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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 nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine ranking is one of many tools that Nursing 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.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for nursing majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

$3,865 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Eastern Maine Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Maine. Eastern Maine Community College is a small public school located in the city of Bangor.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Eastern Maine Community College are $3,865 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Eastern Maine Community College take out $27,052 in student loans while working on their degree.

Eastern Maine Community College also took the #4 spot in our Best Nursing Schools in Maine rankings.

Read full report on Nursing at Eastern Maine Community College

$3,830 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Northern Maine Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Maine. Located in the town of Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College is a public college with a fairly small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northern Maine Community College are $3,830 a year. Nursing majors at Northern Maine Community College take out an average of $18,240 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

#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 small city of South Portland.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SMCC are $3,874 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SMCC take out is $27,000.

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$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 school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Central Maine Technical College are $3,864 a year. Nursing majors at Central Maine Technical College take out an average of $22,251 in student loans while working on their egree.

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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 #2 spot in our Best Nursing Schools in Maine rankings.

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$8,505 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Maine at Fort Kent ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine list. Located in the rural 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. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UMFK take out is $31,000.

UMFK also made our Best Nursing Schools in Maine list, coming in at #3.

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

$14,911 Average Tuition & Fees

Maine College of Health Professions did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Lewiston, MCHP is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MCHP are $14,911 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from MCHP carry an average student debtload of $28,000.

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$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 college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UMA are $8,378 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UMA carry an average student debtload of $36,747.

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$9,904 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Southern Maine ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Maine list. University of Southern Maine is a medium-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. Nursing majors at University of Southern Maine take out an average of $29,743 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at University of Southern Maine Report

#10

University of Maine

Orono, ME
$11,986 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, University of Maine did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. UMaine is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Orono.

UMaine undergraduate students pay an average of $11,986 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at UMaine accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $140.

Full Nursing at University of Maine Report

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

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

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

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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