PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Officials at the University of Maine at Presque Isle are pleased to announce that the institution earned three top rankings on U.S. News and World Report’s 2018 Best Colleges list. In this year’s annual rankings, UMPI was named among the 30 Best Regional Colleges in the north, the 15 Top Public Schools in the north, and the Top Three Regional Colleges in the north for graduates with least debt.
“We are always honored to be recognized on U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges List and are very pleased to receive three rankings that showcase the hard work our faculty and staff do every day to provide a high quality and low cost education for our students,” UMPI President Ray Rice said. “We are especially delighted to have been named the third best Regional College in the north for graduates with least debt — last year, we were ranked seventh and I think this move up is a wonderful tribute to the efforts underway here to ensure that our students get an affordable education, great financial aid packages, and good advice on ways to stay debt-free.”
In its Best Regional Colleges in the North ranking, UMPI tied for the #29th slot, earning first tier status. The ranking defines regional colleges as schools that focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. The north region includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.
UMPI was listed as #13 in the Top Public Schools ranking list for Regional Colleges in the North. The ranking defines public colleges and universities as those that are typically operated under the supervision of state governments and funded, in part, by tax dollars and subsidies from the state. Such universities often offer free or discounted tuition to students considered residents of the state.
In its third ranking, the University was short-listed among Regional Colleges in the North for graduates with the least debt. U.S. News compiled a list of schools whose Class of 2016 graduated with the lightest debt load. The data included loans taken out by students from their colleges, from private financial institutions, and from federal, state, and local governments. UMPI came in at #3, its highest showing on this list to date.
