UMaine featured in Fiske Guide to Colleges 2024
The Fiske Guide To Colleges 2024 named the University of Maine one of the “best and most interesting” four-year higher education institutions in America.
The publication, authored by former New York Times education editor Edward Fiske and updated annually for 40 years, spotlights more than 300 of its top schools in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Ireland, according to publisher Sourcebooks. The 2024 edition includes a profile for UMaine with various facts, statistics and demographic information that also highlights its academic programs, experiential learning opportunities, facilities and extracurricular activities.
The latest edition describes UMaine as offering “strong academic programs at a reasonable cost” and a cozy atmosphere with a “friendly, medium-sized student body and an emphasis on undergraduate learning.” One senior told the publication, “In the winter, students will go around scraping the snow off other students’ cars, even if they don’t know them.”
The guide also notes UMaine’s safe campus, accessible and attentive faculty, small class sizes (41% of all classes have less than 20 students), Division I athletics, over 200 student groups and numerous on-campus events.
“Seeing UMaine consistently included in the annual Fiske Guide to Colleges is a testament to our top-tier academic, research and recreational offerings that create a welcoming, collaborative and engaging learning environment for learners of all interests at an affordable cost,” says President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. “Thank you to the students who choose UMaine, and the faculty and staff who represent the top in their fields and ensure UMaine is among the best and most interesting institutions of higher education in New England, North America and beyond.”
The most popular majors at UMaine are management, finance, marketing and psychology, according to Fiske. The guide also noted strong programs in engineering, marine sciences, Earth and climate sciences, forestry and nursing.
The university’s growth in out-of-state enrollment to 39%, nearly double from eight years prior, was also commended in the publication. It also highlighted UMaine as a global leader in the development of offshore wind power with a solid honors program and “one of the top varsity hockey programs in the nation.”
When describing residence halls, one student said, “First-year residence halls are very well kept and have plenty of room,” while another described dorms on campus as “very well-secured and can only be accessed with our student ID cards.”
In addition to the extensive outdoor recreation opportunities available to students statewide, including Acadia National Park, Sugarloaf Mountain and Mount Katahdin, Fiske highlighted the activities available nearby. One nursing major told the publication that Orono and the surrounding area offer “cute shops, cozy libraries, indoor and outdoor ice skating, music stores, bowling, movie theaters, a variety of restaurants and vibrant museums.”
The guide concluded UMaine’s profile by writing that “Combine the state’s natural beauty with an increased emphasis on top-quality facilities and more intimate student/faculty interaction, and it’s no surprise that this campus draws more die-hard ‘Maine-iaks’ each year — more and more of them from other states.”
Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu