AP, New York Times report on success of Flagship Match
The Associated Press mentioned the University of Maine and its Flagship Match financial aid program in the article, “Seeking students, public colleges reduce out-of-state prices.” One widely noticed move, according to the AP, was made by UMaine, which charges high-achievers from nine other states the same tuition they would pay at their home state’s flagship. “The state of Maine needs young people, and we’re not producing enough of them,” said Jeffrey Hecker, UMaine’s executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Why don’t we just be upfront about what students can expect? No more haggling.” Because of the program, freshman enrollment rose 9 percent to 2,260 students this fall, and Maine is spending less on financial aid now as a share of the typical tuition sticker price than it did in 2015, the AP reported. ABC News, Portland Press Herald and Albany Times Union carried the AP report. The New York Times also mentioned UMaine and the Flagship Match program in an article about how state budget cuts affect education. This fall, the program led to about 250 more first-year students from out of state, according to the article. “We don’t see this as an escalator to endless growth,” UMaine President Susan J. Hunter said. Officials want to maintain that small-college feel, said Hecker, who added the program has already produced “a meaningful amount of revenue.”