Frequently Asked Questions
You will find a full list of FAQs under each topic. If you cannot find your answer here, please let us know so that we can enhance the Early College experience for all.
Eligibility Questions
A Maine student must:
- Be a full-time high school student
- Have a recommendation from the high school guidance counselor
- Have the consent of their parent or guardian
- Have a B or better academic average or permission from the high school guidance counselor
- Be a resident of the state of Maine
- Meet academic course prerequisites, if any
- Be attending a state-eligible secondary school or state-approved homeschool
For free tuition, eligibility guidelines are determined by the Maine Department of Education.
Homeschool students are eligible if they have filed a letter of intent to homeschool with the State of Maine. Parents will approve applications in lieu of a school counselor. An ExplorEC guide for parents is available. If parents approve applications for a student who is not registered with the state, parents may be responsible for tuition costs at the Early College rate.
If you pay tuition to attend any school in the State of Maine, you are eligible to take courses at a reduced Early College rate of $149 per credit. You must meet the academic criteria mentioned above.
The Department of Education does allow qualified freshmen and sophomores to access the Early College Program (Aspirations DOE funding). We do, however, require freshman students to complete one semester of high school courses before enrolling in Early College.
The Early College program allows high school students from out-of-state (non-Maine residents) to take college courses. Out-of-state students pay a discounted rate of $149 /credit hour. (Compared to the non-resident rate of $1,229/credit hour and the NEBHE rate of $742/credit hour)Students will choose out-of-state as their high school in the ExplorEC portal. To be eligible an out-of-state student must:
- Be a full-time high school student
- Have a recommendation from the high school guidance counselor (form link will be sent manually).
- Have the consent of their parent or guardian
- Have a B or better academic average or permission from the high school guidance counselor
- Meet academic course prerequisites, if any
International students attending Maine high schools may take up to 12 college credits per academic year at the new Early College rate. Students will pay a discounted tuition of $149 /credit hour. (Compared to the non-resident rate of $1,229/credit hour and the NEBHE rate of $742/credit hour)
Students living abroad (non-US) need to complete this Application through the Office of International Programs. School Counselors will need to complete an approval form.
If an international student is looking for guidance or support around specific issues such as advising, admissions, or immigration, please contact the Office of International Programs.
Phone: (207) 581–3437
E-mail: international@maine.edu
Application Questions
Create your account at ExplorEC (remember to have your parent sign the application). Apply for your course and meet with your school counselor to approve your application. You can view our process video to see all the steps involved. You can find more information on our How to Apply page.
Choose your course from the recommended semester listings on our website.
- Course registration is subject to space availability and registration will be confirmed via email.
- A maximum limit of eighteen (18) total free credits over a student’s high school career with a limit of twelve (12) free credits per academic year can be covered by Department of Education funding. Approved Maine students have the opportunity to take additional credits. They will only be charged a reduced tuition rate of $149 credit/hr for any credits over these limits.
The processing of your application may take a minimum of 2-5 business days from the date your school counselor approves your application. During peak enrollment periods this may be extended as we process applications manually. This process is the reason we have a full week deadline for applications.
Absolutely! Your parent/guardian is your guidance counselor in this case. You only need to submit your applications through the ExplorEC portal, and your parent will need to complete the recommendation and upload a transcript for the Department of Education’s guidelines. You can find more information in the Home Educated Student Application Guide.
If you choose any of the math or language courses, you are required to either take the UMaine Placement Exam or have completed the required previous course pre-requisite. The exam indicates your readiness for the college-level course you chose. If the results reveal that another course would be more appropriate for you, we will contact you. Each student requesting either math or language courses will be sent an email with instructions.
Before you Apply
High school students who enroll in early college courses are more likely to graduate high school, enroll in college, and earn a college degree. As a result, students are more prepared and successful in their chosen career path.
For example:
- Courses are tuition-free for students (up to 12 credits per academic year and 18 credits total).
- Students can save up to $18,000 in tuition, fees, and other expenses (estimate is based on transferring up to 18 credits to UMaine).
- Students can show college admissions officers that they are ready for more difficult coursework.
- Students build a college transcript while still in high school. The college credits earned are transferable. While we hope students will attend one of Maine’s Public Universities or Community Colleges, these credits may be transferred to other colleges. Students will need to check with their institution about transferring credits when they enroll.
- Early College programs can provide rigorous courses to enhance the high school curriculum.
- Universities may offer a variety of courses not available at the high school. Some programs offer pathways to a career that can help students navigate through college to future employment, or explore interests before choosing a major.
- Students who participate in Early College have better study skills, more academic confidence, and less anxiety about the transition to college.
- Early College students who graduate from high school and enroll in a Maine Public University are more likely to enroll in college (persist) for a second year.
- Students who participate in Early College are less likely to need remedial courses in college. Remedial, or developmental courses, are courses for students who graduate from high school but are not yet ready for college.
- Students who enter college with Early College credits are more likely to earn a degree on time than students with no Early College credits.
FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act created by the federal government to protect student information.
Students may give their parents or other 3rd parties access to their information by completing the FERPA consent in their ExplorEC portal. Regardless of age, students enrolled in college courses are covered by federal FERPA law.
The federal Department of Education has put out a video to discuss how this works in detail.
We offer several different programs. These programs/courses can be run online, at a student’s high school, or on campus at the University of Maine or University of Maine at Machias. Our programs are for high schools students that are Maine Residents, Non-Maine Residents (including international students) and for students in different stages of school or in specific career pathways.
We do not allow students to enroll in three week long courses due to the accelerated nature of this course content. If you have additional questions regarding this policy please reach out to kari.suderley@maine.edu for more information.
Create your account at ExplorEC (remember to have your parent sign the application). Apply for your course and meet with your school counselor to approve your application. You can view our process video to see all the steps involved. You can find more information on our How to Apply page.
To apply for an EC course being taught at your high school:
- After logging into your account at ExplorEC, navigate to Apply for Classes.
- In Apply for Classes, navigate to the Class(es) in your High School tab.
- Search for your concurrent enrollment course and apply for this. (Remember to have your parental consent signed and counselor approval).
You can also view our step-by-step video.
After you apply
Once we enroll you in a course, you will receive several important emails from us. You can find specific information on how to activate your account on the UMS Step by Step Student Guide.
Yes, all students are required to follow the guidelines in the University Student Handbook.
You will receive an email to attend an Early College course prep session via Zoom. This will provide you with crucial information before starting your course and will have our team available to answer any specific questions.
You will be physically mailed a post card with a link to our online orientation documents page. Please use this page to access important information relevant to your Early College experience.
If you have a question that is specifically related to your course, please contact your professor. You can email them directly with questions. Some may have office hours and times where you can call or meet in person. Please refer to your syllabus for this information.
Yes. If you need to drop a course, you may request this in your ExplorEC portal. You will need to pay close attention to the drop date deadline of your course to be sure you are dropping before the last date that a W will appear on your transcript. You can find this date when you click on the calendar icon next to your course under “This Week’s Schedule” on your MaineStreet Student Center.
Yes, it is. Because of this, it is imperative that you contact us by email if you need help. If you need to drop or withdraw from your course, please access your account on ExplorEC.
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Aspirations program will now cover the cost for a student to retake a course if they earned a D, F/NP, W or L grade (one time per course). Previously, students who needed to retake a course had to pay the UMS reduced Early College (EC) tuition rate. For more information on this policy please navigate to the UMS Grades & Course Retake Policy page.
Learn how to access an unofficial or official transcript copy from the Early College transcripts page.
A good guideline for homework is that for each college credit you take, you’ll spend one hour in the classroom and two to three hours on homework each week. So outside of lectures (live or recorded), a three-credit course would require 6-9 hours a week. These homework tasks can include readings, working on assignments, or studying for exams.
Access to the UMaine library and other services for local students taking on-campus courses requires a UMaine Mainecard. To obtain a Mainecard please navigate to the Mainecard page.
Financial/Billing Questions
For Maine students attending publicly funded high schools and registered home schools, the University of Maine will discount tuition by approximately 50% (for 12 credit hours per academic year and 18 credit hours total) and will absorb University-wide fees. The Maine Legislature’s Aspirations Program, through the Maine Department of Education, covers the remaining tuition (for 12 credit hours per academic year and 18 credit hours total) for students enrolled in the Early College program.
However, a student enrolling in more than 12 credits per year or 18 credits total, will be able to take courses and pay the cost of each additional credit at the discounted Early College rate of $149 per credit. For example, if you take five (5) courses that total (13) credit hours, you will be responsible for paying for (1) credit hour.
