More than 11,500 students have already enrolled in summer courses at Maine’s public universities, which have expanded academic offerings outside the traditional fall and spring semesters to keep working students on track to in-demand degrees and upward mobility
ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine System (UMS) has achieved its fifth-straight semester of enrollment growth, with more than 11,500 students taking courses through Maine’s public universities this summer.
Despite demographic pressures and better-resourced peers, the System has now increased year-over-year enrollment in five consecutive semesters: spring 2024, summer 2024, fall 2024, spring 2025 and summer 2025.
Multiple sessions are available from May through August, and UMS will not conduct an official count of this semester’s students until Aug. 15, when most summer courses are complete. Hundreds more students are expected to enroll before then.
In the meantime, as summer starts, the System’s semester enrollment of 11,516 students has already exceeded its highest point since 2011 and there are 6.7% more students enrolled now than at this same point last year. It is the third summer semester in a row where overall UMS enrollment has grown, with gains among both undergraduate and graduate students.
Credit hours, which reflect the relevance and affordability of the System’s academic offerings and determine tuition revenue, are 17% higher than at this time in summer 2024 and 33% above five years ago.
All of Maine’s public universities are showing summer enrollment growth over last year, led by the University of Maine at Presque Isle, where the accessible and affordable YourPace online adult degree completion program (External Site) has increased enrollment by 37% over last summer. The University of Maine at Fort Kent has already surpassed its highest enrollment since 2017, and the University of Maine at Farmington its highest since 2019.
Consistent with overall System enrollment and state demographic trends, UMS summer enrollment had been steadily declining since the high point in the early 2000s but has rebounded recently.
“We’re excited to see more students enrolling in summer courses across Maine’s public universities and proud that our expanded offerings are helping those balancing work and family responsibilities stay on track to their degree, workforce opportunity and upward mobility,” said Chancellor Dannel Malloy.
Nearly 900 courses are available this summer at the University of Maine (External Site) and more than 500 are available at the University of Southern Maine (USM) (External Site).
“I had pursued my master’s earlier in my career, but juggling work, family and school left me little time to stay on track. I know that a number of professional opportunities have passed me by since I did not have a graduate degree, so I decided to pick up where I left off,” said Claire Kiedrowski, of Bangor, who is one of nearly 3,900 students enrolled in summer courses at UMaine. “I am hoping to take a course each summer, fall and spring until I earn my degree. UMaine makes this easy for me, and I appreciate the variety of their course offerings. There are no excuses for me now.”
Aiden Esterline, of Winslow, is a new father who is relying on summer courses at USM to complete his door-opening undergraduate accounting degree and enter the Maine workforce in just three years. He is one of more than 3,200 students enrolled in USM summer courses, the most since 2021.
“I recently had a son and without the ability to graduate early, I would be far more worried about my family’s financial future. Summer courses at USM are allowing me to earn my degree more quickly so I can begin providing for my family,” he said. “I also feel that my early graduation will make me a better candidate for internships and job opportunities.”
Some UMS universities, like UMaine, also offer the option for incoming students to get a head start on their studies by taking a single course over the summer at a reduced rate to ease the transition into postsecondary education. This is in addition to research learning experiences, which are funded by the Harold Alfond Foundation through UMS TRANSFORMS and provide first-year students across the System summer bridge weeks for engaging, hands-on discovery that improves student retention, success and workforce readiness.
Not included in the overall enrollment figures are more than 800 Maine high school students who are earning early college credit through UMS this summer, mostly through UMaine and its regional campus in Machias, USM and the University of Maine at Augusta. That’s a 13% increase from this time last year.
UMS summer enrollment information is available on the System’s transparent data dashboard (External Site).
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 / samantha.warren@maine.edu