BANGOR, Maine — The University of Maine System is reporting its first enrollment increase in at least a decade.
Enrollment is up 5 percent compared to last year, and UMS officials said efforts in outreach and student retention are what made the uptick possible.
The 2024 academic year marks the first time enrollment has increased in more than a decade for the public universities system, which said that efforts to break the downward trend required outreach to new students and creating programs that increase student retention.
More than 24,000 students are enrolled in UMS schools this year, making it the largest student body since 2021.
UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy said getting to this point involved collaborative efforts between leadership at all eight UMS colleges, and community outreach played a big role.
“We are reaching out to people who may not think of themselves as ready for college,” he said.
Malloy also emphasized efforts to communicate more effectively with high school students and their parents and make a UMS degree more attractive.
One program that checks multiple boxes is the first-year student Research Learning Experience program.
Part of the larger UMS TRANSFORMS initiative, the RLE program brings students in a week early and gives them major-specific hands-on experience.
University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy emphasized the breadth of options for students.
“For a student who wants to try out an interest of intrigue or creative development or of scientific research of some kind, they get the chance the minute they get here at the University of Maine,” Ferrini-Mundy said.
Courses put students into cohort groups with topics ranging from fine art to 3D to political science.
After their immersive “bridge week,” students are then enrolled in a course for the semester to continue their RLE education, focused on research and exploration.
Providing an immersive experience is helpful for student retention according to Malloy.
“Letting them see what's possible after they finish their education,” he said. “Is something that is driving people to work a little bit harder, to stay with us, to understand the implications of that education experience.”
This fall, 1,470 students across UMS schools enrolled in RLE. Two students at UMaine are Molly Curtis and Brody Lake. As nursing majors, their course prepares them for the stress of working in health care.
“I think that all these mindful practices are going to really limit that stress I’m going to experience,” Curtis said.
But the payoffs don’t end with education. Lake said the community he has within his cohort “makes being social so much easier.”
However, a four-year degree is a commitment some may not want to take on.
Malloy recommended prospective students consider starting out with programs at Maine’s public community colleges, which are free for high school graduates of the 2022-2025 classes.
“It may not be right for everybody, but give it a try before you write it off,” Malloy encouraged.