據了解，美國憲法規定，各州政府負責注冊并審批各類高等院校，但各院校是否被社會所認可則取決于政府承認的認證機構的認證。

　　美國高等院校包括公立與私立兩種。主要實行二年學制或四年學制，二年制的多為技術專科學校和社區學院。據統計，目前美國各類高等院校有3600多所。

　　美國高等院校的質量認證一般由專業認證機構負責，經美國教育部認可的專業認證機構主要有六大區域認證機構及近百個專業認證機構。聯邦政府通過認證機構間接起到對各院校的管理與規范。全美高等教育認證委員會（CHEA）是協調并審核認證機構的專業機構。 通過區域性認證協會或其它專業認證機構的認證，各院校可實現學分相互轉換，所頒發的學位證書或文憑證書能獲得社會的廣泛認可。

　　2012年美國緬因州教育部批準境外正規高校名單：

　　緬因州

　　Andover College (Portland)

　　Bangor Theological Seminary (Bangor)

　　Bates College (Lewiston)

　　Beal College (Bangor)

　　Bowdoin College (Brunswick)

　　Central Maine Community College (Auburn)

　　Central Maine Medical Center School of Nursing (Lewiston)

　　Central Maine Technical College (Auburn)

　　Colby College (Waterville)

　　College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor)

　　Dale Carnegie Training of Maine (South Portland)

　　Eastern Maine Community College (Bangor)

　　Eastern Maine Technical College (Bangor)

　　Fuller Circles School for Therapeutic Massage (Waterville)

　　Headhunter Spa Tech Institute (Portland)

　　Headhunter Spa Tech Institute (South Portland)

　　Husson College (Bangor)

　　Kennebec Valley Community College (Fairfield)

　　Kennebec Valley Technical College (Fairfield)

　　The Landing School of Boat (Kennebunkport)

　　Maine College of Art (Portland)

　　Maine Maritime Academy (Castine)

　　Mr. Bernard‘s School of Hair Fashion, Inc. (Lewiston)

　　New England School of Communications (Bangor)

　　Northern Maine Community College (Presque Isle)

　　Northern Maine Technical College (Presque Isle)

　　Pierre’s School of Cosmetology - Bangor (Bangor)

　　Pierre‘s School of Cosmetology (Caribou)

　　Pierre’s School of Cosmetology (Portland)

　　Pierre‘s School of Cosmetology (Sanford)

　　Pierre’s School of Cosmetology (Waterville)

　　Saint Joseph‘s College of Maine (Standish)

　　Seacoast Career Schools (Sanford)

　　Southern Maine Community College (South Portland)

　　Southern Maine Technical College (South Portland)

　　Thomas College (Waterville)

　　Unity College (Unity)

　　The University of Maine at Augusta (Augusta)

　　University of Maine at Farmington (Farmington)

　　University of Maine at Fort Kent (Fort Kent)

　　University of Maine at Machias (Machias)

　　University of Maine (Orono)

　　University of Maine at Presque Isle (Presque Isle)

　　University of New England (Biddeford)

　　University of Southern Maine (Portland)

　　Washington County Community College (Calais)

　　Washington County Technical College (Calais)

　　Worldwide Language Resources,Inc. (Rumford)

　　York County Community College (Wells)

　　York County Technical College (Wells)

　　馬紹爾群島

　　College Of The Marshall Islands (Formerly College Of Micronesia-Majuro) (Majuro)