10-yr median earnings
$40,264
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Bar Harbor, Maine
College of the Atlantic
College of the Atlantic is a private nonprofit institution in Bar Harbor, Maine. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $40,264
- 10-yr median earnings
- 70.2%
- Acceptance rate
- $25,184
- Avg net price / yr
- 68.8%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
College of the Atlantic pairs modest former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- 49th pct.
- former-student earnings, US
- 70.2%
- acceptance rate
- 68.8%
- 150%-time completion
- $25,050
- median federal debt
Rural: Remote
Carnegie: Bacc: A&S
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this College of the Atlantic profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
D
College Value Score
49/100
College of the Atlantic
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings D
$40,264
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$25,184
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate B-
68.8%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$25,050
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A
81.7%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention B+
85.0%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$25,184
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
68.8%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 68.8%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - College of the Atlantic vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How College of the Atlantic ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
College of the Atlantic: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$40,264 49th percentile higher than 49% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | College of the Atlantic | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $40,264 | #2628 of 5103 | 49th |
| Average net price | $25,184 | #3949 of 5020 | 21st (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 68.8% | #1508 of 4858 | 69th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 353 | #3150 of 5462 | 42nd |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
353
Undergraduate enrollment
70.2%
Acceptance rate
1,370
SAT average
68.8%
150%-time completion
$40,264
10-yr median earnings
85.0%
First-year retention
How College of the Atlantic ranks in Maine
State rank among 32 reporting Maine colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | College of the Atlantic | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $40,264 | #24 of 32 | 25th |
| Average net price | $25,184 | #22 of 31 | 29th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 68.8% | #8 of 30 | 73rd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 353 | #25 of 32 | 22nd |
Highest former-student earnings in Maine
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine Maritime Academy | $89,964 | $23,414 |
| 2 | Bowdoin College | $82,735 | $14,398 |
| 3 | Colby College | $80,490 | $17,180 |
| 4 | Maine College of Health Professions | $79,840 | $26,312 |
| 5 | Bates College | $69,498 | $29,351 |
| 6 | The Landing School | $65,849 | $35,532 |
| 7 | Saint Joseph's College of Maine | $59,045 | $27,555 |
| 8 | University of New England | $55,921 | $38,107 |
| 9 | University of Maine at Fort Kent | $51,077 | $7,482 |
| 10 | University of Southern Maine | $49,958 | $13,596 |
| 11 | University of Maine | $48,653 | $17,510 |
| 12 | University of Maine - Machias | $48,653 | - |
| 24 | College of the AtlanticThis school | $40,264 | $25,184 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 70.2% |
| SAT Average | 1,370 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 580 – 700 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 660 – 730 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at College of the Atlantic
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$20,415 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$13,942 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$16,650 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$34,684 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at College of the Atlantic - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $47,997 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $47,997 |
| Average Net Price | $25,184 |
28.1%
Pell Grant Rate
53.1%
Federal Loan Rate
$25,050
Median Debt
$266/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at College of the Atlantic swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $17,463 to $25,326 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +9.4%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$17,463
Highest year
$25,326
Most recent (2023)
$24,028
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $21,9722023 · $24,028
Over the same years, enrollment went +0.6% (356 → 358 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
78.3%
Female
Outcomes
85.0%
Retention Rate
36.8%
Earning Over $25K
81.7%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 68.8% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 85.0% |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $40,264 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 36.8% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 81.7% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $25,050 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $266/mo |
Programs & Earnings
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General | Bachelor's | - | $31,138 | $24,500 |
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at College of the Atlantic? ▼
College of the Atlantic is a private nonprofit institution in Bar Harbor, Maine. The acceptance rate is 70.2%. The average SAT score is 1,370. Undergraduate enrollment is 353 students.
How much do College of the Atlantic former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at College of the Atlantic who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $40,264 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates.
How much does College of the Atlantic cost? ▼
The average net price at College of the Atlantic is $25,184. In-state tuition is $47,997 and out-of-state tuition is $47,997. Median student debt at graduation is $25,050.
What is the graduation rate at College of the Atlantic? ▼
College of the Atlantic has a 68.8% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 85.0%.
Is College of the Atlantic worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at College of the Atlantic is $25,050, while former students earn a median of $40,264 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 62% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 81.7% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $266.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from College of the Atlantic
- Compare College of the Atlantic against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Maine side by side.Browse Maine
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.