Business/Managerial Economics at University of Maine

A $21,000 debt load paired with $53,000 in first-year earnings—both estimates drawn from peer programs nationally—suggests a manageable financial foundation, though Maine's own data tells a somewhat different story. The University of Maine at Farmington, the only in-state program with reported outcomes, shows graduates earning around $48,000, roughly $5,000 less than the national benchmark used here. That gap matters when you're weighing actual employment markets against national averages that may include higher-cost, higher-wage regions.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.40 falls comfortably below the worrisome 1.0 threshold, meaning graduates would theoretically owe less than half their first-year salary. But remember: these figures come from comparable programs elsewhere, not from tracking actual UMaine economics graduates into the workforce. The university's 96% admission rate and relatively low Pell enrollment (22%) hint at a regional institution serving a specific market, which may or may not align with the national programs informing these estimates.

For parents, the takeaway is this: the numbers look reasonable on paper, but you're betting on national patterns holding true in Maine's economy. If your child plans to stay in-state after graduation, the $48,000 figure from Farmington might be a more realistic planning tool than the $53,000 estimate here.