University of Maine System enrollment increasing, early data show

With just one week before the semester starts, Maine's public universities are seeing signs that a continued commitment to affordability and new initiatives intended to support student access, recruitment and retention is paying off, despite headwinds in higher education

ORONO, Maine - The University of Maine System (UMS) will start the new academic year with its highest enrollment since 2021 as a result of region-leading affordability and new initiatives to advance student access and outcomes.

While official numbers will be confirmed later in the semester, with one week until classes commence on Sept. 3, headcount is up more than 5% over the same point last year, with 1,200 more students currently enrolled across Maine's public universities. Total enrollment is now nearing 24,400 students. Credit hours, which drive revenue, are also up more than 5%.

The undergraduate population, which has been consistently declining each year for at least two decades, is on track to be higher than last year with nearly 19,400 undergrads enrolled. Graduate enrollment, which has been steadily increasing as UMS expands programming to meet employer demand for professionals with advanced degrees, continues to climb and accounts for more than 4,700 graduate students now enrolled for the fall - a record.

UMS will welcome the most transfer students in a decade, with nearly 2,300 undergraduate transfer students expected - a 39% increase from last year.

More than 650 transfers, up 39% from this same time last year, are from the Maine Community College System (MCCS). Building on more than 180 articulation agreements that allow Maine community college students to seamlessly transfer to UMS, the two public systems last month announced guaranteed UMS admissions to MCCS graduates through a new Transfer ME initiative, which will further bolster future transfers.

"There is no better return on investment than a University of Maine System education. Our strong enrollment numbers show that Mainers increasingly recognize the terrific value proposition of our public universities," said Chancellor Dannel Malloy. "I am proud of the collective efforts across our System to ensure the state's most proven path to upward mobility is accessible, affordable and relevant for all learners. When its public universities thrive, so do Maine's families, economy and communities."

Enrollment highlights from Maine's public universities

There are success stories across the System and state.

Enrollment at the University of Maine at Presque Isle has increased an impressive 74% to more than 1,800 students due to demand for its flexible competency-based YourPace (External Site) certificate, undergraduate and graduate degree programs, which are offered entirely online and meet the needs of busy working adults.

Meanwhile, the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) is experiencing its first enrollment increase since 2017, with more students in nearly every major category the System tracks including first-year, undergraduate, graduate, transfer and Maine students. UMF enrollment is up more than 11% to nearly 1,600 students.

The University of Southern Maine (USM) is also reversing a trend of declining enrollment through strategic work on student recruitment, retention and transfer. Its growth is driven by a nearly 6% gain in graduate enrollment and a 19% increase in the number of undergraduate transfer students. The second largest university in the System, USM will enroll more than 6,100 students.

To meet state workforce needs, the University of Maine at Fort Kent launched an entirely online graduate nursing program in 2022, which now enrolls nearly 100 students and has resulted in that university's overall enrollment improvements.

The UMS flagship University of Maine (UMaine) will also welcome more students to its Orono campus this fall. Its total enrollment has improved from last year to nearly 10,600 students - the largest in the System - and its incoming class of nearly 2,100 first-year students is 13% bigger than last year's class. Meanwhile, credit hours are up 11% at the University of Maine at Machias as more students from across UMS are taking courses through the regional campus of UMaine, as is more easily enabled through the System's unified accreditation.

Amid a shortage of attorneys in rural regions and bolstered by its new downtown Portland campus, the University of Maine School of Law (Maine Law), which is the state's public and only law school, will grow to 278 students - an increase of 7% from five years ago. Maine Law's incoming class has 100 students, an increase of 11% from last year and its largest new class since at least 2008.

The University of Maine at Augusta (UMA)expects an incoming class of nearly 300 first-year students, which is 18% larger than last year's. Additionally, new graduate programs have led to UMA tripling its graduate enrollment since 2020 to more than 100 students.

Enrollment growth driven by affordability, innovation

UMS enrollment has been increasingly challenged in recent years due to New England's demographic realities and competition from better-resourced public and private institutions in the Northeast.

To support Mainers' professional and personal goals, better attract and retain talent to the state and sustain its universities where they are required by law to be, the System has undertaken new initiatives under the leadership of Chancellor Malloy.

For example, UMS piloted direct admissions this year, inviting Maine high school students who were successful in its free early college courses to enroll without going through the traditional admission process. More than 350 directly admitted students ultimately enrolled, half of whom came from economically disadvantaged PK-12 districts. That has contributed to a 20% increase in the number of students coming to UMS directly from Maine high schools (more than 2,500).

The System additionally partnered with Live & Work in Maine to send letters to more than 20,000 accepted students this summer that were signed by the leaders of Maine companies, who pledged to provide them rewarding career opportunities while enrolled and upon their graduation. The letters are part of a broader effort by the System, supported through various investments including from the Harold Alfond Foundation for UMS TRANSFORMS, to prepare and connect students to Maine careers through Research Learning Experiences (RLEs) and paid internships.

Maine's public universities were also proactive in helping prospective students and their families understand the affordability and payoff of a UMS degree following the federal government's delayed roll-out of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The listed price of UMS tuition has actually decreased over the past five years when adjusted for inflation. UMaine is the most affordable flagship in the region, with its FY25 in-state credit hour rate 38% lower than the average of its New England peers. Last year, more than 19,000 UMS students were awarded assistance they did not need to pay back, with the average package of scholarships, grants and waivers totaling $9,006.

UMaine alumni earn double the state's average median per capita income, consistent with national data that demonstrate bachelor's and advanced degree holders enjoy better earnings, employment rates, job security and health outcomes.

Maine's public universities have also launched new academic programs, including those accessible online to place-bound learners to meet student and employer demand, and initiatives to help adults with some college complete their door-opening degree. One-quarter of the undergraduate students enrolled this fall are 25 and older, an increase from past years.

While Mainers still make up the overwhelming majority of students enrolled (69%), the System is the largest importer of talent to the state, with more than 7,000 students coming here to study at Maine's public universities - many who stay to live and work here after graduating.

Official enrollment data for the Fall 2024 semester will be presented to the UMS Board of Trustees in November, following a formal census required for federal and other reporting on Oct. 15.

The UMS enrollment data previewed here does not reflect the thousands of Maine secondary students who will earn free college credit through UMS this fall, or those participating in non-credit bearing UMS educational programs, including the tens of thousands of youth who participate in UMaine Cooperative Extension 4-H programming annually.

About the University of Maine System

The University of Maine System (UMS) is the state's largest driver of educational attainment and economic development and its seven public universities and law school are the most affordable in New England. Over the past two decades, UMS has awarded 106,362 degrees and spurred and strengthened thousands of small Maine businesses through its world-class research and development activities. For more information, visit www.maine.edu.

Media Contact:

Samantha Warren
Director of External Affairs, University of Maine System
207-632-0389 / [email protected]

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