+17%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at University of Southern Maine rose 17% between 2021 and 2024 ($23.9k → $27.9k).
Maine · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
University of Southern Maine
Portland, Maine. 4,245 undergraduate students. 158 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at University of Southern Maine
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at University of Southern Maine fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (1.4% → 0.0%).
+14%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at University of Southern Maine rose 14% between 2021 and 2024 ($9.9k → $11.3k).
+26%
100%-time completion
100%-time completion at University of Southern Maine rose 26% between 2021 and 2024 (20.3% → 25.5%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. Maine
Each tile compares this institution to the Maine median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$49,958+6% · 6→10y
Maine median $44,433$47,107
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry46.3%+52% · '97→'24
Maine median 56.4%$12,887+445% · '97→'20
At program completion4,245-34% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS75.6%+9% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time79.3%-4% · '01→'24
latest cohort$10,920+149% · '01→'24
out-of-state $27,104SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.4%Median federal debt $12,887 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $49,958 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+52%
University of Southern Maine · completion · 150% rose
26.5% → 40.4%
+142%
University of Southern Maine · completion · 100% rose
10.6% → 25.5%
-34%
University of Southern Maine · undergrad enrollment fell
6,351 → 4,222
+149%
University of Southern Maine · in-state tuition rose
$4,537 → $11,284
+144%
University of Southern Maine · out-of-state tuition rose
$11,452 → $27,944
+445%
University of Southern Maine · median debt rose
$3,500 → $19,060
-100%
University of Southern Maine · cohort default rate fell
8.7% → 0.0%
+34%
University of Southern Maine · earnings_median_10yr rose
$37,200 → $49,958
+38%
University of Southern Maine · earnings_median_8yr rose
$34,400 → $47,454
+48%
University of Southern Maine · earnings_median_6yr rose
$31,900 → $47,107
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$121,814Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering.$103,023Mechanical Engineering.$90,682Business Administration, Management and Operations.$82,292Law.$80,203Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$71,235Accounting and Related Services.$65,802Biology, General.$63,868Public Policy Analysis.$63,802Criminology.$63,574Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions.$63,551Political Science and Government.$62,143Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians.$59,339Business Administration, Management and Operations.$59,240Marketing.$55,591Student Counseling and Personnel Services.$55,021Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$51,750Social Work.$51,132Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$50,753Social Work.$49,564Communication and Media Studies.$49,157Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities.$44,622History.$44,213English Language and Literature, General.$42,854
Showing top 24 of 27 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
27 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
EDUCATION · CIP 13
ENGINEERING · CIP 14
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 15
LEGAL PROFESSIONS · CIP 22
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$71,235Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$50,753Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions.$63,551Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$121,814
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
HISTORY · CIP 54
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at University of Southern Maine
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$607,997
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 6
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $10,828
- HS-only baseline · ME
- $36,200
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 51
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in Maine
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“University of Southern Maine graduates earn $X” — not “University of Southern Maine makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending University of Southern Maine caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.