Public · Community college

York County Community College

Wells, Maine · Small suburb

#3 for grad earnings in Maine#3 best value in Maine

17%
Transfer rate: $5,875
Avg net price: 34%
Grad / completion: $44,873
Median earnings

York County Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Wells, Maine (small suburb setting), enrolling 1,133 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,133 undergradsSmall suburbUSCAACold wintersSnowyNear the coast

About Wells, Maine

Wells is a town in York County, Maine, United States. Edmund Littlefield, an immigrant from the wool regions of Titchfield, England, built the first gristmill and later a woolen mill on the Webhannet River, becoming known as "The Father of Wells," where a monument commemorates his contribution. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Small suburb
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 30 miles to Portland, ME
To the ocean: 1 mile
Nearest airport: 20 miles to Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (PSM)

How York County Community College compares

Graduation rate34%

Higher than 18% · #11 of 14 in Maine

First-year retention57%

Higher than 18%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,873

Higher than 83% · #3 of 12 in Maine

Average net price$5,875

Cheaper than 87% · #3 cheapest of 14 in Maine

Median debt at graduation$8,861

Lower than 67%

Student–faculty ratio21 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment1,133

Larger than 74%

Percentiles compare York County 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

Women78169%
Men35231%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White82%
Black3.8%
Hispanic4.0%
Asian2.1%
Other or multiracial7.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,133
Student–faculty ratio: 21 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 25%
First-generation students: 48%
Students over 25: 24%
Median family income: $27,729
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $66,429
Endowment: $1,369,224

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 375 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Maine96%
Other U.S. states4.5%

Most first-years stay in state — York County 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: $12,309
Books & supplies: $1,400
Total cost of attendance: $15,075
Average net price: $5,875

Outcomes

Graduated: 34%
First-year retention: 57%
Transferred to another college: 17%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $40,535
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $44,873
Median debt at graduation: $8,861
Students with federal loans: 6%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 43%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

34%

Low-income (Pell)

24%

First-generation

25%

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: 37
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 3%
Application fee: Free
Athletics: USCAA
Varsity athletes: 59 (48 men · 11 women)

Varsity sports (4)

Baseball19

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)18

Soccer16

Golf6

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

$3,948

$30–48k

$6,217

$48–75k

$8,506

$75–110k

$9,732

$110k+

$3,091

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.

32%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,175

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 32% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,175. 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 284 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): $44,873
Typical debt at graduation: $8,861
Debt vs. one year's pay: 20%
Out-earn a HS grad: 38%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.0 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

$39,127

Men

$49,596

Men out-earn women by $10,469 (27%) 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: 79°F
Winter low: 14°F
Annual rain: 51.6″
Annual snow: 70.1″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cape Neddick, ME US station (6.2 mi from campus).

What York County Community College graduates study — and earn

Human Services, GeneralAssoc.

17 grads$30k 1 yr$34k 5 yr$11k debt

17$29,599$34,451$10,773 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

15 grads— 1 yr$37k 5 yr— debt

15—$37,397—Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

15 grads$41k 1 yr— 5 yr$10k debt

15$40,980—$10,050 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

14 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

14———Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

12 grads$37k 1 yr— 5 yr$17k debt

12$36,829—$17,449 Graphic CommunicationsAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr$33k 5 yr— debt

12—$32,847—Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Education, GeneralAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———Human Services, GeneralCert.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/TechniciansCert.

9 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

9———Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

9 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

9———Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementAssoc.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———

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 York County Community College

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

Northern Maine Community College

Public

Presque Isle, Maine · Remote town · 236 mi to Portland

Students: 638
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 11%
Earnings: $43k

Eastern Maine Community College

Public

Bangor, Maine · Small city · 110 mi to Portland

Students: 1,840
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $42k

Central Maine Community College

Public

Auburn, Maine · Small city · 33 mi to Portland

Students: 2,952
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 17%
Earnings: $42k

Community College of Beaver County

Public

Monaca, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 22 mi to Pittsburgh

Students: 1,247
Tuition: $8k
Transfer: 28%
Earnings: $45k

Kennebec Valley Community College

Public

Fairfield, Maine · Remote town · 72 mi to Portland

Students: 1,597
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $36k

Columbia-Greene Community College

Public

Hudson, New York · Fringe rural · 30 mi to Albany

Students: 876
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $44k

Colleges near York County Community College

The Landing School

Arundel, ME · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 32 students

7 mi

University of New England

Biddeford, ME · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,135 students

15 mi

Empire Beauty School-Somersworth

Somersworth, NH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 184 students

16 mi

Paul Mitchell the School-Portsmouth

Portsmouth, NH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 73 students

18 mi

Great Bay Community College

Portsmouth, NH · Public · Associate · 1,259 students

19 mi

University of New Hampshire-Main Campus

Durham, NH · Public · Bachelor's · 11,261 students

21 mi

Northeast Technical Institute

Scarborough, ME · Private for-profit · Certificate · 74 students

25 mi

Spa Tech Institute-Westbrook

Westbrook, ME · Private for-profit · Certificate · 263 students

29 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.