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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

14 Colleges
$11,435 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$77,921 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Maine. In total, 1,262 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Maine.

Today's healthcare students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 14 schools in Maine to see which ones offered the best value programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine

Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

$3,865 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Eastern Maine Community College the best value school in Maine for nursing students. Eastern Maine Community College is a small public school located in the city of Bangor.

Eastern Maine Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,865 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Eastern Maine Community College carry an average student debtload of $27,052.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Eastern Maine Community College is ranked #5 for overall quality for nursing in Maine.

Full Nursing at Eastern Maine Community College Report

$3,830 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 14 schools in Maine that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Maine Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northern Maine Community College are $3,830 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Northern Maine Community College take out is $18,240.

Full Nursing at Northern Maine Community College Report

#3

Southern Maine Community College

South Portland, ME
$3,874 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southern Maine Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine list. SMCC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of South Portland.

SMCC undergraduate students pay an average of $3,874 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at SMCC accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

Read More…

$3,864 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Central Maine Community College is a great value for nursing students. Located in the rural area of Auburn, Central Maine Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Maine Technical College are $3,864 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Central Maine Technical College take out is $22,251.

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$8,495 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Maine at Presque Isle. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine list. UMPI is a small public school located in the rural area of Presque Isle.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMPI are $8,495 per year.

UMPI also took the #1 spot in our Best Nursing Schools in Maine rankings.

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$8,505 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Maine at Fort Kent landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the remote area of Fort Kent, UMFK is a public college with a small student population.

UMFK undergraduate students pay an average of $8,505 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at UMFK accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Maine at Fort Kent

$14,911 Average Tuition & Fees

Maine College of Health Professions ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine list. Located in the small city of Lewiston, MCHP is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MCHP are $14,911 a year. Nursing majors at MCHP take out an average of $28,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at Maine College of Health Professions Report

$8,378 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Maine at Augusta came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine ranking. Located in the distant town of Augusta, UMA is a public school with a small student population.

UMA undergraduate students pay an average of $8,378 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at UMA take out an average of $36,747 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Maine at Augusta

$9,904 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Southern Maine came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine ranking. University of Southern Maine is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Portland.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Southern Maine are $9,904 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at University of Southern Maine take out is $29,743.

Full Nursing at University of Southern Maine Report

#10

University of Maine

Orono, ME
$11,986 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Maine came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine ranking. UMaine is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Orono.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UMaine are $11,986 a year. On average, nursing graduates from UMaine take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $140, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Best Value Nursing Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Best Value Nursing Colleges in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Massachusetts 6,626
Connecticut 3,058
New Hampshire 2,129
Vermont 390
Rhode Island 1,091

Nursing is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 14 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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