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…

Source: Lumina Foundation Stronger Nation Report

Note: This analysis is reflective of students who complete their degrees within four years. The numbers increase if more time is added. (e.g., finishing a 4-year degree program in 6 years)

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

53% of Maine high school graduates enroll in postsecondary education.

The college enrollment rate hovered around 60% for several years. The pandemic led to a drop in the number of students who decided to enroll. Maine’s enrollment rate decreased (2%) from 55% for the high school graduating class of 2020. The downward movement in college enrollment is fairly consistent across New England.

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 23 points. The gap narrowed by two percentage points between the fall of 2020 and fall of 2021, though both groups saw declining enrollments.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2022 report, 2021 data)

Female students enroll in college at a rate 15 percentage points higher than their male peers.

While both groups saw a decline in enrollment rates over the last two years, the gender gap in college enrollment in Maine increased from 14 percentage points for the class of 2020.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2022 report, 2021 data)

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

In 2020 Native American students saw their college enrollment rate drop from 60% in 2019 to 33% in 2020. While there is still a decrease this year, it is only roughly 2 percentage points.

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

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2022 report, 2021 data)

Multilingual learners enroll in college at a lower rate than their peers.

The enrollment gap by language learner status is 16 points. Maine is above the NESSC average enrollment rate (29%) and has the second-highest rate of multilingual learners enrolled in college behind Vermont (40%).

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2022 report, 2021 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 36 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 (18%).

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2022 report, 2021 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.

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).

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 20 points. 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.

Source: NESCC Common Data Project (2021 report, 2020 data)

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

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.

Source: NESCC Common Data Project (2021 report, 2020 data)

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.

Source: NESCC Common Data Project (2021 report, 2020 data)

Multilingual learners have nearly closed the closed the persistence gap with their peers.

The persistence gap by language learner status is only 2 points.

Source: NESCC Common Data Project (2021 report, 2020 data)

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

The persistence gap by student disability status is 16 points.

Source: NESCC Common Data Project (2021 report, 2020 data)

60% of Maine college students graduate within 6 years of enrollment.

While Maine’s college completion rate had remained stable (around 64%) over the past three years, Maine, like many of the NESSC states, saw a decrease in college completion for the graduating class of 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted long-term gains in educational attainment.

Maine College Graduation Rate

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

The graduation gap narrowed from 40 points in 2020 as the completion rate among economically disadvantaged students increased by 3 percentage points, while the completion rate for non-economically disadvantaged students dropped by 12 percentage points.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2022 report, 2021 data)

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

The rate remained consistent from the previous year.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2022 report, 2021 data)

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

The college completion rate for Hispanic students decreased 22 points from the year before, while it rose 4 percentage points for Native American students over the same time period. These numbers are small and, therefore should be interpreted with caution.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2022 report, 2021 data)

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

The college completion gap by language learner status is 25 points.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2021 report, 2020 data)

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

The college completion gap by student disability status is 16 points.

Source: NESSC Common Data Project (2021 report, 2020 data)

70

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

11,000

Over 9,000 adults participated in programming in one or more of the following areas: High School Completion, College Transitions, and/or Workforce Training in the 2022-2023 academic year.

969

969 high school credentials were awarded through Maine Adult Education in the 2022-2023 academic year.

2,800

In the 2022-23 academic year, over 2,800 credentials of value were earned through Maine Adult Education in high-demand career fields.

Adult Education is a critical resource for students seeking ongoing education and training. Adult Education helps to close the high school graduation gap for students needing an alternate pathway to a high school diploma and is also a go-to resource for New Mainers to get connected to language courses and workforce training. Adult Education is available statewide to anyone seeking to advance their knowledge and skills in an affordable, accessible way.

Adult Education Participants by Age

55% 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.

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 1.7% for certificates and 5.6% for certifications.

Source: Lumina Foundation Stronger Nation Report