In March 2006, the Maine Community College System (MCCS) commissioned the marketing research and consulting firm Strategic Marketing Services (SMS) to conduct a quantitative research study to investigate the reasons why some Maine citizens have not pursued a college degree and identify the characteristics of an educational environment that would draw these citizens into higher education. This report presents the findings of that study. SMS found that of the nearly 455,000 Maine citizens aged 18 to 55 who have not completed a college degree, about 273,000 people (60% of 455,000) are "very interested," "somewhat interested," or "might be interested" in pursuing a college degree. Of these 273,000 people, 54,600 are "very interested" (20% of 273,000), 70,980 are "somewhat interested" (26% of 273,000), and 147,420 people "might be interested" (54% of 273,000) in pursuing a college degree in the future. Financial factors are major reasons why respondents have not pursued a college degree, with a clear majority of respondents reporting that low cost and financial aid would enable them to more easily pursue a college degree. Time availability has also been a major barrier to respondents pursuing a college degree. The opportunities to have a better job and to receive a higher income are perceived to be the two most important benefits of having a college degree. Respondents interested in owning their own business believe that having a college degree would help them in this goal. A high percentage of respondents indicated that they use the Internet at home and/or work, and there is a high degree of interest in online courses. Survey instrument is appended. [This report was prepared by Strategic Marketing Services for the Maine Community College System.]