University of Maine

University of Maine is a public institution that was founded in 1865. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 9,339, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 660 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Maine's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 168. Its in-state tuition and fees are $10,610 (2015-16); out-of-state tuition and fees are $28,880 (2015-16).

Located on the banks of the Stillwater River in the town of Orono, the University of Maine campus is about 60 miles from the Atlantic coast and approximately 100 miles from the Canadian border. At the University of Maine, students can choose from nearly 90 undergraduate majors and more than 70 master's degree programs, including business, law, engineering and education. Outside the classroom, University of Maine students participate in many annual events. When freshmen move into the dorms before fall semester, faculty and staff volunteers greet the new students, help them move in and direct traffic as part of the Maine Hello program. Each spring, classes are canceled for Maine Day, when the university community hosts a parade, and then everyone helps clean the campus.

The university, often called UMaine, also has more than 200 student organizations and about 25 fraternities and sororities for students to join. Student athletes at UMaine can get involved at the intramural, club and varsity levels. The UMaine Black Bears intercollegiate sports teams compete in various conferences of the NCAA Division I and are best known for hockey. Notable UMaine alumni include bestselling horror author Stephen King, who wrote "Carrie" and "The Green Mile."

The University of Maine offers the extensive academic opportunities you'd expect from a major research university with the close-knit feel of a small college. As Maine's flagship university, UMaine offers the state's most comprehensive academic experience, with more than 90 undergraduate majors and academic programs, 75 master's programs and 30 doctoral programs. All majors benefit from a firm foundation in the liberal arts. Top students are invited to join UMaine's Honors College, one of the country's oldest honors programs. The University of Maine is ranked 105 in the National Science Foundation's top research universities, and its facilities and faculty have an international reputation for excellence. Among the highlights are the Climate Change Institute, which has been featured on '60 Minutes', the Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, which is a hub for cutting-edge sensor and nanotechnology research, and the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, which is leading the nation in deepwater offshore wind energy development. UMaine students have extraordinary opportunities to gain real-world experience. SPIFFY, a student investment club, manages a $2.3 million real-money portfolio. Wildlife ecology majors learn about bear behavior by going out and tagging cubs. Engineering majors secure co-ops and internships that often lead to employment after graduation. Education majors take advantage of urban, rural and international student-teaching opportunities. UMaine has five colleges: College of Education and Human Development; College of Engineering; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture; Honors College; and the Maine Business School. Undergraduate research is a priority and a point of pride. The Center for Undergraduate Research connects students with faculty projects that suit their interests. For many, research provides an opportunity for a mentor-mentee relationship different from, and often richer than, that of teacher-student. Skills developed through research and scholarship make students more competitive in the workplace and in graduate school. Students have opportunities to work alongside some of the most renowned scholars and scientists in the world, whether they're talking civil engineering over lunch in the Bear's Den or traversing an Antarctic ice sheet with climate researchers. In addition to state-of-the art research and classroom facilities, the University of Maine is the region's cultural hub, home to the Collins Center for the Arts and several museums and galleries. The New Balance Student Recreation Center is a campus hot spot, as is Fogler Library, the state's largest library. Students can get involved in more than 200 clubs and organizations, 17 fraternities or eight sororities, Student Government, community service groups, intramural sports and more. UMaine is the state's only Division I school, and athletic events, especially hockey, are a big part of the student experience. In fact, the Wall Street Journal says Alfond Arena has the best atmosphere in college hockey, and Orono is ranked 29 in The Bleacher Report's Top 50 Hockey Cities in North America. There's no place like Maine, and our students take advantage of the great outdoors whenever they can. There are 15 miles of walking, biking and cross-country skiing trails on campus. Some of the best skiing in the Northeast is located within an easy driving distance of campus, as are Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park and Baxter State Park, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.