Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0College of the Atlantic is 14.2 miles from Franklin
No college sits inside Franklin’s boundary, but College of the Atlantic’s campus in Bar Harbor, with 367 students on campus, is 14.2 miles from the center of town, and Eastern Maine Community College is 29.1 miles away in Bangor. About 4% of Franklin’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maine (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Franklin. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Franklin
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Franklin
One private college within 14.2 miles. The nearest public four-year college, University of Maine, is 29.3 miles away.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Franklin’s median household income ($65,455) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Franklin
Is Franklin a college town?
No. About 4 of every 100 Franklin residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Maine (6). The nearest campus, College of the Atlantic, is 14.2 miles away in Bar Harbor.
What colleges are near Franklin?
Within 15 miles: College of the Atlantic (14.2 miles, 367 students on campus).
What is the closest community college to Franklin, and what does it cost?
Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor, 29.1 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,156 a year for Maine residents; the federal net price, $8,928, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of Maine cost if we live in Maine?
Tuition and fees are $13,326 a year in-state and $36,756 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $12,642 (under $30,000 income) to $22,018 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Franklin. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →