Maine: school, college and career rules
Maine sets its diploma by years of study in five subject areas (local districts set credit totals), tests with the Maine Through Year Assessment and the Maine Science Assessment, gives in-state tuition after 12 months in Maine for other than educational purposes, and funds the need-based Maine State Grant of up to $2,500.
Linked from the State Population Totals 2020-2025 page (census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html); population and rank copied from the POPESTIMATE2025 and NRANK_POPEST2025 columns.Census
High school diploma
20-A M.R.S. § 4722: a diploma needs a program of at least 4 years, with instruction in the subjects below in separate, integrated or applied learning programs. Students may show achievement through multiple pathways and measures (exams, portfolios, performances, exhibitions, projects and community service). Data extracted 10/05/2026; last amended PL 2023, c. 247.Maine Rev. Stat.
| Subject | State minimum |
|---|---|
| English | 4 years or the equivalent in standards achievement |
| Social studies and history | 2 years or the equivalent, including American history, government, civics and personal finance |
| Mathematics | 2 years or the equivalent in standards achievement |
| Science | 2 years or the equivalent, including at least one year of laboratory study |
| Fine arts (art, music, forensics or drama) | 1 year or the equivalent in standards achievement |
Years of study or the equivalent in standards achievement; credit totals are set by each school administrative unit.
State tests for the diploma
No state exit exam: a student earns the diploma by completing the requirements under the academic standards of the school administrative unit and § 4722. Data extracted 10/05/2026; last amended PL 2023, c. 247.Maine Rev. Stat.
Also good to know
- A student who has finished the freshman year at an accredited college, or the junior and senior years of a dual enrollment career and technical education program, may receive a diploma from the last secondary school attended even without meeting the usual graduation requirements.
Maine Rev. Stat.
20-A M.R.S. § 4722, High school diploma standardsMaine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
Data extracted 10/05/2026; last amended PL 2023, c. 247.
View source - The proficiency-based diploma standards (§ 4722-A) were repealed by PL 2019, c. 202; the current text applies to diplomas granted since 1 January 2019.
Maine Rev. Stat.
20-A M.R.S. § 4722, High school diploma standardsMaine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
Data extracted 10/05/2026; last amended PL 2023, c. 247.
View source
State test: Maine Through Year Assessment and Maine Science Assessment
Maine Educational Assessments: Maine Through Year Assessment (math and reading) and Maine Science Assessment. The Maine Comprehensive Assessment System gives the Maine Through Year Assessment in math and reading (a required fall and spring window) in grades 3 to 8 and the second year of high school, and the Maine Science Assessment in grades 5, 8 and the third year of high school. Maine DOE
View source
| Test | Subjects | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Maine Through Year Assessment | Mathematics and reading | Grades 3–8 and the second year of high school |
| Maine Science Assessment | Science | Grades 5 and 8 and the third year of high school |
| MSAA and MSAA Science (alternate) | ELA, math and science | Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities |
Source: Maine DOE
View source
What the scores are used for
- The Maine Science Assessment was built with New Meridian on the Maine Science and Engineering Standards, whose foundation is the Next Generation Science Standards.
Maine DOE
Maine Science AssessmentMaine Department of Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
National tests (SAT, ACT, AP, NAEP) are on the Exams hub.
Public colleges and universities
The state's public university system(s) and community colleges, from their own pages.
- University of Maine System (Maine's Public Universities)University system · Seven universities and a law school: the University of Maine (the flagship), the Universities of Maine at Augusta, Farmington, Fort Kent, Machias and Presque Isle, and the University of Southern Maine, with about 25,000 students and 260+ degree programs.
- Maine Community College System (MCCS)Community colleges · Seven community colleges with the lowest tuition and fees in New England, serving more than 33,000 people a year through associate degrees, one-year certificates, short-term workforce training and early college programs.
Sources: UMS
View sourceMCCS
View source
Every school in Maine, public and private, with cost and completion: 35 colleges, community colleges and trade schools, with 2 city pages.
In-state tuition: the residency rule
Public colleges charge less to state residents. Who counts as a resident is set by state law or the college system, not by where you went to school alone.
- University of Maine System Administrative Practice Letter IV-G: a student who has lived in Maine for other than educational purposes for 12 consecutive months before the first day of classes (or before applying) is in-state; a full-time student is presumed to be in Maine for educational purposes, and the burden of proof is on the student.
UMS
Administrative Practice Letter IV-G, Tuition Residency ClassificationUniversity of Maine System- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- A dependent student takes the parent's or legal guardian's residence, and counts as a Maine resident once that parent or guardian has lived at a proven primary residence in Maine for 183 consecutive days.
UMS
Administrative Practice Letter IV-G, Tuition Residency ClassificationUniversity of Maine System- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- Current members and honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces are billed at the in-state rate, as are dependents using VA education benefits; holders of non-immigrant visas cannot get in-state tuition (with narrow Special Student Relief and TPS exceptions).
