University in United States
Orono, ME, United States
University profile
The University of Maine (UMaine) is the state's flagship public research university, founded in Orono in 1865 as the Maine State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. It describes itself as Maine's only Carnegie R1 institution (R1 status held since 2022 and reaffirmed in 2025), Maine's land-grant university, and a Sea Grant and Space Grant university. Its teams compete in NCAA Division I as the Maine Black Bears in the America East Conference.
The flagship campus is in Orono, Maine, with a regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias, on the Bold Coast. Academic work is organised in the College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences; the College of Education and Human Development; the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the Maine Business School; the Maine College of Engineering and Computing; the Honors College; and the Graduate School. The university offers 250 academic programs, including over 70 master's and 30 doctoral areas of study, and a Student-Faculty Ratio of 16:1. Mechanical Engineering, Psychology, Nursing, Finance and Civil Engineering are the top undergraduate majors by student credit hours.
Fall 2025 enrolment was 10,644 students at UMaine, 64% of them from Maine: 8,225 undergraduates and 2,419 graduate students (185 in certificates, 1,445 master's and 641 doctoral). UMaine Machias enrolled 288 students. Research Learning Experiences begin in the first year with a Bridge Week, and 52% of first-year students took part in Fall 2025.
Student life includes more than 200 student clubs, the New Balance Recreation Center (intramurals, aquatics, outdoor adventure and wellness programs), and on-campus housing for 3,576 students in 18 residence halls, with living-learning communities, honors housing and graduate housing. The Education Abroad office runs semester, year, summer and internship programs, and Early College lets high-school students take courses before enrolling.
International applicants apply through the Common Application or the ApplyMaine Application, with a NACES-accredited transcript evaluation unless exempt (WASSCE, International Baccalaureate, Cambridge International, American and Canadian schools are exempt). English proficiency is required unless waived, and admissions-based international merit scholarships are awarded at the time of admission.
First-year and transfer merit scholarships are awarded at admission with no separate application; applying by December 1 gives maximum consideration. 89% of undergraduates received grant or scholarship aid in Fall 2025 and UMaine gave $120M in scholarships in 2024/25. Flagship Match gives eligible out-of-state students a tuition rate equal to in-state tuition at their home-state flagship, renewable for up to 8 semesters or 120 credits.
The Flagship Scholars Commitment Program gives admissions-based scholarships to international students with a minimum 2.5 cumulative high school GPA, based on GPA and rigor of coursework. For Fall 2027-Spring 2028 annual award ranges are $16,200 (Flagship Match Commitment), $9,000-$12,000 (Flagship Leaders Commitment) and $25,110 (Global Flagship Match Commitment, for international graduates of Maine high schools). Applying by December 1, 2026 may add a $3,000 Early Action Award. Awards are renewable for up to 8 semesters or 120 credits with a required minimum GPA.
Teaching, research and graduate assistantships are awarded by departments. The Graduate School's nominated scholarships (each paying a year's tuition) include Graduate Trustee Tuition Scholarships, Thurgood Marshall Scholarships and Atlantic Provinces Graduate Scholarships; Chase Distinguished Research Assistantships are also awarded. Federal work-study graduate assistantships are open only to domestic students who completed the FAFSA.
International scholarships | Cost and aid | Graduate funding
UMaine Flagship Scholars Commitment (International Undergraduate Merit Scholarships) →
UMaine Graduate School Scholarships and Assistantships →
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View scholarships for University of Maine →Applicants apply through the Common Application or the ApplyMaine Application, with no application fee. A high school transcript and a letter of recommendation are required, along with transcripts from any completed college work; some programs have additional requirements. Applications are reviewed holistically and standardized test scores (SAT/ACT) are optional.
Fall deadlines: December 1 Early Action (maximum financial aid and a guaranteed decision before the end of the year); March 1 regular deadline; after March 1 applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Spring: November 1 recommended date, with Survey Engineering Technology applications completed after November 15 and all applications after January 1 reviewed on a space-available basis. Official documents go to [email protected] or to University Processing Center, PO Box 412, Bangor, ME 04401.
Fall transfer: March 1 preferred regular filing date, June 1 FAFSA on-time date and Nursing application date, and July 1 after which applications are space-available. Spring transfers apply early in the fall semester, with applications after January 1 space-available. Transfer scholarship opportunities and a transfer credit evaluation are available; contact [email protected].
International undergraduates complete the Common Application or ApplyMaine Application, provide a NACES-accredited evaluation of all secondary and post-secondary education (first-year applicants may choose a basic or course-by-course evaluation; transfer applicants must choose course-by-course), and submit an English proficiency score unless exempt. Exempt from the evaluation (transcripts or exam results submitted instead): WASSCE, International Baccalaureate, American and Canadian high schools and universities, and Cambridge International secondary schools. Waivers may be approved case by case by the Admissions Committee.
English proficiency minimums: TOEFL iBT 79 (pre-January 2026) or 4.5 (post-January 2026); TOEFL Essentials 8.5; IELTS 6.5; PTE 53; CEFR completed B2; Duolingo English Test 110. The test is waived for native English speakers or those educated in English (including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and others listed by UMaine), students with two or more years in a non-ESL track in the U.S. or Canada, a passed U.S. college English Composition course with a C or higher, English Home Language on the South African NSC, a school letter stating English is the language of instruction, SAT Reading/Writing 550 or higher, or ACT English 24 or higher.
International fall deadlines: December 1 Early Action; March 1 regular; July 15 final for applicants outside the U.S. and Canada; August 1 for applicants residing in the U.S. or Canada. Spring: November 1 regular; December 1 (outside U.S./Canada) or December 15 (U.S./Canada) final. Honors College admission is by invitation, with Early Action first-year applicants automatically considered.
Graduate applicants use the graduate application portal and submit a resume and essay (required for all programs), letters of recommendation where the program requires them, and any program-specific materials such as test scores, writing samples or portfolios. Unofficial transcripts are uploaded with the application; official transcripts are required only on admission. Many programs require GRE, GMAT or Praxis scores. International graduate applicants must submit English proficiency scores unless they hold a degree from an English-speaking institution: minimum TOEFL iBT 82, IELTS 6.5, PTE 65, Duolingo 115 (teaching assistant minimums: 98, 7, 75 and 130). The MBA has no waivers except for a bachelor's or master's degree completed in the USA or Canada (excluding Quebec).
On-campus housing accommodates 3,576 students; washers and dryers are free for residents. The university also delivers online degrees and certificates through UMaine Online.
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