Maine has 29 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities, according to Wikipedia’s list. The largest is the University of Maine in Orono, with 12,029 students in Fall 2024. The public side is the University of Maine System, the seven-college Maine Community College System and Maine Maritime Academy. Bates, Bowdoin and Colby are the three private liberal arts colleges, in Lewiston, Brunswick and Waterville. Jump to the full list, why lists disagree on the count or closed Maine colleges.
Enrollment figures below are Wikipedia’s Fall 2024 numbers, not federal data we pulled ourselves. Some totals, such as Unity’s, likely include online students, but the source does not say. If a figure matters to a decision, check it with the school.
Every accredited college and university in Maine
Public universities (7)
- University of Maine (Orono, with locations in Portland and Machias): 12,029 students, founded 1865. The state’s land-grant university and its only research university.
- University of Southern Maine (Gorham and Portland): 7,604 students, founded 1878.
- University of Maine at Augusta (Augusta): 4,412 students, founded 1965.
- University of Maine at Presque Isle (Presque Isle): 2,873 students, founded 1903.
- University of Maine at Farmington (Farmington): 2,100 students, founded 1863.
- University of Maine at Fort Kent (Fort Kent): 1,562 students, founded 1878.
- Maine Maritime Academy (Castine): 971 students, founded 1941.
Community colleges (7)
The Maine Community College System says it has seven colleges, nine campuses and four off-campus centers, plus online programs.
- Southern Maine Community College (South Portland and Brunswick): 7,900 students, founded 1946.
- Central Maine Community College (Auburn): 4,754 students, founded 1963.
- Eastern Maine Community College (Bangor): 2,719 students, founded 1966.
- Kennebec Valley Community College (Fairfield): 2,489 students, founded 1969.
- York County Community College (Wells): 1,875 students, founded 1994.
- Northern Maine Community College (Presque Isle): 843 students, founded 1961.
- Washington County Community College (Calais): 805 students, founded 1969.
Private colleges and universities (11)
- Unity Environmental University (New Gloucester and Unity): 7,165 students, founded 1965.
- University of New England (Biddeford and Portland): 6,573 students, founded 1939. Home to the state’s one medical school.
- Husson University (Bangor): 3,367 students, founded 1898.
- Colby College (Waterville): 2,412 students, founded 1813.
- Bowdoin College (Brunswick): 1,881 students, founded 1794. The oldest school on the list.
- Bates College (Lewiston): 1,760 students, founded 1855.
- Thomas College (Waterville): 1,635 students, founded 1894.
- Saint Joseph’s College of Maine (Standish): 1,454 students, founded 1912.
- Beal University (Bangor, for-profit): 504 students, founded 1891.
- College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor): 358 students, founded 1969.
- Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts (Portland): 99 students, founded 2007.
Special-focus schools (4)
- Maine College of Art & Design (Portland): 475 students, founded 1882.
- Maine College of Health Professions (Lewiston): 239 students, founded 1891.
- Maine Media College (Rockport): 42 students, founded 1973.
- The Landing School (Arundel): 32 students, founded 1978.
Maine also has one law school, the University of Maine School of Law. For the towns that revolve around these campuses, see our college towns in Maine guide.
Why lists of Maine colleges disagree on the count
The answer ranges from 29 to 40 depending on the list, because lists count different things. Here is what we found:
- Wikipedia lists 29 accredited, degree-granting institutions. It also names two more that Maine recognizes but that are not accredited: Heartwood College of Art in Biddeford and New England Bible College and Seminary in Augusta.
- The Maine.gov higher education page has 40 entries by our count. That total includes the University of Maine System office, Cooperative Extension, the Community College System office, two state training programs (the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and SafetyWorks!), and schools such as Purdue Global and Southern New Hampshire University that Wikipedia’s list does not include. We have not confirmed why they differ.
- The Maine.gov page is dated only by a 2017 copyright line. It still lists Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, which Wikipedia says closed in 2016, and uses older names: Unity College and Beal College, now Unity Environmental University and Beal University.
- Wikipedia does not agree with itself on every number. Its intro gives the University of Maine 12,231 students and the smallest school 43, while its table says 12,029 and 42, with The Landing School at 32.
If you need one number, say “about 29 accredited colleges and universities,” and name the source.
Closed Maine colleges
Wikipedia also lists 15 closed institutions. The best known include:
- Westbrook College (Portland): 1831 to 1996.
- Ricker College (Houlton): 1848 to 1978.
- Nasson College (Springvale): 1912 to 1983.
- Mid-State College (Augusta): 1867 to 2003.
- Bangor Theological Seminary (Bangor): 1814 to 2013.
Colleges in Maine: FAQ
How many colleges are in Maine?
Wikipedia lists 29 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities. Other lists count more because they include system offices, training programs and out-of-state schools with Maine locations. See why the counts differ.
What is the largest college in Maine?
The University of Maine in Orono, with 12,029 students in Fall 2024 per Wikipedia. Southern Maine Community College, at 7,900, is the largest community college.
What is the oldest college in Maine?
Of the 29 on Wikipedia’s list, Bowdoin College in Brunswick, founded in 1794, is the oldest. Colby, founded in 1813, is the next oldest.
How many community colleges does Maine have?
Seven, according to the Maine Community College System, which also has nine campuses and four off-campus centers.
Our details come from the Wikipedia list of colleges and universities in Maine, the Maine.gov higher education page and the Maine Community College System. Enrollment is Wikipedia’s Fall 2024 figures. Counts vary by source and definition.