POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

Postsecondary education refers to education that occurs after high school. Traditionally people often think of 2- and 4-year colleges, but postsecondary education can refer to a broad range of educational opportunities, such as technical schooling, apprenticeships, Adult Education, and other learning opportunities that typically result in a degree or credential of value.

Maine has adopted a statewide attainment goal: 60% of Mainers will have degrees or credentials of value by 2025. As of 2021, that number stands at 52.6%. Below is a snapshot of postsecondary education in Maine.

We must increase access and achievement at every stage of the pipeline in order to achieve this goal, focusing special attention on demographic groups that face barriers to achieving credentials that lead to family-sustaining wages. Accordingly, we need to ensure that postsecondary pathways are truly accessible to and affordable for Maine families. In addition, we know national postsecondary enrollment rates declined during the pandemic which highlights the tremendous need to focus on these students.

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

Using the numbers below to apply to a hypothetical cohort of 100 students:

Approximately 53% of Maine people hold a degree or credential of value.

COLLEGE ENROLLMENT

The percentage of students enrolling in a 2- or 4-year institution in the fall immediately following high school graduation.

55% of Maine high school graduates enroll in postsecondary education the fall after graduation.

This rate has hovered around 60% for several years. The pandemic led to a drop in the number of students deciding to enroll.

There is a 25-point gap in the enrollment rate between economically disadvantaged students and their higher-income peers.

Fewer students across both income groups enrolled in college in the fall of 2020. The enrollment gap stayed constant.

Female students enroll in college at a rate 14 percentage points higher than their male counterparts.

Female students saw a 4-point drop in enrollment compared with the fall of 2019, while male students saw a 5-point drop.

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

Notable: Native American students saw their college enrollment rate drop from 60% in 2019 to 33% in 2020. The enrollment rate of Hispanic students dropped from 56% to 46%. Detailed trends by race/ethnicity are available in the NESSC Common Data Report.

COLLEGE PERSISTENCE

The percentage of students returning to a 2- or 4-year institution for their second year. Figures below are for students who entered college in the Fall of 2019.

63% of the enrolling class persists to the fall of their second year in college.

This is a 4-percentage-point drop from 67% from the previous year (2020).

There is a 20-point gap in the persistence rate between economically disadvantaged students and their higher-income peers.

Both groups saw declines in persistence rates from the previous year. Economically disadvantaged students saw a 3-point drop, while non-economically disadvantaged students saw a 5-point drop in persistence.

Female students persist in college at a rate 4 points higher than their male counterparts.

Both groups saw declines in persistence from the previous year. Females saw a 4-point drop while males saw a 3-point drop in persistence.

College persistence rates vary by race/ethnicity.

All groups saw persistence rate declines between 2019 and 2020. Native American students saw the biggest drop in persistence, from 61% for the class entering in the fall of 2018 to 46% for the class entering in fall of 2019. Please note that some of rates represent a small group of students.

64% of Maine college students graduate within 6 years of enrollment.

This rate has been stable over the past three years. This rate refers to graduates from 2020 and may change as we collect data from later on in the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is a 40-point gap in the completion rate between economically disadvantaged students and their higher-income peers.

This gap widened in the past year as the completion rate among economically disadvantaged students dropped by 2 points while the completion rate for non-economically disadvantaged students increased by 4 points.

Female students graduate from college at a rate 11 points higher than their male counterparts.

The rate has been stable for female students and increased by 3 points for males since the previous year, closing the gap slightly.

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

The college completion rate for Black students decreased 6 points from the year before, while it rose 8 points for Hispanic students over the same time period. These numbers are small and therefore should be interpreted with caution.

Financial aid can reduce college costs significantly. Maine students demonstrating financial need can qualify for a number of aid programs on top of institution-based aid, such as the Maine State Grant Program (up to $2,500 per academic year) and the federal Pell Grant. These grants alone can reduce the cost of college by several thousand dollars each year.

The cost of Maine colleges varies significantly by type of institution. This shows the average cost of tuition and fees before financial aid.

7% of per capita income

The cost to attend one year at the Maine Community College System is 7 percent of the per capita personal income in Maine in 2020 ($54,211) (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis).

College debt varies significantly across individuals depending on the type of institution attended, demonstrated financial need, grants and scholarships, and time to complete a degree. The 130th Maine Legislature passed a bill in 2021 to reinstate the Commission to Study College Affordability and College Completion. As part of its work, the Commission will determine the average debt load of Maine students. We will include that figure here when it becomes available.

70

There are 70 Adult Education programs operating across the state of Maine. Many are co-located with area high schools.

7,800

Over 7,800 adults participated in academic, workforce training, college preparation, and English language courses through Maine Adult Education in the 2020-2021 academic year.

938

938 High school credentials (H.S. diploma or HiSET) were awarded through Maine Adult Education in the 2020-2021 academic year.

1480

In the 2020-2021 academic year 1,480 credentials of value were earned through Maine Adult Education in high demand career fields like healthcare and technology.

53% percent of working-age Maine adults (25-64) have a postsecondary degree or credential