Maine College Grants

Have you been putting off the thought of receiving a college education because the cost is too high? Do you live in Maine and aspire to attend a hometown college, taking advantage of the beauty of the state? If so, you probably qualify for one or more grants offered through the state for college tuition and other fees.

FAME, or the Finance Authority of Maine, is the administrator of the grants, scholarships, and loan forgiveness programs within the state. As a need-based program, the State of Maine Grant Program targets state residents enrolled in a state public or private institution who demonstrate financial hardship and awards between $500 and $1500, depending upon location and type of institute.

Tuition Waiver Programs are available for dependents of those who were killed in public service as Law Enforcement and Public Safety personnel, as well as students who have been in and are exiting the state foster care system.

The University of Maine offers several merit-based scholarships to undergraduate students, including the Top Scholar award and two Presidential Scholar awards for state residents who graduate high school at the top of their classes and demonstrate academic motivation. For non-residents, there is the Dean's Scholar award worth up to $5000 toward tuition at the University of Maine for students who graduated in the upper 1/3 of their class. Transfer Scholarships are also offered for students with academic talent in amounts up to $1000.

Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts who are residents of Maine and plan to attend a community college in Maine may be eligible to receive up to $2300 through the Boulos Family Scholarship.

List of Maine College Grants

• Barking Foundation Grants — $3000 awarded each year to 25 undergraduate or graduate students who are residents of Maine.


• Nextgen Student Grant Program — $400 to $1000 awarded each year to varied number of undergraduate students who are Maine residents.

Paying for school is not easy, but we are here to help. OEDb's student finance section will help you find the money you need to pay your tuition and other college expenses. We cover scholarships, college grants, and student loans. Scholarships and grants are both forms of "free money", meaning they don't need to be paid back. Scholarships are typically awarded by businesses or individuals, with the money being earmarked specifically for tuition. They can be awarded based on a student's location or by religious affiliation, such as Catholicism or Islam. Grants are typically awarded by governments or non-profit organizations and the money often can be applied to several different expenses a student may incur, not solely tuition. They can be awarded based on location or ethnicity, for instance African American or Hispanic. Loans are not considered "free money", because unlike scholarships and grants, they do need to be paid back after graduation. Common federal loans include Perkins and Stafford. Loans are also available by location.