University of Southern Maine
Portland, ME · Public · Small city · USM
Public institution in Portland, ME · 4,245 undergraduates · 79% acceptance rate · $49,958 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 22%Average net price
- Top 23%Cost of attendance
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $11,729436th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $10,920676th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $27,1041,134th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $21,381459th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $19,060556th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $49,9581,062nd highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $47,107717th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 46.3%1,293rd highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 75.6%932nd highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 79.3%878th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1130575th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 22604th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 4,245555th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 14.0:11,158th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 26.3%1,390th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 97 mi (BOS)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- EADec 1
- Rollingopen
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- Free
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 49 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $67,660 | $64,493 |
| Computer Science | bachelors | $65,477 | — |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $62,154 | $61,728 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $57,619 | $57,422 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $55,286 | $50,231 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $46,478 | $54,869 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $45,149 | $45,852 |
| EconomicsSocial Sciences | bachelors | $43,426 | $41,565 |
| MarketingBusiness | bachelors | $43,054 | $41,342 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $42,469 | $43,160 |
| CriminologySocial Sciences | bachelors | $38,906 | $41,565 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $36,668 | — |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1878source
- Athletic nickname: "Huskies"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIIsource
- School colors: Royal Blue and Goldsource
- Mascot: Champ the Huskysource
- Motto: ""The Joy and Power of Learning (Gaudium Visque Discendi)""source
- Campus size: about 142 acressource
- Formerly known as "{{collapsible list|"source
- Formerly known as "* Gorham Normal School" (1878–1945)source
- Formerly known as "* Portland University" (1921–1933)source
- Formerly known as "* Portland Junior College" (1933–1957)source
- Formerly known as "* Gorham State Teachers College" (1945–1964)source
- Formerly known as "* University of Maine at Portland" (1957–1970)source
- Formerly known as "* Gorham State College" (1964–1970)source
- Formerly known as "* University of Maine at Portland-Gorham" (1970–1978)source
- Formerly known as "}}"source
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A space-grant]]}} institutionsource
- Notable alum: Tony Shalhoubsource
- Notable alum: Lois Lowrysource
Athletics — 12 sports
NCAA Division III without football · NCAA Division III
Athletic scholarships not allowed · Athletic aid $0 (M $0 · W $0)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Field Hockey
- Golf
- Ice Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport. Athletic scholarships are not allowed by association rule; non-athletic merit or need-based aid may still be available.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to University of Southern Maine’s 4,245 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In ME
- Unity Environmental UniversityNew Gloucester, ME · 5,619 undergrads
- University of Maine at AugustaAugusta, ME · 2,759 undergrads
- Husson UniversityBangor, ME · 2,395 undergrads
- Colby CollegeWaterville, ME · 2,282 undergrads
- University of New EnglandBiddeford, ME · 2,189 undergrads
- Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, ME · 1,846 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Nightingale CollegeSalt Lake City, UT · 4,244 undergrads
- Winston-Salem State UniversityWinston-Salem, NC · 4,244 undergrads
- Tacoma Community CollegeTacoma, WA · 4,248 undergrads
- Pennsylvania College of TechnologyWilliamsport, PA · 4,254 undergrads
- Creighton UniversityOmaha, NE · 4,231 undergrads
- Columbia Basin CollegePasco, WA · 4,226 undergrads
Key links
- Official websiteusm.maine.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 161554)
- Compare colleges in MERe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in MaineEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Unity Environmental UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: University of Southern Maine vs Unity Environmental UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 12 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.