Best New England Colleges and Universities

By Allen Grove

Maine Maritime Academy

Location: Castine, Maine
Enrollment: 1,045 (1,014 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public institution
Distinctions: curricular focus on engineering, management, science and transportation; ocean-front location; fleet of 60 vessels including the 500-foot State of Maine; strong engineering and co-op programs
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Maine Maritime Academy profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for MMA admissions

Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Sebago Lake in Maine. Lizard10979 / Flickr

Location: Standish, Maine
Enrollment: 2,102 (1,504 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private Catholic liberal arts college
Distinctions: attractive location on Sebago Lake; 12 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 17; strong study abroad and internship programs; good online options for graduate programs; nearly all students receive grant aid
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Saint Joseph's College of Maine profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for SJC admissions

University of Maine at Farmington

Location: Farmington, Maine
Enrollment: 2,000 (1,782 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public liberal arts college
Distinctions: Maine's designated public liberal arts college; 14 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 19; "Farmington in Four" program guarantees students a bachelor's degree in four years; excellent value
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Maine at Farmington profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UMF admissions

University of Maine at Orono

Location: Orono, Maine
Enrollment: 11,219 (9,323 undergraduate)
Type of Institution: public university
Distinctions: flagship campus of the University of Maine system; 16 to 1 student / faculty ratio; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; 88 bachelor's degree programs; attractive campus on the Stillwater River; member of the NCAA Division I America East Conference
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Maine at Orono profile

University of New England

Location: Biddeford, Maine
Enrollment: 8,263 (4,247 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private university
Distinctions: 540-acre campus with 4,000 feet of ocean-front property; 13 to 1 student / faculty ratio; a second 41-acre campus in Portland; strong programs in biological and health-related fields; good grant aid
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of New England profile
GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UNE admissions

Calculate Your Chances

Se e if you have the grades and test scores you need to get into one of these top Maine schools with this free tool from Cappex: Calculate Your Chances of Getting In

25 Top New England Colleges and Universities

Brown University. Photo Credit: Allen Grove

If you're interested in colleges in Maine, you may also like some of the colleges in neighboring states. Be sure to check out these 25 top New England colleges and universities.

Top National Colleges and Universities

Cornell University Sage Hall. Photo Credit: Allen Grove

Broaden your search further by checking out these top national colleges and universities: