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The University of Maine System (UMS) has announced a proposed 3% increase in tuition as part of its Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25).
The UMS Board of Trustees’ Finance, Facilities and Technology Committee recently reviewed the system’s $646.7 million FY25 proposed operating budget that would be — for the first time since 2014 — balanced without the use of budget stabilization funds.
“Proposing a tuition increase, however modest, is not something we take lightly. Our record reflects that, and just in the last three years, we have held tuition flat twice with the support of the state,” said UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy, for whom the board also authorized a contract extension through June 30, 2027.
“We are only recommending a small increase now because it is absolutely necessary to meet our obligations to our faculty, staff, and student workers, and make investments necessary to support our students and their success, including to improve the classrooms, laboratories, and residence halls.”
The proposal includes increases to mandatory fees, room and board, and in-state undergraduate tuition by 3%, or an additional $8 and $12 per credit hour depending on the university. The total listed price for a full-time Maine undergraduate student would increase by an average of $1,044 next year across the system with an expansion of differential tuition for some high-cost programs.
System officials said the increase — consistent with the new UMS strategic plan — is mitigated by cost savings achieved through efficiencies, ranging from selling underused space to implementing energy efficiencies to sharing space and programs. Among the system’s cost-saving measures, attrition in faculty and staff is expected to generate $10.1 million in savings in FY25.