Safa Zaki President | Bowdoin College
Safa Zaki President | Bowdoin College
Of the 11 institutions in the county, five provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including University of Southern Maine, Bowdoin College and Saint Joseph's College of Maine.
At least 23,353 people applied to Cumberland County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.
NCES data shows that among them, around 22,510 students enrolled in the universities, including 19,416 in undergraduate and 3,094 in graduate programs. In total 8.7% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.
The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (73.8%) and Black or African American (7.3%) students.
Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, University of Southern Maine stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 7,583 students.
U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.
This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.
NCES shows that enrollment data was not available for two institutions in Cumberland County, including New Hampshire Institute for Therapeutic Arts and Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts.
Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.
| Institution | # of Applicants | # of Admitted Students | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unity Environmental University | 6,312 | 5,933 | 4,281 |
| Maine College of Art & Design | 649 | 480 | 436 |
| Bowdoin College | 9,376 | 844 | 1,915 |
| New Hampshire Institute for Therapeutic Arts | -- | -- | -- |
| University of Southern Maine | 5,544 | 4,712 | 7,583 |
| Spa Tech Institute-Westbrook | -- | -- | 248 |
| Southern Maine Community College | -- | -- | 6,007 |
| Northeast Technical Institute | -- | -- | 407 |
| Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts | -- | -- | -- |
| Saint Joseph's College of Maine | 1,472 | 1,192 | 1,478 |
| Empire Beauty School-Maine | -- | -- | 155 |
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