There are scholarships for you out there, as you are what is known as a “nontraditional student” ( ) which includes undergrads 26 and up.

You can check out some of these sites to look for available scholarships: (This site is The Association of Nontraditional Students – good resource)

There may not be any available now, but check back from time to time. At least fill out your FAFSA ( ) which is an application for student aid made to the government and they are always giving out grants and low interest loans.

Also, wherever you decide to go to school, check with that particular college to see if they offer scholarships for non-traditional students. In addition to scholarships, many schools offer services to help make your transition back into school a bit easier.

As far as the in state student thing goes, I think you will have to live in the state and work in the state for a year OUT OF SCHOOL, before you can gain residency. To gain in state residency, you normally have to show that you came to the state for a reason other than just going to college. The good thing is, after the year you spend gaining residency, you can go to school as an in state student. I’m not 100% certain that this applies to Maine, but I live and Florida and want to go to school in California, and I will need to do it this way.

Hope this helps!