BIDDEFORD — Among all Maine universities and colleges, the University of New England ranks third for graduates earning the highest starting salary, according to a newly published study by SmartAsset, a New Yorkbased financial technology company that uses data to provide answers to financial questions about major life decisions.

The study examined five equally ranked factors to determine university and college standings nationwide: tuition, student living costs (including room and board, books, supplies, transportation and personal expenses), scholarship and grant offerings, retention rates, and beginning job salary after graduation.

Schools with the combined highest marks in these categories were named “best value schools” or “institutions where you get the most bang for your buck,” according to SmartAsset, and UNE ranked among the top five for the state of Maine.

This ranking comes on the heels of the recent Brookings Institution rankings, which placed UNE at the top of the list of Maine universities and colleges for ability to increase student career earnings.

“The administration, faculty and staff at UNE have known for a long time the value this college provides not only in its education but in the kinds of good paying jobs that students are finding after they graduate,” UNE President Danielle Ripich was quoted saying in a press release announcing the news. “Now, we are seeing others who monitor the health of higher education share our story as well.”

Most recently, UNE was named a Top College by Forbes and one of the Best 380 Colleges by the Princeton Review.