Eastern Maine
Community College
Public Community College in Bangor, ME. Six-year graduation rate 32%. Median 10-year earnings $41,704.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $41,704, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. The six-year graduation rate is 32% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $11,293.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.27 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 32% — below national average
Academics
Completion is the problem here: 32% graduate within six years. Retention is weak: only 56% of full-time first-years return, so roughly two in five leave after one year. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. Retention drops to 40% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. A 19:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,695 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $9,720 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($7,818 versus $12,359), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. Grant aid is widespread — 86% of students receive it, averaging $6,859. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 19% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 520 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,818 |
| $30–48k | $8,034 |
| $48–75k | $9,273 |
| $75–110k | $12,294 |
| $110k+ | $12,359 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 318 of these 1,695 students, totalling $1,562,106 — an average of $4,912 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Penobscot County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)