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2026 Best Value Painting Schools in Maine

[Painting](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/fine-and-studio-arts/painting/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for painting students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Painting Schools in Maine

2026 Best Value Painting Schools in Maine

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the painting degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Painting Schools

1

University Of Southern Maine
Portland, ME

$12,090 In-State Tuition & Fees

$18,703 Avg Student Debt

$49,958 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in painting, no school beat University Of Southern Maine this year. Set in the city of Portland, University Of Southern Maine is a moderately-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $12,090 in tuition and fees, compared with $29,940 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $18,703 to complete the painting program here. Soon after graduation, painting degree recipients from University Of Southern Maine generally make around $21,058. That is a strong return on a $18,703 median debt. University Of Southern Maine admits about 79% of applicants.

2

Maine College Of Art
Portland, ME

$42,942 In-State Tuition & Fees

$27,000 Avg Student Debt

$40,778 Median Earnings (10yr)

A rank of #2 makes Maine College Of Art one of the best values for painting. Maine College Of Art is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Portland. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $42,942. Painting graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Painting graduates of Maine College Of Art earn a median of $27,255 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.

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Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.