Student testimonial
Your gift can make a high-value education possible.
You already know that we are dedicated to training young men and women in marine sciences, engineering, international business and logistics, marine transportation, and maritime management. But you may not know exactly how we can use your gift to make that happen.
Your donations make our unique educational experience even better.
Our passionate champions contribute to our financial security and ensure that Maine Maritime Academy remains one of the world’s leading maritime colleges. Your thoughtful support lets us focus on maintaining excellence, setting new standards in maritime education, and empowering the next generation of leaders. You can help us keep classes small, offer hands-on labs and real-world experiences, and prepare continuing generations of students for a successful and rewarding career at sea or shoreside.
“The biggest surprise for me was just how many opportunities and avenues you are able to find once graduating from MMA. The options of what kind of vessel you can work on after completing the vessels operation and technology major seems almost endless, from tugboats to research vessels and everything in between. Yeah, having a ponytail may draw a little more attention, but if you work hard and do your job, there is nothing but respect given to you from your shipmates.”
-Natasha Olearclek
Your support helps further our mission to become the #1 maritime college in the world.
How? When you make a gift to us, your valuable donation may:
- Develop and strengthen our four undergraduate majors and two graduate degree programs
- Create important opportunities, such as student exchanges and co-ops
- Fund special initiatives like the inaugural Naval Shipyard Institute workforce development program (created in conjunction with ORBIS, Inc.)
- Sustain ship maintenance and regular training voyages
- Enable unique voyages, such as the historic schooner Bowdoin’s 2024 Arctic voyage (the ship’s 30th Arctic voyage and the first in 16 years)
- Support marine-related research and innovative technology projects
- Make an MMA education possible for qualified applicants who need financial assistance (about 96% of our students receive some financial aid, including grants, federal work study, and loans)
- Provide need-based and merit-based scholarships to help qualified students pursue their passions and achieve their goals
With the help of our donors, Maine Maritime Academy continues to be recognized for the quality and caliber of our unique educational experience. We are:
- The next Region 3 Representative of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU)—a great honor and milestone for MMA
- A Military Friendly School listing for 2023-2024
- #1 in Best Colleges for Veterans (2022 U.S. News & World Report)
- #3 Top Public Schools and #8 Best Value Schools (2022 U.S. News & World Report)
- Among the top 10 schools nationwide for return on investment (according to a 2019 Georgetown University study)
Make your gift more meaningful.
- A dedicated gift. You can make your contribution in honor or memory of someone special.
- A directed gift. You can choose to put your donation toward a particular program or initiative that resonates with you.
- An enduring gift. You can leave a powerful legacy by contributing to or creating an endowment fund to support your area of greatest interest in perpetuity. Read more about endowment gifts.