Academic Counseling

Degree Requirements

All undergraduate students at UMaine must meet with their academic advisors prior to course selection. Undergraduate students may find the applicable major and minor program sheets in the “Majors and Minors” section in their respective Undergraduate Catalog to assist them with developing their Degree Plan. This may also be completed using the Degree Progress Report function in Mainestreet.

All students, including graduate students, may review the Undergraduate Catalogue or Graduate Catalogue for the degree requirements and timelines for degree programs.

Students at UMaine utilize our Degree Progress Report system to assess degree requirements including specific courses needed, hours needed, and GPA minimums. The audit is available online to students from the point of matriculation.

Requirements are determined by the student’s catalog year and are unchanging unless the student undertakes a change to his or her catalog year or degree program. The degree audit shows both UMaine earned credits as well as those accepted for transfer, including credit earned through military training.

Degree requirements in effect at the time of each service member’s enrollment will remain in effect for a period of 2 years beyond the program’s standard length, provided the Service member is in good academic standing and has been continuously enrolled or received an approved academic leave of absence.

The faculty and the staff of the University are available to advise and assist students to understand and to meet these requirements. Students should direct questions about academic policies and degree requirements to their academic advisor or to their academic dean or program coordinator.

Students who change to a different major, or who are absent from the university for two or more years, must meet the program requirements in effect at the time of the change or of their return to the university. 

Degree requirements may change over time. Generally students are responsible for meeting the degree requirements published in the catalog in effect when they entered the university. Students who change to a different major, or who are absent from the university for two or more years, must meet the program requirements in effect at the time of the change or of their return to the university.

Students changing their major to one that leads to licensure should visit the UMS State Authorization & Licensure page to learn more about their specific program and the licensure requirements in other states and territories, in addition to the contact information needed to inquire further into the licensure requirements associated with this program.

Any student has the right to select graduation requirements from a later catalog than the one in effect at the time of initial matriculation. No student may select requirements from an earlier catalog.

Transfer Credit

Any undergraduate student transferring to UMaine must arrange for official college transcripts to be forwarded from previously attended colleges and universities to Application Processing, University of Maine System, P.O. Box 412, Bangor, ME 04402-0412 or to edocs@maine.edu. Veterans must submit a Joint Services transcript or Form DD295. 

Current degree-seeking University of Maine students who have taken a course or courses at another institution should request to have that institution send an official transcript to the Office of Student Records, 5781 Wingate Hall, Orono, ME 04469 or at umrecord@maine.edu. 

Current degree-seeking students who have taken courses at other UMS institutions will be identified and their courses will be automatically applied as transfer credit to their academic record at the University of Maine after grades have been posted. It will be the responsibility of the student to notify the Office of Student Records if subsequent grade changes require the original credit to be reevaluated.  Students who are not receiving federal financial aid or VA benefits may opt out of this automated transfer credit processing by completing the Internal Transfer Credit Opt Out form and filing it with the Office of Student Records before the last day of classes.   

A minimum of 25% of the credits required for the degree using coursework originating from the University of Maine with at least 15 of those credits at the 300 level or higher.

For military credits, students should submit a copy of their Joint Services transcript to be evaluated. Credit for military work will be evaluated based on recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE) and will correspond to subject areas offered at the University of Maine.

• Credit for Military Coursework (15 credits limitation): Only courses recommended at the upper or lower baccalaureate level will be evaluated for transfer credit.  A maximum of 15 credits will be allowed as military transfer credit (not including prior experiential learning and credit for standardized tests) and the courses will count as elective credit only, unless an exception is made. Students seeking an exception should contact their Dean’s Office to make a request. The Dean’s Office will work with the appropriate department(s) to determine if an exception should be granted; supporting documentation may be required for review.
  
• Credit for Military Experience: Prior Learning related to training and other experiences in the military will be considered for transfer in the same way as other prior experiential learning. This type of experiential learning may be evaluated via CLEP/DSST exams or an Academic Portfolio Assessment.  Students who have relevant experiences which relate to their program of study should contact their Dean’s Office for more information.

Evaluation of credits earned from non-military sources (including other colleges and universities and testing programs such as AP, CLEP, and IB) follow the same process used for other undergraduate students. 

After a student has been admitted into a degree program and official copies of their transcripts have been received, an official evaluation of transfer credit will be completed, and applicable credits will be posted to their academic record. This evaluation will be available in the Student Center as a Transfer Credit Report, which will show course equivalencies, and any general education requirements satisfied. Students should consult with their advisor and/or Dean’s Office to determine how transfer credits may be used to satisfy degree requirements.

Students who do not agree with the evaluation of their courses may submit a course syllabus to the Office of Student Records for further review. The syllabus should be attached to a statement in writing indicating which course or courses they feel were evaluated inaccurately, as well as what specific course or requirement should be satisfied. The Office of Student Records will review the appeal with a representative from the appropriate department. Appeals should be sent to um.transfer@maine.edu.

The Transfer Equivalency System Tool is a resource that can be used to ascertain how credits will be articulated. Prospective students can use this tool from our website at any time, even prior to submitting an application. Students can also request a preliminary transfer credit evaluation report by contacting Student Records. Additional information regarding Degree Requirements and Transfer credits is available in the Undergraduate Catalogue and Graduate Catalogue