Early fall enrollment at Maine’s community colleges is up 21% since 2019

File photo / Courtesy of Central Maine Community College Central Maine Community College in Auburn has posted the highest number of early fall enrollments this year among the state's seven community colleges.

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By Tina Fischer

Maine’s seven community colleges are seeing an increase in early fall enrollment for the third straight year.

Numbers show 15,976 students have enrolled for the fall semester so far, which is an increase of 3.2% over enrollments at the same time last year and a bump of 21% since fall 2019.

Central Maine Community College in Auburn saw the largest increase in enrollment, up 13.7% for a total of 3,477 students.

Early enrollments show a decrease at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle (down 10%, to 649 students), Washington County Community College in Calais (down 6.8%, to 449 enrollments) and at York County Community College in Wells (down 1.5%, at 1,187 students).

Final fall enrollment numbers will be calculated Oct. 15.

Tuition and fees for a full-time in-state student are $4,156 a year, the lowest in New England.

Early enrollment figures do not count short-term workforce training students. More than 39,000 students have taken short-term workforce training classes at the state’s community colleges since January 2022, when the system received the first in a series of grants from the Harold Alfond Foundation to support free or reduced-cost short-term training.

“We’re proud to be reporting another year of record enrollment. Maine’s community colleges are great places to get an excellent education at an unbeatable price. It’s no surprise more people are taking advantage of this incredible opportunity," said David Daigler, president of the Maine Community College System.

New offerings

Maine community colleges have over the last five years added new certificates and degree programs to respond to market demands, streamlined academic planning, added more remote learning options and expanded short-term workforce training.

Campuses have added more housing, new sports teams and more extracurricular offerings.

MCCS also has new transfer agreements with the University of Maine system and six independent colleges in the state. In 2024, transfers from community colleges to the UMaine system were up 30%.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for someone to come here to build their future, learn what they need to get a new or better job, gain confidence in their skills and make meaningful connections with the people around them,” Daigler said. “That’s what success looks like.”

The statewide Free College Scholarship program for recent high school graduates continues to attract students. Enacted for graduates starting in 2023, the program covers full tuition and fees for Maine students who accept federal and state grant aid and are pursuing a degree or certificate.

So far 17,826 Maine residents have taken advantage of the program, and though the legislature ended funding for those graduating after 2025, qualifying students have up to two years post graduation to enroll and up to four years to complete an associate degree.

The largest number of students taking advantage of the free tuition live in Cumberland, York, Androscoggin, Penobscot and Kennebec counties.