POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

Postsecondary education plays a pivotal role in preparing individuals for a wide range of careers and professional pathways. Postsecondary education encompasses educational opportunities that follow high school such as 2- and 4-year colleges, technical schooling, apprenticeships, Adult Education, and other learning opportunities that typically result in a degree or credential of value.

Maine’s statewide attainment goal is that 60% of Mainers will hold a degree or credential of value by 2025. The current rate is 55%. Postsecondary credentials of value include college degrees, skilled trade credentials, and professional certificates and certifications. This target reflects the importance of cultivating a skilled and educated workforce capable of driving economic growth, fostering individual success, and strengthening communities across the state.

Note: While indicators related to college enrollment, persistence, and completion provide valuable data, they do not capture the full range of postsecondary options and workforce readiness.

About a third of Maine high school graduates ultimately make it to college graduation within 6 years of graduating high school.

Of a typical high school graduating class…

These figures have been fairly consistent over time. Maine loses students before high school graduation, and then a large percentage of those who do graduate high school don’t go on to enroll in college right away. Further, of those who do enroll, many drop out before graduation. For detailed breakdowns of these rates by student subgroup, see below.

Approximately 55% of Maine people hold a degree or credential of value.

Maine Credential Attainment Rate

Note: This number is representative of the educational attainment Mainers between the ages of 25 and 64 years old. There is a more detailed analysis of this specific indicator at the end of the post-secondary section.. For more information about Maine’s State Attainment goal, visit: www.mainespark.me

57% of Maine high school graduates enroll in postsecondary education.

The college enrollment rate for Maine students hovered around 60% for several years before the pandemic led to a drop in the number of students who decided to enroll. Maine’s 2023 enrollment rate was 57%, an increase from the previous few years. To see how Maine compares with other New England states, visit the Common Data Project Annual Report 2024.

Maine College Enrollment Rate

Higher income students persist in college at much a much higher rate than their economically disadvantaged peers.

The enrollment gap between economically disadvantaged students and their higher-income peers is 20 points. This gap is slightly smaller than in previous years, and both groups have seen their enrollment rates increase after a dip in the pandemic.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2024 report, 2023 data)

Female students enroll in college at a rate 12 percentage points higher than their male peers.

Both groups saw a slight increase in enrollment rates compared to the previous year. The gender gap in college enrollment in Maine is persistently greater than 10 points, with males enrolling in college less frequently than their female counterparts.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2024 report, 2023 data)

Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) students enroll in college at the highest rates, while Native American students enroll at the lowest rates.

Students from all racial groups saw in an increase in their enrollment rates for the classes entering college between fall 2022 and fall 2023.

Note: large changes year-to-year in these data may be affected by small overall population size.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2024 report, 2023 data)

Multilingual learners are closing the enrollment gap with their peers.

The enrollment gap by language learner status narrowed from 16 points in fall 2021 to 7 points in fall 2022. The college enrollment rate for multilingual learners has fluctuated widely over the past decade.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2024 report, 2023 data)

Note: In this report, the term “multilingual learners” is used instead of “English learners” to more accurately reflect the linguistic diversity of students who have a primary or home language other than English and are in the process of acquiring English language skills. High-quality programs designed for multilingual learners recognize and leverage these assets by providing individualized support and ensuring equitable academic opportunities. For more information about Multilingual Learners in Maine, click here.

Students without disabilities enroll in college at a much higher rate than their peers with disabilities.

The enrollment gap by student disability status is steady at 35 points. Maine is below the NESSC enrollment average (38%) of students with disabilities enrolled in college, and has the second-lowest rate, ahead of Vermont (13%).

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2024 report, 2023 data)

Maine must work toward making postsecondary education and workforce opportunities fully inclusive for students with disabilities so that everyone can take advantage of the educational and economic mobility offered by higher education.

67% of the enrolling class persists to the fall of their second year in college.

The college persistence rate has rebounded from a low of 63% for the class entering college in Fall 2019, just before the pandemic.

College Persistence Rate

Higher income students persist in college at much higher rates than their economically disadvantaged peers.

The persistence gap by economic status is 22 points. The persistence rate for higher income students increased by two percentage points compared with the entering class of 2019 (most recent data point), while the rate for economically disadvantaged students (50%) stayed the same.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2023 report, 2021 data)

Female students persist in college slightly more than their male peers.

Both groups saw increases in persistence compared with the entering class of Fall 2019. Females saw a 3-point increase while males saw a 4-point increase in persistence.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2023 report, 2021 data)

College persistence rates vary by race/ethnicity.