UMS
Administrative Practice Letter IV-G, Tuition Residency ClassificationUniversity of Maine System- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
The college's residency office makes the final decision. More on costs: What college costs.
State financial aid
Run by the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME). Federal aid (Pell Grants, loans) starts with the FAFSA: FAFSA, grants and loans.
Maine State Grant Program
Need-based grant for Maine undergraduates of all ages at Maine public and private colleges: up to $2,500 for full-time and up to $1,250 for at least half-time students in 2026-27, with a maximum Student Aid Index of 10,000. The FAFSA is the application (20-A M.R.S. § 11611 and FAME Rule Chapter 601). FAME
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Free College Scholarship
FAME notes that recent Maine high school graduates who live in Maine qualify for a Free College Scholarship at any of the seven community colleges. FAME
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Licensing boards
Lawyers, doctors, CPAs and nurses need a Maine license from a state board, even after passing a national exam. These are the boards that grant it.
| License | Maine board | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer How bar admission works | Maine Board of Bar Examiners | Uniform Bar Exam (MBE, MEE and MPT). MPRE required (passing score 80). NextGen UBE from July 2028. NCBEMaine: bar admission informationNational Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)
Bar admission agency, the NCBE exams the jurisdiction requires, MPRE passing score and NextGen UBE plans. NCBE advises checking the agency itself for the latest rules. View source |
| Physician How a medical license works | Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine Maine Board of Osteopathic Licensure | USMLE (M.D.) or COMLEX-USA (D.O.); Maine has more than one board, as listed FSMBContact a State Medical BoardFederation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
Directory of every state's medical (and separate osteopathic) board. fsmb.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 14 Sep 2026; each board link was then opened on 22 Oct 2026, through the board's site or, where it blocks reads from India, its latest archive capture. View source |
| CPA How the CPA license works | Maine Board of Accountancy | Uniform CPA Examination NASBAState Boards of AccountancyNational Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Directory of the 55 boards of accountancy. nasba.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 15 Oct 2026; board links that had moved were replaced with the board's current page, opened on 22 Oct 2026. View source |
| Registered nurse How the RN license works | Maine State Board of Nursing | NCLEX-RN · Nurse Licensure Compact member since Jan. 19, 2018 NCSBNContact Maine State Board of NursingNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
NCSBN / NLCNLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact)
|
Engineering, teaching, real estate, cosmetology and the trades have their own boards: all professional licenses · trades and apprenticeships.
State and city government jobs
Federal jobs are on USAJOBS; state and city governments hire through their own systems.
State of Maine careers (Workday)
Maine Bureau of Human Resources
- Find open executive-branch jobs on the State of Maine career page (maine.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/Executive), linked from the Bureau of Human Resources' Working for the State page; departmental career sites sit alongside it.
- Opt in to email messages so agencies can reach you about your application; current state employees apply through PRISM instead.
Source: Maine BHR
View source
Police, fire and other public-safety routes: Public Service & Safety hub.
Registered apprenticeship
Maine has a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. California is listed under both OA and SAA.Apprenticeship.gov
- Maine Apprenticeship Program (Maine Department of Labor)Maine is a State Apprenticeship Agency state: the Maine Department of Labor's Maine Apprenticeship Program helps employers develop and register programs and, as funding permits, pays a $1,500 signing bonus and $500 per apprentice toward classroom training.
- Trades and apprenticeshipsElectrician, plumber, HVAC and other trade routes on this site
Source: Maine DOL
View source
Where these facts come from
Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.
- Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POPCHG2020-2025, CSV) · U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025) checked 2026-10-21
- Maine: bar admission information · National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact a State Medical Board · Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) checked 2026-10-22
- State Boards of Accountancy · National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact Maine State Board of Nursing · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) checked 2026-10-22
- NLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF) · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact) checked 2026-10-07
- 20-A M.R.S. § 4722, High school diploma standards · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes checked 2026-10-22
- Maine Assessment Calendar (2026-27) · Maine Department of Education checked 2026-10-22
- Maine Science Assessment · Maine Department of Education checked 2026-10-22
- Universities (Maine's Public Universities) · University of Maine System checked 2026-10-22
- Maine Community College System Mission & Overview · Maine Community College System checked 2026-10-22
- Administrative Practice Letter IV-G, Tuition Residency Classification · University of Maine System checked 2026-10-22
- Maine State Grant Program · Finance Authority of Maine checked 2026-10-22
- Working for the State · Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Human Resources checked 2026-10-22
- Maine Apprenticeship Program · Maine Department of Labor checked 2026-10-22
- The Apprenticeship System: Office of Apprenticeship (OA) and recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) states · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship checked 2026-10-21