Public · Community college

Kennebec Valley Community College

Fairfield, Maine · Remote town

#1 best value in Maine

13%
Transfer rate: $3,910
Avg net price: 39%
Grad / completion: $36,035
Median earnings

Kennebec Valley Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Fairfield, Maine (remote town setting), enrolling 1,597 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,597 undergradsRemote townUSCAACold wintersSnowy

About Fairfield, Maine

Fairfield is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. In 1692 during King William's War, the village was burned, so the Canibas tribe abandoned the area. The French and Indian Wars finally ended in 1763, leaving the region open for English colonization. Fairfield Plantation, named for its fair aspect, was first settled in 1774. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Remote town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 72 miles to Portland, ME
To the ocean: 33 miles
Nearest airport: 21 miles to Augusta State (AUG)

How Kennebec Valley Community College compares

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 24% · #9 of 14 in Maine

First-year retention64%

Higher than 32%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,035

Higher than 52% · #8 of 12 in Maine

Average net price$3,910

Cheaper than 94% · #1 cheapest of 14 in Maine

Median debt at graduation$13,255

Lower than 20%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 49%

Undergraduate enrollment1,597

Larger than 79%

Percentiles compare Kennebec Valley Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Maine.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women1,01063%
Men58737%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White88%
Black1.7%
Hispanic3.4%
Asian0.5%
Other or multiracial6.1%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,597
Student–faculty ratio: 16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 31%
First-generation students: 50%
Students over 25: 29%
Median family income: $27,180
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $63,702
Endowment: $4,449,803

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 491 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Maine100%

Most first-years stay in state — Kennebec Valley Community College draws overwhelmingly from Maine.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: $4,156
Out-of-state tuition: $7,036
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,400
Total cost of attendance: $12,149
Average net price: $3,910

Outcomes

Graduated: 39%
First-year retention: 64%
Transferred to another college: 13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $44,404
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $36,035
Median debt at graduation: $13,255
Students with federal loans: 13%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 42%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

39%

Low-income (Pell)

37%

First-generation

40%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free
Athletics: USCAA
Varsity athletes: 6 (5 men · 1 women)

Varsity sports (2)

Golf5

Cross Country1

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k

$3,361

$30–48k

$3,863

$48–75k

$4,146

$75–110k

$6,145

$110k+

$9,291

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

28%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,103

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 28% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,103. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 234 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $36,035
Typical debt at graduation: $13,255
Debt vs. one year's pay: 37%
Out-earn a HS grad: 47%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$30,195

Men

$41,791

Men out-earn women by $11,596 (38%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high: 80°F
Winter low: 9°F
Annual rain: 43.4″
Annual snow: 86.1″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Waterville Trtmt Plt, ME US station (5.1 mi from campus).

What Kennebec Valley Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

41 grads$32k 1 yr$35k 5 yr$15k debt

41$32,448$34,749$15,000 Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCert.

39 grads$70k 1 yr$89k 5 yr$6k debt

39$70,166$88,632$5,812 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralCert.

35 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

35———Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssoc.

31 grads$35k 1 yr$37k 5 yr$22k debt

31$35,260$36,964$21,787 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

29 grads$69k 1 yr$71k 5 yr$26k debt

29$69,117$70,949$25,922 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

26 grads$25k 1 yr— 5 yr$10k debt

26$25,484—$9,920 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCert.

24 grads— 1 yr$63k 5 yr— debt

24—$63,060—Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

24 grads$53k 1 yr$60k 5 yr$21k debt

24$53,243$59,708$20,977 Precision Metal WorkingCert.

23 grads$39k 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

23$38,884——Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersAssoc.

18 grads$46k 1 yr$59k 5 yr$12k debt

18$46,119$59,498$12,250 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsAssoc.

14 grads$39k 1 yr$41k 5 yr$19k debt

14$39,351$40,512$19,345 MarketingAssoc.

13 grads— 1 yr$42k 5 yr$14k debt

13—$41,882$14,470

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Kennebec Valley Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Kennebec Valley Community College side by side →

Rappahannock Community College

Public

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Students: 1,367
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 6%
Earnings: $36k

Washington County Community College

Public

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Students: 443
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $34k

Coastal Bend College

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Students: 1,958
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $35k

BridgeValley Community & Technical College

Public

South Charleston, West Virginia · Midsize suburb · 4 mi to Charleston

Students: 1,854
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $36k

York County Community College

Public

Wells, Maine · Small suburb · 30 mi to Portland

Students: 1,133
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 17%
Earnings: $45k

Nash Community College

Public

Rocky Mount, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 44 mi to Raleigh

Students: 1,689
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 28%
Earnings: $35k

Colleges near Kennebec Valley Community College

Colby College

Waterville, ME · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,407 students

3 mi

Thomas College

Waterville, ME · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 647 students

5 mi

University of Maine at Augusta

Augusta, ME · Public · Bachelor's · 2,659 students

20 mi

Capilo School of Hair Design

Augusta, ME · Private for-profit · Certificate · 156 students

21 mi

University of Maine at Farmington

Farmington, ME · Public · Bachelor's · 1,140 students

27 mi

Maine Media College

Rockport, ME · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 3 students

38 mi

Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME · Public · Bachelor's · 942 students

42 mi

Beal University

Bangor, ME · Private for-profit · Associate · 484 students

43 mi

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.