The Most Selective Colleges in Maine
Every eligible Maine four-year that reports an admission rate, ranked hardest to get into first and easiest last — not a prestige Top 25. Selectivity here is the published rate, not a magazine composite.
Ranked by acceptance rate · 14 of 21 Maine institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking · Compiled 2026-09-01
- 1Colby CollegeWaterville, ME · Private6.8%Compare nearby
- 2Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, ME · Private8.0%Compare nearby
- 3Bates CollegeLewiston, ME · Private13.0%Compare nearby
- 4Maine Maritime AcademyCastine, ME · Public61.4%Compare nearby
- 5University of Southern MainePortland, ME · Public79.3%Compare nearby
- 6Saint Joseph's College of MaineStandish, ME · Private81.7%Compare nearby
- 7Unity Environmental UniversityNew Gloucester, ME · Private81.8%Compare nearby
- 8Husson UniversityBangor, ME · Private86.4%Compare nearby
- 9University of New EnglandBiddeford, ME · Private88.8%Compare nearby
- 10University of MaineOrono, ME · Public95.7%Compare nearby
- 11Thomas CollegeWaterville, ME · Private97.1%Compare nearby
- 12University of Maine at Presque IslePresque Isle, ME · Public97.1%Compare nearby
- 13University of Maine at FarmingtonFarmington, ME · Public97.6%Compare nearby
- 14University of Maine at Fort KentFort Kent, ME · Public99.1%Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Acceptance rate — sorted lowest to highest
- Source variable
ADM_RATE- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution (05-19-2025 release)
- Maine institutions in this universe (21 schools).
- Maine four-year main campuses only. Rank order is published admission rate; on an exact tie, higher SAT average ranks above, and missing SAT does not drop a school. SAT is not shown because it is not the ranked measure. Schools without a published ADM_RATE are omitted rather than estimated.
- Institutions enrolling fewer than 500 undergraduates are excluded — the same size floor as the national selectivity list — even when they report an admission rate. That cut is not a median-stability adjustment.
- 14 of 21 Maine institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking (report the measure and pass any enrollment floor); the rest are omitted rather than estimated.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
Keep exploring
- Re-rank with your weightsRe-score with your weights, pre-filtered to ME
- Showdown: Colby College vs Bowdoin CollegeHigher-or-lower on Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Live leaderboardReshuffle Top 10–50 on one Scorecard measure
- Explore games & mapsShowdown, Name That College, sports, and more lists
- Sports at Colby CollegeEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
The Most Selective Colleges in America
Lowest share of applicants admitted. Selectivity measures demand and class size, not teaching quality.
Colleges with the Highest SAT Averages
Average SAT score of enrolled students. Reported by fewer than half of institutions as test-optional admissions has spread.
Colleges That Admit Nearly Everyone
Open and near-open admission four-year institutions, ranked by the share of applicants accepted.