MEDIA ADVISORY: University of Maine Reaches Graduate Enrollment Records

For Immediate Release – Oct. 15, 2023

[ORONO, MAINE] – The University of Maine (UMaine) Graduate School reports record graduate student enrollment for the fall 2023 semester. Since 2019, credit hour enrollment increased by 23.0% to 13,154 in 2023, and full time equivalent (FTE) enrollment increased by 24.8% to 1,482.5 in 2023. Of the enrolled 2,493 graduate students, a record 579 students are currently pursuing doctoral degrees, a 25.3% increase since 2019.

This growth in graduate enrollment is in line with UMaine’s success as a research university, earning Carnegie R1 classification in 2022, and increases in R&D funding have continued into 2023. Kody Varahramyan, Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, stated, “The growth in our graduate enrollment is encouraging as UMaine strengthens its position as a nationally-recognized research university. Graduate students are important members of our university community, and we are delighted that they chose to pursue their studies at UMaine.”

“The UMaine Graduate School’s success is indicative of investments made in recent years, improved outreach and marketing of our degree programs, and better efficiencies in processing applications,” according to Scott Delcourt, Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies and Senior Associate Dean, “This recent growth in graduate student enrollment really speaks to Maine’s increasing role as a place for R&D. Further, as graduate enrollment increases, there are more and more opportunities for undergraduate students to be engaged in research-based experiential learning, which uniquely differentiates the undergraduate learning experience at a research institution like UMaine.”

In collaboration with academic units, the UMaine Graduate School looks forward to a great academic year and continued growth in graduate studies. The exceptional contributions of faculty and staff have made the university a great place to learn, explore, innovate, and make significant contributions to the social and economic advancement of Maine and beyond.

Contact: research@maine.edu