PNPI Explorer Blog – Maine
Welcome back to the PNPI Explorer blog series, where we examine higher education data in different states. This week’s spotlight is on Maine.
In 2021 in Maine, there were 29 institutions serving 51,340 full-time equivalent (FTE) students. Using the Completion & Attainment curated report, we can examine the types of degrees conferred at Maine institutions by institutional type. Private non-profit institutions conferred 5,425 degrees in 2021, 28.5% of which were graduate degrees. Public four-year institutions, in comparison, conferred 5,845 degrees in 2021, 17.8% of which were graduate degrees. Cumulatively, 19.3% of all degrees conferred by Maine institutions were graduate degrees.
Given that graduate degree programs can often be more expensive for students, we can use the Comparison Tool to examine how Maine institutions fare against other states for student loans made to graduate students. Looking at unsubsidized Direct Loans made to graduate students, we see that Maine ranks seventh, with more than half (50.3%) of their graduate students receiving this type of loan. This is 10 percentage points higher than the national estimate.
Turning to federal student loans made to graduate students through the PLUS program (Grad PLUS), we see that Maine ranks even higher- it’s sixth in terms of graduate students receiving a Grad PLUS loan at 20%, compared to 14.1% nationally.
Find something interesting about Maine that you would like to share with us? Drop us a note via our feedback page or discuss your findings on LinkedIn! Check back next week when we explore data insights about Maryland.
