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On average, students enroll in six credit hours per year. According to An and Taylor (2019), one or two courses might yield the strongest results. Additional courses do not seem to yield any additional benefits on outcomes, which is why the Credits with Purpose and Career Exploration Pathways initiatives are so important for any credits above six. For fall 2020, 4% of the credit hours were in-person, 39% were online, and 57% were concurrent enrollment (CE).

It is not surprising that credit hours has increased with an increase in headcount. Online and on-campus growth was substantial, with 89% growth in 5 years. CE 5-year growth rate (when including Bridge Year) was 50%. Two limiting factors impact CE capacity: the availability and willingness of university faculty to serve as liaisons, and the availability of high school teachers that meet the credentials required by the academic departments at each university.


Credit Hours of University of Maine System (UMS) Early College Students by Institution, Program, and Academic Year (Summer, Fall, Spring)

University of Maine (UMaine)

Program 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
Online/On campus 924 824 1,046 1,678 2,344
Bridge Academy 511 288 28 110 31
Concurrent Enrollment (at the high school) 0 0 0 65 193
Total Credit Hours 1,435 1,112 1,074 1,853 2,568

University of Maine at Augusta (UMA)

Program 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
Online/On campus 673 1,160 1,903 2,575 2,282
Bridge Academy 2,043 2,156 1,528 1,211 1,116
Concurrent Enrollment 285 60 44 76 1,863
Total Credit Hours 3,001 3,376 3,475 3,862 5,261

University of Maine at Farmington (UMF)

Program 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
Online/On campus 72 46 84 136 158
Concurrent Enrollment 0 32 270 848 448
Total Credit Hours 72 78 354 984 606

University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK)

Program 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
Online/On campus 1,442 1,636 1,773 1,389 1,525
Bridge Academy 0 168 49 15 0
Concurrent Enrollment 1,991 2,730 2,413 2,918 2,495
Total Credit Hours 3,433 4,534 4,235 4,322 4,020

University of Maine at Machias (UMM)

Program 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
Online/On campus 602 625 604 758 1,088
Total Credit Hours 602 625 604 758 1,088

University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI)

Program 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
Online/On campus 686 581 703 545 430
Concurrent Enrollment 2,481 3,356 4,543 4,896 3,944
Total Credit Hours 3,167 3,937 5,246 5,441 4,374

University of Southern Maine (USM)

Program 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
Online/On campus 660 915 996 1,444 1,597
Bridge Academy 0 137 28 0 0
Concurrent Enrollment 2,474 2,733 2,452 2,906 4,602
Total Credit Hours 3,134 3,785 3,476 4,350 6,199

University of Maine System (UMS)

Program 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
Online/On campus 4,987 5,741 7,025 7,606 9,424
Bridge Academy 2,554 2,749 1,633 1,336 1,147
Concurrent Enrollment 7,231 8,911 9,722 11,709 13,545
Grand Total Credit Hours 14,772 17,401 18,380 20,651 24,116

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