UMaine doctoral student enrollment highest ever

A record number of students came to the University of Maine in pursuit of doctorates this semester. The fall 2024 cohort includes 605 doctoral students, up from 465 in 2019. In total, the Graduate School received 917 applications to its doctoral programs — up more than 200% from five years ago.

The new record was propelled, in part, by the reputation of the flagship university’s burgeoning research and development enterprise. Researchers at UMaine secured $225.2 million for research and development and generated $249.3 million in expenditures last year, both of which are all-time highs and represent nearly 90% of all university research in Maine. 

“The recent records set by our research enterprise are driven by our dedicated faculty, staff, and students who work across disciplines in the discovery of new knowledge and its innovative applications that result in significant impact on the social and economic wellbeing in Maine and beyond,” said Kody Varahramyan, vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School. “Students are an important part of our ability to make this impact, both through the research they engage in as part of their education, as well as the contributions they make after graduation that were impacted by their research-based education at the university.”

UMaine’s doctoral enrollment growth is also driven by expanded local, national and international student recruitment efforts led by the Graduate School in recent years. UMaine’s ascension to R1 Carnegie classification in 2022 is also a draw for aspiring student researchers; only 3.7% of the nation’s universities qualify for this recognition of premier research universities.