It began as Houlton Academy in 1848, before being subsequently renamed Ricker Classical Institute in 1887.
As with many other small, private colleges in the US, Ricker College faced financial difficulties in the 1970s and was forced to close its Houlton campus in May 1978.
Other off-campus programs in continuing education remained operational after the main campus's closing, but not at the collegiate level.
A branch of the University of Maine system, the University of Maine at Presque Isle Outreach at Houlton, holds classes in a newly renovated building on Military Street.
This article about a university or college in Maine is a stub.