Aug. 27—Reversing recent trends, the University of Maine System is posting a 5% enrollment increase, according to preliminary estimates. It’s the highest enrollment in the system since 2021.
An additional 1,200 students have enrolled at system campuses for the 2024-25 school year, bringing total enrollment to about 24,400 students. The system’s flagship campus, University of Maine Orono, posted an enrollment of about 10,600, and the incoming freshman class of 2,100 is about 13% larger than last year.
“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,” Chancellor Dannel Malloy said in a written statement. “When its public universities thrive, so do Maine’s families, economy and communities.”
Part of the reason for the enrollment increase, according to the news release, is a 39% increase in undergraduate transfers — 650 of them from the Maine Community College System. Maine has made community college tuition free for recent Maine high school graduates.
And now, because of agreements between Maine’s community college and university systems, community college students can seamlessly transfer to the university system.
At the University of Southern Maine, which has campuses in Gorham and Portland, enrollment increased 2%, the first increase since 2019. The uptick was fueled by a 19% jump in undergraduate transfer students, many from the community college system.
“The University of Southern Maine combines academic excellence with an incredibly affordable price, meaningful community engagements, and strong employer connections,” said university President Jacqueline Edmondson.
This story will be updated.
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