UMaine initiative helping students reduce debt, graduate on time

This new initiative is aimed at encouraging students to complete 30 credits per year so they can graduate in four years, while saving money and reducing debt. The university began sharing Think 30 with incoming first- year students and their families at New Student Orientation in 2015. UMaine’s Office of Institutional Research and the Provost’s Committee for Retention and Student Success are tracking students’ progress and outcomes. The first major plank of Think 30 is UMaine’s online Winter Session, featuring 20 high-demand courses taught by key faculty and supported by instructional design staff in the Division of Lifelong Learning. In 2015, the first Winter Session offering, enrollment was nearly three times the initial projection of 300 participants as students jumped at the chance to build an additional three-credit class into their academic course load through a high-quality online learning experience.