All groups saw persistence rate increases for classes entering college between 2019 and 2021, except for Native American students, constant at 46%. Asian students saw the biggest increase in persistence – a 9-point increase over two years – followed by by Hispanic students with a 7-point increase and Black students with a 6-point increase. Please note that some of rates represent a small group of students and therefore year-over-year changes can vary widely.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2023 report, 2021 data)

Half of multilingual learners persist to their second year of college, compared with two-thirds of their peers.

The persistence gap by language learner status grew from 2 points for the class entering fall 2019 to 17 points for the class entering fall 2021.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2023 report, 2021 data)

Students without disabilities persist in college at a higher rate than students with disabilities.

The persistence gap by student disability status grew to 26 points, compared with 16 points two years prior. Students without disabilities increased their persistence to the second year (65% to 69%) while students with disabilities persisted at a lower rate over the same time (49% to 43%).

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2023 report, 2021 data)

58% of Maine college students graduate within 6 years of enrollment.

While Maine’s college completion rate had remained stable (around 64%) over several years, Maine, like many of the NESSC states, saw a decrease in college completion when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted long-term gains in educational attainment. The college completion rate decreased by 3 points for the class entering in fall 2017 compared to the year before.

Maine College Graduation Rate

Higher income students complete college at a higher rate than their economically disadvantaged peers.

The graduation gap increased to 28 points – economically disadvantaged students graduated at a rate 3 points lower compared to the previous year. Both groups’ completion rates remain below what they were prior to the pandemic.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2024 report, 2023 data)

Female students graduate from college at a rate 12 points higher than their male peers.

The rate is relatively constant over time. Female students saw a 4-point drop in the graduation rate compared to the year before.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2024 report, 2023 data)

College completion rates vary based on students’ race/ethnicity.

The college completion rate for Black students increased 8 points from the year before, while it decreased 14 percentage points for Hispanic students over the same time period. Since the overall population size is relatively small, percentages are more sensitive to jumps year over year and should be interpreted with caution (i.e. one jump or dip does not make a trend). See the NESSC Common Data Project to visualize the graduation rate for each subgroup over time.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2024 report, 2023 data)

Multilingual learners complete college at a lower rate than their peers.

The college completion gap by language learner status is 9 points.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2024 report, 2023 data)

Students without disabilities complete college at a higher rate than students with disabilities.

The college completion gap by student disability status is 26 points.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2024 report, 2023 data)

60

There are over 60 Adult Education programs operating across the state of Maine. Many are co-located with area high schools.

12,400

Over 12,400 adults participated in Adult Basic Education, High School Completion, College Preparation, and/or Workforce Training in the 2024-2025 academic year.

1,113

1,113 high school diplomas were awarded through Maine Adult Education in the 2024-2025 academic year.

3,073

In the 2024-25 academic year, 3,073 credentials of value were earned through Maine Adult Education in high-demand career fields – an increase of 15% from last year.

Adult Education is a critical resource for students seeking ongoing education and training and is available statewide to anyone seeking to advance their knowledge and skills in an affordable, accessible way. Adult Education helps to close the high school graduation gap for students needing an alternate pathway to a high school diploma and their Integrated Education and Training (IET) programming has shown great promise. The median wage for IET completers is 70% higher than the general adult education population.  In FY25, 88% of the participants in Adult Education’s workforce training programming earned a certification, license or credential of value.

Adult Education Participants by Age

57% of working-age Maine adults (25-64) have a postsecondary degree or credential

Note: This number is representative of the educational attainment Mainers between the ages of 25 and 64 years old.

Post-high school attainment (adults aged 25-64)

It is important to acknowledge that there are multiple pathways to education and economic success beyond traditional 2- and 4-year postsecondary degrees. Short-term credentials play a crucial role in post-secondary education. These credentials encompass certificates, which were included in attainment calculations in 2014, and industry-recognized certifications, which were added in 2018. In the state of Maine, the current attainment rate for short-term credentials among individuals aged 25-64 is 7.3%. This figure comprises 1.6% for certificates and 5.7% for certifications.

Cumberland County has Maine’s highest educational attainment rate, with 61.5% of residents aged 25-64 holding an Associate Degree or higher. In Somerset and Washington Counties, 32.8% of residents aged 25-64 hold an Associate Degree or higher.

Source: Lumina Foundation Stronger Nation Report