Maine’s public universities have grown enrollment for six consecutive semesters, defying demographics thanks to affordability, admission and academic innovations, relevant programming and a proven value proposition
ORONO, Maine — More than 25,000 students will advance their career readiness and upward mobility through Maine’s public universities this fall.
While an official count of students will not take place until October, the University of Maine System (UMS) is on track for its sixth consecutive semester of year-over-year enrollment growth, defying demographic trends (External Site) in the Northeast.
With five days until classes commence for the 2025-26 academic year, more than 25,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students have enrolled in the System — an increase over last year and the most since 2021. Additionally, more than 1,500 Maine high schoolers will get a head start on their postsecondary education through UMS early college, bringing the total number of students served by the System in credit-bearing courses to nearly 26,600.
“When our public universities grow, so does Maine’s workforce and economy. Our sixth consecutive semester of enrollment gains demonstrates that the University of Maine System is meeting the market with relevant, high-quality academic programs that are affordable, accessible and a proven path to great-paying Maine careers,” said Chancellor Dannel Malloy. “We’re grateful to the increasing number of students and families who are entrusting us with their higher education and upward mobility, and we will do everything we can to support their success on our campuses and in Maine communities and careers.”
Driven by the System’s value proposition, region-leading affordability and enrollment innovations such as direct admission, UMS enrollment of first-year, first-time in-state students has increased to more than 2,500, led by gains at the University of Maine at Augusta (+8%) and the University of Southern Maine (+5%). That compares to about 2,100 incoming in-state students having enrolled at this same point in time two years ago.
Among the new programs attracting undergraduates to UMS is the Downeast Nursing Track (External Site), a partnership between the University of Maine at Machias and UMA to fill local healthcare vacancies and allow Washington County students to earn a nursing degree close to home. There are nine students enrolled in the first cohort who will concurrently earn a bachelor’s in nursing from UMA and a bachelor’s of college studies from UMaine Machias, a regional campus of the University of Maine.
There is also growth in the number of undergraduates transferring into the System from other institutions to earn a door-opening bachelor’s degree, with 13% more transfer students than last year and 51% more than two years ago.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s (UMPI) flexible online competency-based YourPace (External Site) for busy adults has more than doubled its enrollment over five years and is driving increases in transfer and overall System enrollment this fall. UMPI is welcoming 924 new transfer students this fall, compared to just 138 in 2021.
Other UMS undergraduate universities are also seeing success in their efforts to welcome more working adults back to higher education through accessible and career-relevant programming, including the University of Maine at Farmington, where the number of transfer students has more than doubled in just two years. USM is also showing strong transfer growth.
Additionally, Maine’s public universities now guarantee admission to graduates of the state’s community colleges, and more than 150 articulation agreements ensure seamless transfer without any credit loss.
Record graduate and law school enrollment address workforce demand
As employers increasingly expect advanced degrees and the System expands online and in-person programs accordingly, its graduate enrollment continues to climb, with nearly 5,000 students enrolled for the upcoming fall semester — the most on record.
There are more graduate students than ever before at UMPI, where graduate enrollment has more than doubled from last year, thanks to YourPace, and at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, where graduate nursing programs (External Site) launched in 2022 with 24 students and 160 are now enrolled.
UMaine, which enrolls nearly half of the System’s graduate students, continues to demonstrate strong graduate enrollment, with a 27% increase in doctoral enrollment from five years ago. A land, sea and space grant institution, UMaine is the state’s only university to have achieved R1 Carnegie Classification for research excellence and productivity, and has prioritized maintaining paid graduate student opportunities despite federal funding uncertainty, including with philanthropic funding secured through its Foundation (External Site).
Bolstered by its breakout national rankings (External Site), bar passage rate and downtown Portland campus, the University of Maine School of Law has hit its highest enrollment since 1997, with 292 students. This growth is enabling Maine’s only law school to expand access to justice through its legal aid clinics, which provide more than 17,000 hours of pro bono service annually, and by graduating more attorneys into the state’s workforce, including into rural practice.
As students return to campuses for the fall semester, they’ll find a number of modernized facilities to improve their experience and success, funded by public and private investment that signals the System’s importance to the state. This week, UMA opened its Capital Center for Nursing and Cybersecurity Workforce Development (External Site), which will expand enrollment and enhance hands-on training in two of the state’s most in-demand fields. USM’s Crewe Center for the Arts (External Site) will open this fall and major renovations to UMaine’s iconic Alfond Arena and the New Balance Track & Field and Soccer Complex (External Site) will soon be complete and are funded in large part by the Harold Alfond Foundation through UMS TRANSFORMS (External Site).
Thanks to fiscal stewardship and growing appropriations supported by recent legislatures and Gov. Janet Mills, Maine’s public universities are the most affordable in New England and most offer free tuition for eligible Maine undergraduate students who qualify for need-based federal Pell grants. As a result, 30% of in-state undergrads paid nothing out-of-pocket for tuition and mandatory fees last year. Graduates of the flagship earn more than double Maine’s median income (External Site).
As part of its commitment to public transparency and accountability, the System’s enrollment data is available online (External Site). A detailed enrollment report will be made publicly available in November, following a formal census of students after the course add/drop period on Oct. 15.
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