Students who attend private schools, pay tuition to attend any school in Maine or are international students in Maine schools are able to take courses but will be charged our discounted Early College rate.
You will receive a bill when you take more than the allowed number of credit hours in an academic year. You may be billed for fees associated with a course that requires materials or electronic textbooks. Textbooks are the responsibility of the student. The bill is mailed to the address noted on your application. If you have questions about a bill please contact us first, we may be able to remedy the issue for you.
Starting the Fall 2023 semester, the Early College discounted tuition rate is $149. (Compared to the non-resident rate of $1,229/credit hour and the NEBHE rate of $742/credit hour)
For Native American Students wishing to take more than 12 credits per academic year or to have additional fees covered, please review the Native American Waiver Process and contact John Bear Mitchell.
It is important to note that Early College students are not subject to mandatory fees, which means they do not have access to the Rec Center, campus recreation (e.g., intramural sports, sports clubs, Outdoor Adventure Center), public transit, university-sponsored student activities, or athletic events (i.e., student tickets). If you wish to access the Rec Center you must purchase a Student – Other Membership from their page.
“Student – Other” Membership: Students (aged 14+) of other UMaine System campuses, as well as students of other local high schools, colleges, and universities, may purchase the “Student – Other” membership. Student ID or parent/guardian referral is required. Fall or Spring: $195; Summer: $150
For The University of Maine at Machias campus, please contact Hope Shore hope.shore@maine.edu / 207-255-1320
Students can pay their bills by logging into Mainestreet and going to their Student Center. Here you will find an option to “Pay my Bill”. For more information on how to pay your pill please review the UMS tuition and fees page.
Technical Supports
The computer must have speakers and microphone capabilities for Zoom video conferencing. Minimum OS: Mac OS, Windows OS or Chrome OS computer with 2.5 GHz or higher desktop CPU with a minimum internet speed of 2.0 Mbps
Your UMaine portal, found at mycampus.maine.edu, provides easy access to MaineStreet, Brightspace, Zoom, and more. Bookmark this one link to access everything you need.
Your ExplorEC portal is only for application processing. You can view courses, apply, and check the status of your application. It does not give you access to anything else. You need to sign into your UMaine portal to find your course information.
To activate your account, change or recover a password, or perform other account management you need to navigate to http://accounts.maine.edu/. You can find specific information on how to activate your account on the UMS Step by Step Student Guide.
You are able to update all your personal information in your application portal at any time. Please make sure that you are using your own private email and cell phone number. You can reset your password from the login screen but if you are having trouble accessing the ExplorEC portal, please email us directly at um.earlycollege@maine.edu.
Call 207.581.2506 or email help@maine.edu for student online course technical support.
Academic Supports
In order to help you make sure that you are adequately prepared for your math class, we have compiled some practice problems, along with resources to help you fill in any gaps in your background. Math Prep will prepare you for your upcoming math class.
NetTutor is an exciting online tutoring service to assist you with any and all issues you may have with your coursework. As with your library access, you can use this tool to get assistance with your college and high school courses. This video shares the basics.
- Tutors are friendly and patient.
- 24×7 live Math and Writing support
- Convenient online, anytime use
- Timely drop-off response
- Improves your success
The Tutor Program, one unit of the University of Maine’s College Success Programs, provides tutoring for UMaine students who need academic assistance in 100 and 200 level, non-web based courses. Tutoring is available at no additional cost to students. Students may utilize zoom tutoring for up to 50 min per course per week.
Students may also schedule remote appointments with the UMaine Writing Center for help with papers, essays and more.
You may already know that it is dishonest to cheat on exams, copy papers, or submit papers written by another person. But it is also considered cheating to copy or reword parts of books or articles into your own writing without PROPERLY citing the source. (This applies to posts and discussion boards, too). The library and NetTutor can help you with instructions on how to do this correctly. University Policy on Academic Integrity
You may be familiar with google scholar, but you have access to all sorts of articles through your UMaine account by clicking on Fogler Library.
Students who have 504 plans or IEPs in their high schools often feel that they wish to attempt college-level courses without these plans in place. There is a better way to approach this topic. Because the rigor of a college-level course is higher than that of a high school course, students are encouraged to reach out to Student Accessibility Services. Some of the services provided or coordinated for students with disabilities include testing accommodations, note-takers, ordering alternate format texts, classroom relocation, and advisement on disability issues.
Questions?
Email um.earlycollege@maine.edu.