# List of colleges and universities in Maine

The U.S. state of Maine has twenty-nine 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 institutions in Augusta, Portland/Gorham/Lewiston, Farmington, Fort Kent, Machias, and Presque Isle. Maine's public education system also includes the Maine Community College System, comprising seven schools, and the Maine Maritime Academy.
The state's three oldest institutions of higher education are Bowdoin College (founded in 1794), Colby College (1813), and Bates College (1855). 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 in the state is the public University of Maine, with 12,231 students. The smallest, with 43 students, is Maine Media College. The University of Maine is home to the state's only NCAA Division I athletic program, the Maine Black Bears. Maine also hosts numerous private baccalaureate colleges such as Husson University, Unity Environmental University, 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

| School | Location(s) | Control | Type | Enrollment (Fall 2024) | Founded | Athletic Conference |
| University of Maine | Orono | Public | Research university | 10,878 | 1865 | AmEast (NCAA D-I) |
| Unity Environmental University | New Gloucester and Unity | Private | Masters university | 9,154 | 1965 | N/A |
| Southern Maine Community College | South Portland and Brunswick | Public | Associates college | 7,900 | 1946 | YSCC (USCAA D-II) |
| University of New England | Biddeford and Portland | Private | Research university | 6,573 | 1939 | CNE (NCAA D-III) |
| University of Southern Maine | Gorham and Portland | Public | Masters university | 6,257 | 1878 | LEC (NCAA D-III) |
| Central Maine Community College | Auburn | Public | Associates college | 4,754 | 1963 | YSCC (USCAA D-II) |
| Husson University | Bangor | Private | Doctoral university | 3,133 | 1898 | CNE (NCAA D-III) |
| University of Maine at Augusta | Augusta | Public | Baccalaureate college | 3,034 | 1965 | YSCC (USCAA D-II) |
| Eastern Maine Community College | Bangor | Public | Associates college | 2,719 | 1966 | N/A |
| Kennebec Valley Community College | Fairfield | Public | Associates college | 2,489 | 1969 | Independent (USCAA D-II) |
| Colby College | Waterville | Private | Baccalaureate college | 2,299 | 1813 | NESCAC (NCAA D-III) |
| York County Community College | Wells | Public | Associates college | 1,875 | 1994 | YSCC (USCAA D-II) |
| Bowdoin College | Brunswick | Private | Baccalaureate college | 1,850 | 1794 | NESCAC (NCAA D-III) |
| Bates College | Lewiston | Private | Baccalaureate college | 1,753 | 1855 | NESCAC (NCAA D-III) |
| Thomas College | Waterville | Private | Masters university | 1,737 | 1894 | NAC (NCAA D-III) |
| University of Maine at Farmington | Farmington | Public | Baccalaureate college | 1,524 | 1863 | NAC (NCAA D-III) |
| University of Maine at Presque Isle | Presque Isle | Public | Baccalaureate college | 1,509 | 1903 | NAC (NCAA D-III) |
| Saint Joseph's College of Maine | Standish | Private | Masters university | 1,478 | 1912 | GNAC (NCAA D-III) |
| Maine Maritime Academy | Castine | Public | Baccalaureate college | 897 | 1941 | CNE (NCAA D-III) |
| Northern Maine Community College | Presque Isle | Public | Associates college | 808 | 1961 | N/A |
| Washington County Community College | Calais | Public | Associates college | 805 | 1969 | Independent (USCAA D-II) |
| University of Maine at Fort Kent | Fort Kent | Public | Baccalaureate college | 770 | 1878 | Independent (USCAA D-II) |
| Maine College of Art & Design | Portland | Private | Special-focus institution | 436 | 1882 | N/A |
| Beal University | Bangor | Private (for-profit) | Associates college | 400 | 1891 | N/A |
| College of the Atlantic | Bar Harbor | Private | Baccalaureate college | 380 | 1969 | N/A |
| University of Maine at Machias | Machias | Public | Baccalaureate college | 293 | 1909 | N/A |
| Maine College of Health Professions | Lewiston | Private | Special-focus institution | 237 | 1891 | N/A |
| Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts | Portland | Private | Masters college | 92 | 2007 | N/A |
| New England Bible College and Seminary | Bangor | Private | Seminary | 55 | 1959 | N/A |
| The Landing School | Arundel | Private | Special-focus institution | 46 | 1978 | N/A |
| Maine Media College | Rockport | Private | Special-focus institution | 43 | 1973 | N/A |

## Defunct institutions

| School | Location(s) | Founded | Closed | Cite |
| Bangor Theological Seminary | Bangor | 1814 | 2013 | |
| Bliss College | Lewiston | 1897 | 1972 | |
| Casco Bay College | Portland | 1863 | 1999 | |
| Eastern State Normal School | Castine | 1867 | 1942 | |
| Gorham State College | Gorham | 1878 | 1970 | |
| Immaculate Heart of Mary Institute | Saco | | | |
| John F. Kennedy College | Fort Kent | 1965 | 1975 | |
| LaMennais College | Alfred | 1951 | 1959 | |
| Mid-State College | Augusta | 1867 | 2003 | |
| Nasson College | Springvale | 1912 | 1983 | |
| Northern Conservatory of Music | Bangor | 1929 | 1972 | |
| Oblate College & Seminary | Bar Harbor | 1941 | 1969 | |
| Ricker College | Houlton | 1848 | 1978 | |
| Salt Institute for Documentary Studies | Portland | 1973 | 2016 | Acquired by the Maine College of Art |
| Westbrook College | Portland | 1831 | 1996 | |

## Out-of-state institutions

* Northeastern University in Massachusetts offers graduate degrees in technology at the Roux Institute in Portland.
* Tufts University School of Medicine in Massachusetts offers a medical degree program at the Maine Medical Center in Portland.

## Unaccredited institutions

One school is recognized by the state as a degree-granting institution, but has not been accredited by a recognized accrediting body:
* Heartwood College of Art — Biddeford