Public · University

University of Southern Maine

Portland, Maine · Small city

#4 best value in Maine
79.2%
Admit rate
$13,596
Avg net price
40%
Graduation rate
$49,958
Median earnings

University of Southern Maine is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Portland, Maine (small city setting), enrolling 4,222 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,222 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 79% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Southern Maine's admitted students.

Admit rate
79.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
990–1250
Avg GPA (est.)
3.22

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Southern Maine's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Southern Maine's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Portland, Maine

Portland is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine. The original Algonquin-speaking Eastern Abenaki residents called the Portland peninsula Machigonne ("great neck"). It is also called Məkíhkanək ("at the fish hook") in Penobscot. Portland has a long history of prominence in the arts, peaking the first time in the early 19th century, when the city was "a rival, and not a satellite of either Boston or New York." In that period, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow got his start as a poet and John Neal held a central position in leading American literature toward its great renaissance, having founded Maine's first literary periodical, The Yankee, in 1828. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Portland, ME
To the ocean
1 mile
Nearest airport
2 miles to Portland International Jetport (PWM) · major hub

How University of Southern Maine compares

Selectivity79.2%

More selective than 46% · #7 most selective of 15 in Maine

SAT average1116

Higher than 34%

Graduation rate40%

Higher than 23% · #14 of 17 in Maine

First-year retention74%

Higher than 42%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,958

Higher than 39% · #8 of 17 in Maine

Average net price$13,596

Cheaper than 78% · #4 cheapest of 17 in Maine

Median debt at graduation$19,060

Lower than 79%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment4,222

Larger than 75%

Percentiles compare University of Southern Maine with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Maine.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

6,301students
  • Undergraduate4,22267%
  • Graduate2,07933%

Undergraduates by gender

4,222undergrads
  • Women2,56661%
  • Men1,65639%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White75%
  • Black8.6%
  • Hispanic4.5%
  • Asian2.8%
  • Other or multiracial9.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,222
Graduate enrollment
2,079
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
33%
Students over 25
20%
Median family income
$35,814
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$93,780
Endowment
$51,167,000

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 718 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Maine66%
  • Other U.S. states32%
  • International1.8%

A regional draw: about 66% of first-years come from Maine, the rest from elsewhere.

2% came from outside the U.S. 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.

Admissions

Admission rate
79.2%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
990–1250
SAT average
1116
SAT reading
500–650
SAT math
490–600
ACT composite
24–28
Average GPA (estimated)
3.22

Cost

In-state tuition
$11,284
Out-of-state tuition
$27,944
Room & board
$12,280
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$23,717
Average net price
$13,596

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
40%
Graduated on time (4 years)
26%
First-year retention
74%
Transferred to another college
27%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$47,107
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,958
Median debt at graduation
$19,060
Students with federal loans
35%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
58%

About 15% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
26%
Low-income (Pell)
39%
First-generation
37%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,760
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
42%
Housing charge (year)
$6,130
Meal plan (year)
$5,520
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
609 (337 men · 272 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)173
Lacrosse74
Soccer72
Ice Hockey56
Basketball43
Baseball41
Wrestling41
Field Hockey27
Softball24
Tennis21
Golf19
Volleyball18

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
37
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (7,604 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

14reported offenses a year
12 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
8.7
Fondling
3.7
Arson
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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
$9,999
$30–48k
$10,847
$48–75k
$12,550
$75–110k
$16,750
$110k+
$19,180

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$57,119

$12,550/year × about 4.6 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

91%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,701
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 91% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,701. 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 729 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)
$49,958
Typical debt at graduation
$19,060
Debt vs. one year's pay
38%
Out-earn a HS grad
60%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 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
$46,055
Men
$53,591

Men out-earn women by $7,536 (16%) 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
16°F
Annual rain
48.1″
Annual snow
68.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Portland Intl Jetport, ME US station (1.6 mi from campus).

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 University of Southern Maine

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Southern Maine side by side →

Colleges near University of Southern Maine

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.