2007 Maine Marks
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Why This is Important

The Maine Marks developers believe strongly that completion of a post-secondary education program is vital for Maine's long-term economic growth and for fulfilling the aspirations of Maine's young people.

Where We Stand

Compared with other states, a very large percentage (75%) of freshmen at four-year colleges and universities return for their sophomore year. Likewise, a very large percentage of first-time, full-time college students complete a bachelor’s degree within six years of enrolling in college. Only a fair proportion of students complete certificates and degrees relative to the number enrolled. Over the past decade, the percentage of freshmen at four-year colleges and universities returning for their sophomore year has declined. Although Maine has been one of the fastest declining states on this measure, its current performance still ranks as very good relative to other states.

Data Source and Context

Data is taken from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education Measuring Up 2004. This source consists of a national report card for higher education and fifty state report cards. Its purpose is to provide the public and policymakers with information to assess and improve post-secondary education in each state. Measuring Up 2004 is the third in a series of biennial report cards. In this report card, "higher education" refers to all education and training beyond high school, including all public and private, two- and four-year, for-profit and nonprofit institutions. For more information, see the website at: http://measuringup.highereducation.org.