Dive Brief:
- Out-of-state student commitments to the University of Maine system are up 12% this fall compared to a year ago.
- Out-of-state students pay nearly three times the tuition and fees charged for Maine residents: $27,970 compared to $10,700 for in-state students for the University of Maine at Orono, and $21,280 compared to $8,920 at the University of Southern Maine.
- Overall, applications to the Maine system were up 10% from a year ago and new student commitments dropped 2.9%, the Portland Press-Herald reported.
Dive Insight:
Overall, 1,511 out-of-state students will attend the seven University of Maine schools. Maine has stepped up its recruiting of in-state residents to keep them from getting poached by other states looking to boost their own out-of-state tuition revenues. One Maine recruiting tool: A tuition freeze in place since 2011, with state officials vowing not to cut education funds. On the down side, the tuition freeze and flat state spending, combined with declining enrollment, led to a $36 million deficit for the Maine system that was closed by laying off 157 staff members. A projected deficit of $69 million looms in 2019.