Dear Partners,
As participation and enrollment in Maine’s early college opportunities has surged, the MDOE, UMS, and MCCS implemented an 18-credit lifetime cap on Aspirations-funded coursework beginning with the Class of 2027. This replaced the statutory allowance of 12 credits per academic year that gave students access to 48 potential Aspirations-funded credits. We retained the 12-per-year limit as a control on excess student activity.
Over the past several months, we have collected feedback from both external and internal groups. In particular, we heard from school counselors during in-person conferences and an open virtual meeting. While supportive and understanding of the change, the consensus was that these multiple parameters would be confusing and unwieldy. Given that this program serves over 10,000 students annually across most of Maine’s public schools and higher education institutions, the framework must be simple, transparent, and easy to track.
In response to this feedback, UMS, MCCS, and the DOE agreed to eliminate the 12-credit annual cap and enforce only the 18-credit lifetime limit for students in the Class of 2027 and beyond, with shared institutional semester-based course limits.
**CTE Students in approved career pathways are eligible for an additional 6 credits in their pathway courses for a total of 24 credits **
UMS and MCCS will limit the number of courses students take per semester, with support and approval from DOE. This will act as a control similar to the intent of the 12-per-year credit limit.
UMS/MCCS Course limits per semester (totals within and across systems):
- Summer : 2 courses, cannot meet during the same shortened session
- Fall: 3 courses
- Spring: 3 courses
- Year-long concurrent enrollment courses may be counted in either fall or spring semester with EC office approval, but students will still register in the fall.
- EC offices have the right to deny enrollment to a student based upon their prior academic history. Course limits may be imposed regardless of the student’s ability or willingness to pay for excess credits.
The hope is that this simplified lifetime maximum for Aspirations will ensure that all Maine students have access to intentional college courses that help them explore career pathways and build college-ready skills. Maine’s secondary schools are essential partners in this work, and we thank you for your continued collaboration.
Sincerely,
Amy Hubbard, PhD
Executive Director of Early College
University of Maine System
(207)572-3806
amy.l.hubbard@maine.edu
maine.edu/early-college
Mercedes Pour, EdD
Director of College Access & Secondary Partnerships
Academic Affairs
Maine Community College System
(207) 615-4761
mpour@mainecc.edu
OnCourse Website