College Viability Inspection Report

University of Maine

Maine · Public

University of Maine is a public institution in Maine, enrolling 8,005 students as of 2024. It graduates 40% of students in four years, returns 83% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $18,061 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 5 are flagged: Retention, Graduation, Equity Gap, Enrollment, and Price vs. Outcomes. This report benchmarks University of Maine's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.

University of Maine Inspection Flags

Student Outcomes
Financial Health
Value for Your Money

Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.

Look Beyond the Brochure. Then Ask Your College.

Changing the Balance of Power from Colleges to Students and Families.

Every campus tour is a sales pitch. Colleges will show you the beautiful quad and the smiling Dean — not what doesn't flatter them. The right questions can reveal information that significantly impacts your experience.
College Viability
Data Summary

University of Maine — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for University of Maine. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.

Student Outcomes

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Four-Year Graduation Rate40.0%0.0%49th
Six-Year Graduation Rate55.0%-8.3%49th
Full-Time Retention Rate83.0%+6.4%69th
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate41.5%-14.0%37th
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap19.8pp+54.5%88th
Pell Share of Cohort31.9%-10.8%35th

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio1.07×+6.6%48th
Total FTE Enrollment8,005-7.4%86th
Endowment Value$479.3M+41.4%88th
Net Assets (End of Year)$574.1M+31.1%85th

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %24.1%-8.3%19th
Student Support Spending %8.7%+11.1%31st
Administrative Spending %9.3%+0.3%14th
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio3.54×-4.1%68th
Average Net Price$18,061+10.4%46th
Net Price: $0-30K Income$12,642+3.5%45th
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$13,280+5.6%45th
Net Price: $48-75K Income$14,631-1.7%39th
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$18,508+0.1%40th
Net Price: $110K+ Income$22,018+10.3%36th

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
University of Maine's retention rate fell below 80% in 4 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
University of Maine's 4-year graduation rate fell below 50% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
University of Maine's Pell graduation gap exceeded 10 percentage points in 5 of 5 eligible years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
University of Maine's ratio stayed at or above 1.0 in all 5 reported years — ending at 1.07× in 2024.
Financial HealthCleared
Enrollment Declined 5% or More
University of Maine's total enrollment fell from 8,643 to 8,005 students between 2020 and 2024 (-7.4%) — a decline of 5% or more.
Financial HealthTriggered
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
University of Maine's endowment is $479.3M and grew +41.4% between 2020 and 2024 — clearing both the $50 million size threshold and the 15% growth threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
High Cost, Low Completion
University of Maine costs less than the national median AND graduates students at above-median rates — neither condition for this flag is met.
Value for MoneyCleared
Spending on Students Below the National Median
University of Maine spends $3.54 on instruction and student support per $1 of admin in 2024 — at or above the national median of $2.75 in every reported year.
Value for MoneyCleared
Rising Price, Falling Outcomes
Both conditions were met: University of Maine's net price rose while the 6-year graduation rate declined between 2020 and 2024 — a prompt to ask whether tuition increases are translating into stronger student outcomes.
Value for MoneyTriggered