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Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Maine

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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Maine

Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

6 Schools Ranked
$7,972 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$19,568 Avg Student Debt*

It's not easy to decide which nursing program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Maine ranking. Our analysis looked at 6 schools in Maine to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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.

Top Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Maine

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

43 Total Awards
$6,745 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Eastern Maine Community College the best value school in Maine for nursing students working on their associate degree. Eastern Maine Community College is a small public school located in Bangor, Maine that handed out 43 associate degrees in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Eastern Maine Community College are $6,745 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $19,325 in loans while pursuing their degree.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Eastern Maine Community College. In 2019-2020 about 34% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Eastern Maine Community College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Maine list.

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#2

Northern Maine Community College

Presque Isle, Maine
25 Total Awards
$6,710 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent associate degree programs at Northern Maine Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Maine. Northern Maine Community College is located in Presque Isle, Maine and has a very small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 associate degrees to qualified students.

Northern Maine Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,710 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,066 in student loans.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Northern Maine Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 68% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Northern Maine Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Maine list.

Full Northern Maine Community College Report

#3

Southern Maine Community College

South Portland, Maine
94 Total Awards
$6,754 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Southern Maine Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. SMCC is a medium-sized public school situated in South Portland, Maine. It awarded 94 associate degrees in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at SMCC are $6,754 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $16,222 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

SMCC does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 81% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

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

Full Southern Maine Community College Report

47 Total Awards
$6,744 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 6 schools in Maine that were part of this year’s value ranking, Central Maine Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in Auburn, Maine, the small public school handed out 47 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.

Central Maine Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,744 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $17,306 in loans while pursuing their degree.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Central Maine Technical College does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 74% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

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#5

University of Maine at Presque Isle

Presque Isle, Maine
4 Total Awards
$12,905 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 6 schools in Maine that were part of this year’s value ranking, University of Maine at Presque Isle landed the # 5 spot on the list. This small public school is located in Presque Isle, Maine, and it awarded 4 associate degrees in 2020-2021.

UMPI undergraduate students pay an average of $12,905 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $29,211 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

UMPI does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 66% took at least some of their classes online.

UMPI not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Maine list.

Full University of Maine at Presque Isle Report

#6

Beal College

Bangor, Maine
74 Total Awards
$19,603 Avg Student Debt

Beal College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Maine list. Beal College is located in Bangor, Maine and has a very small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 associate degrees to qualified students.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Beal College are $0 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $19,603 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Beal College. Every undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.

Beal College also took the #1 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Maine rankings.

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Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the New England Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 6 schools only.

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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