ORONO – The University of Maine System is launching an in-state tuition college dream completion program providing resident tuition status to any successful U.S. college student or law student displaced by a COVID-19-related permanent closure of a U.S. institution of higher education. The Maine Welcome is a first-of-its-kind national offer of resident tuition eligibility to help college students continue on a path to a quality college or law degree.
The University of Maine System also will extend The Maine Welcome as a component of teach-out agreements with institutions permanently ceasing operations and seeking reasonable opportunities for students to complete their programs of study.
The proposed average in-state tuition for full-time attendance at a University of Maine System institution for the upcoming academic year is $8,071 for undergraduate students and $23,190 for law school students. Average academic year tuition is based on 15 credit hours per semester for two semesters. The UMS Board of Trustees will act on the proposed tuition rates at its May meeting.
“College instability has never been a bigger threat to student success. The higher education marketplace was in the midst of a disruptive transition before a global health pandemic upended the spring semester and eliminated billions of dollars in campus revenues at colleges and universities,” said Chancellor Dannel Malloy. “Institutions serving tens of thousands of learners will unfortunately close and successful students are going to need a place to fulfill their college dreams.
“The Maine Welcome invites stranded students from all 50 states to finish with us and pay the same tuition as Maine residents at our highly affordable, high-quality public universities.”
In addition to resident tuition eligibility at Maine’s seven public universities, The Maine Welcome comes with a commitment to expedite transfer applications and provide flexibility and accommodations in considering how academic performance has been impacted by COVID-19 and institutional closures.
The UMS Board of Trustees will receive an update and review the program at its May meeting.
Attracting new talent to Maine when it is safe to do so is a critical component of Maine’s 10-year Strategic Economic Development Plan developed under the leadership of Gov. Janet Mills. University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias President Joan Ferrini-Mundy served on the strategic work team that helped author the plan.
“Attracting 75,000 people to our state talent pool is one of the three overarching goals of Maine’s new Strategic Economic Development Plan,” said President Ferrini-Mundy. “As the state’s only public research university, UMaine has been a leader in the System’s out-of-state enrollment growth.
“We have a place here for successful students whose plans have been upended by a college closure. Students who join us at the University of Southern Maine and our sister University of Maine System institutions will be valued and have the support they need to complete their academic programs,” said USM President Glenn Cummings.
Maine and its public universities have been national leaders in responding to and managing the health, community, and educational impacts of COVID-19. UMS continues to comply with public health guidance and has announced its intention to welcome students to campus in the fall, if group gatherings and interactions are permissible and advisable at that time.
The System has established a Fall 2020 Safe Return Committee that will be working with university scientists to establish operational plans and protocols that can be adapted to changes in health guidance and medical advances.
