Marketing, Recruiting & Advertising
UMaine maintains policies that reflect program integrity requirements consistent with regulations issued by the Department of Education (34 C.F.R 668.71-668.75 and 668.14) related to restrictions on misrepresentation, recruitment, and payment of incentive compensation.
This applies to UMaine itself and its agents, including third-party lead generators, marketing firms, or companies that own or operate the educational institution.
As part of efforts to eliminate unfair, deceptive, and abusive marketing aimed at Service members, UMaine will:
- Ban inducements, including any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, transportation, lodging, meals, or other item having a monetary value of more than a de minimis [defined as “an insignificant amount”] to any individual or entity, or its agents including third-party lead generators or marketing firms other than salaries paid to employees or fees paid to contractors in conformity with all applicable laws for the purpose of securing enrollments of Service members or obtaining access to TA funds. Educational institution-sponsored scholarships or grants and tuition reductions available to military students are permissible;
- Refrain from providing any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on securing enrollments or federal financial aid (including TA funds) to any persons or entities engaged in any student recruiting, admission activities, or making decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance;
- Refrain from high-pressure recruitment tactics such as making multiple unsolicited contacts (3 or more), including contacts by phone, email, or in-person, and engaging in same-day recruitment and registration for the purpose of securing Service member enrollments.
For more information, please review the UMaine policy regarding marketing, recruiting, and advertising of our school to prospective students who are military service members.
UMaine recruiting strategies utilize self-reported contact information; if a student is contacted by UMaine and they wish to unsubscribe from future communications, they have the ability to unsubscribe their own accounts.
Additionally, eligible Service members are directed to speak with their Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within their Military Service prior to being enrolled at UMaine. This is to ensure that Service members understand their own eligibility for Tuition Assistance and their potential financial responsibility toward the school.
If an eligible Service member decides to use TA, educational institutions will enroll him or her only after the TA is approved by the individual’s Service. Service members will be solely responsible for all tuition costs without this prior approval. This requirement does not prohibit UMaine from pre-registering a Service member in a course in order to secure a slot in the course.
If a school enrolls the Service member before the appropriate Service approves Military TA, then the Service member could be responsible for the tuition. All Military TA must be requested and approved prior to the start date of the course. The Military TA is approved on a course-by-course basis and only for the specific course(s) and class dates that a Service member requests.
If a military student “self-identifies” their eligibility and the Service has not approved the funding, then the Service member will be solely responsible for all tuition costs, not the Service.