$49,958
median earnings, 10 years after starting
University of Southern Maine is a public 4-year college in Portland, Maine with 4,222 undergraduates and 2,079 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $13,596 a year (tuition and fees $11,284 in-state, $27,944 out-of-state). It admits 79% of applicants and 40% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $49,958 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $19,060 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$13,596
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$11,284
Out-of-state $27,944
Admission rate
79%
US median 78%
Completion rate
40%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$19,060
About $202 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$49,958
Rank 1,472 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $13,596
- Tuition in-state
- $11,284
- Tuition out-of-state
- $27,944
- Cost of attendance
- $23,717
- Students with a need-based grant
- 28%
- Students with federal loans
- 35%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,999
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $10,847
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $12,550
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $16,750
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $19,180
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $7,796 in 2015-16 to $11,284 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 79%
- Average SAT
- 1,116
- SAT reading, middle
- 570
- SAT math, middle
- 543
- ACT, middle
- 22
- Undergraduates
- 4,222
- Graduate students
- 2,079
- Part-time students
- 20%
- Women
- 59%
- Students per teacher
- 14
- Completion rate
- 40%
- Retention rate
- 74%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 167
- Endowment
- $51.2M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,472 of 5,094 US colleges and 10 of 32 in Maine (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | ME median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $13,596 | $17,510 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $11,284 | $12,983 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 79% | 80% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 40% | 55% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 74% | 74% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $19,060 | $19,328 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $47,107 | $40,444 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $49,958 | $43,890 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 65% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 78% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
167 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 168 | $20,017 | $71,675 | $75,465 | $88,910 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 96 | $18,625 | $48,421 | $65,230 | $68,257 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyOnlineMaster's | Master's | 85 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,184 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 84 | $85,950 | $61,048 | $83,912 | $107,773 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 69 | $19,000 | $37,585 | $57,790 | $70,786 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsMaster's | Master's | 67 | $20,500 | $47,549 | $53,547 | $59,916 |
| Social Sciences, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 59 | $17,218 | $35,418 | $45,523 | $56,812 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 56 | $15,000 | $33,621 | $45,529 | $50,706 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 51 | $17,678 | $35,920 | $53,033 | $56,359 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign LanguageMaster's | Master's | 51 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,767 |
| Special Education and TeachingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 47 | Withheld | $53,572 | $58,059 | $64,397 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | $17,577 | $43,722 | $58,164 | $57,214 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's | Master's | 39 | $42,720 | $53,891 | $56,490 | $60,111 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 38 | $58,206 | $102,817 | $118,908 | $120,193 |
| MarketingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | $18,916 | $46,198 | $57,968 | $69,303 |
| Social WorkOnlineMaster's | Master's | 34 | $31,850 | $47,939 | $62,912 | $65,123 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 30 | $41,000 | $43,673 | $52,322 | $55,035 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 29 | $22,750 | $36,876 | $42,778 | $50,680 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 27 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $71,685 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 27 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 26 | $15,594 | $28,589 | $65,836 | $63,293 |
| Public Policy AnalysisMaster's | Master's | 25 | $31,571 | $51,576 | $66,469 | $93,020 |
| Curriculum and InstructionOnlineMaster's | Master's | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Health Professions Education, Ethics, and HumanitiesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | $30,933 | $68,318 | $88,515 | $92,135 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Portland and Maine on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Maine
- Homes: Homes for sale in Maine
Questions and answers
How much does University of Southern Maine cost?
$13,596 a year is the average net price at University of Southern Maine after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $11,284 for in-state students and $27,944 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $23,717. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,999 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at University of Southern Maine?
79% of applicants are admitted to University of Southern Maine. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,116 and the middle ACT score is 22. The median admission rate of colleges in Maine is 80%.
How much do University of Southern Maine graduates earn?
$49,958 a year is the median pay of former University of Southern Maine students who work, 10 years after they started ($47,107 after 6 years). That ranks 1,472 of 5,094 US colleges and 10 of 32 in Maine. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $102,817.
How much student debt do University of Southern Maine graduates have?
$19,060 is the median federal student loan debt of University of Southern Maine graduates, about $202 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 35% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at University of Southern Maine?
40% of first-time, full-time students at University of Southern Maine finish within 6 years. 74% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at University of Southern Maine?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (168 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (96 bachelor's graduates), Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (85 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 167 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.