Best General Studies Associate Degrees in Maine, Ranked (2026)

General Studies Associate Degrees in Maine

General studies associate degrees in Maine are four programs at four colleges, two public community colleges and two private universities, and three of the four meet the ranking threshold. Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield has the top score, 59.6, 111th in the national associate degree ranking, on 26 degrees in the latest year, a 39% graduation rate and $3,562 a year in resident tuition and required fees for 2023-24. It scores well because it pairs the lowest price in the state with a completion rate above the other public program's. Central Maine Community College in Auburn awards more degrees, 45, at a similar $3,864, but graduates 30% and scores 49.3, 219th nationally.

Husson University in Bangor is the ranked private program, at 45.9 and 262nd. It graduates 59% of its students, nearly double Central Maine's rate, but charges $22,194 and awarded 13 degrees. Saint Joseph's College of Maine in Standish awarded 1 associate degree at $42,834, far under the threshold, and is listed without a score.

Three of the four programs, both community colleges and Saint Joseph's, teach the degree fully online, so format won't narrow your choice much here. What will is transfer. The two public programs sit inside the Maine Community College System, and the state's agreements with the University of Maine System are written for them and nobody else, which matters more than the score gap between Fairfield and Auburn if a bachelor's is the plan.

The 3 Best General Studies Associate Degrees in Maine

The best general studies associate degrees in Maine are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Maine. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.

1. 1

   Kennebec Valley Community College

   Maine

   59.6

   • Public
   • Fully Online Option

   College graduation rate

   39%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $3,562 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   26

   • College graduation rate percentile 62 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 87 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 23 / 100

   About the Program

   Based in Fairfield, Maine, Kennebec Valley Community College is a public community college with 2,489 students on its rolls. Some 26 associate's degrees were conferred in the last year on record, a bigger output than 23% of the programs ranked alongside it. Its college-wide graduation rate is 39%, the 62nd percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Residents pay $3,562 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $6,442. Because the full degree is offered online, it is open to students well outside the region. On price it does best, reaching the 87th percentile.

2. 2

   Central Maine Community College

   Maine

   49.3

   • Public
   • Fully Online Option

   College graduation rate

   30%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $3,864 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   45

   • College graduation rate percentile 33 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 85 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 36 / 100

   About the Program

   Based in Auburn, Maine, Central Maine Community College is a public community college with 4,754 students on its rolls. It conferred 45 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 36% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. Across the whole college, 30% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 33% of the institutions behind this list. Residents pay $3,864 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $6,744. Distance students can complete the whole degree online, so where you live matters less here. What lifts it most is price, where it reaches the 85th percentile.

3. 3

   Husson University

   Maine

   45.9

   • Private nonprofit

   College graduation rate

   59%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $22,194 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   13

   • College graduation rate percentile 95 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 5 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 7 / 100

   About the Program

   Husson University is a private nonprofit university in Bangor, Maine that enrolls 3,367 students. The program's last federal report shows 13 associate's degrees conferred, so it is larger than 7 in every 100 programs measured here. Its college-wide graduation rate is 59%, the 95th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Residents and nonresidents are both charged $22,194 a year in tuition and fees. Admission is selective enough to plan for, with 81% of applicants accepted. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 95th percentile.

Other General Studies Associate Degrees in Maine

The other general studies associate degrees in Maine awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.

Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.

How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in Maine?

A general studies associate degree in Maine costs a median of $13,029 a year in tuition and required fees for 2023-24 across the four programs, a figure that falls between two very different pairs: $3,562 at Kennebec Valley and $3,864 at Central Maine on the public side, $22,194 at Husson and $42,834 at Saint Joseph's on the private side. Non-residents pay $6,442 at Kennebec Valley and $6,744 at Central Maine, still under a third of Husson's price, and the two private colleges charge every student the same.

The Maine State Grant Program, run by FAME, provides need-based grants to Maine undergraduate students of all ages, and for the 2026-27 academic year, the maximum grant amount for the Maine State Grant Program is $2,500. Against Kennebec Valley's $3,562, that leaves about $1,000 of tuition and fees to find for a full-time year. Students enrolled less than full-time, but at least half-time may be eligible for up to $1,250, which matters at a community college where many students work. The grant is need-based, so household income sets the award, and the all-ages rule means an adult coming back after years away applies on the same terms as an 18-year-old.

Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in Maine?

A general studies associate degree from a Maine community college transfers into the University of Maine System on two agreements built for exactly that move, and the first thing to check is whether your program is on the eligible list for the second. The UMS-MCCS General Education Transfer Block includes at least 34 credits of general education course work, with grades of C- or better in all courses taken from within the Maine Community College System. Complete it at Kennebec Valley or Central Maine and it lands at a University of Maine campus in one piece.

The second agreement is Transfer ME, a pathway for Maine Community College System (MCCS) graduates to bypass the traditional transfer admissions process into the University of Maine System (UMS). Under the July 2024 announcement, notification will begin to qualifying students who have earned at least 30 community college credits and are enrolled in eligible degree programs. The catch is the phrase eligible degree programs. Ask your college in writing whether its general studies associate is one.

Maine also runs reverse credit transfer, a process where academic credits for coursework completed at a university are transferred back to your community college to satisfy Associate degree or Certificate requirements. Husson and Saint Joseph's are private, so their credits move under each receiving university's own evaluation, and neither agreement applies.

What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in Maine?

Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in Maine pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.

How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in Maine

Choosing a general studies associate degree program in Maine comes down to whether a 59% graduation rate is worth $18,632 a year more than a 39% one, because that's the gap between Husson in Bangor and Kennebec Valley in Fairfield. Husson's completion rate is the highest among the ranked three, but one year there costs what six years at Kennebec Valley would. Central Maine is the biggest program, 45 degrees a year, at $3,864, and the one with the lowest completion, 30%.

Online delivery won't separate the public pair, since both teach the degree fully online, and Saint Joseph's does too. Transfer should. Both community colleges sit inside the UMS-MCCS agreements, so ask each whether its general studies degree includes the full 34-credit transfer block and whether it's an eligible program for Transfer ME. Ask Husson which University of Maine campuses have accepted its associate graduates and how many credits carried. And ask any of the four what the Maine State Grant would leave you to pay, because at $3,562 the answer could be close to nothing and at $22,194 it won't be.

If you plan to finish a bachelor's in the state, the general studies bachelor's degrees in Maine have their own page.