Early Fall Enrollment Up 9 Percent at Maine’s Community Colleges

AUGUSTA, ME — Early fall enrollment is up 9% at Maine’s community colleges, putting the seven colleges on track for another historic high enrollment this year.

Enrollment has been boosted by a Free College Scholarship that covers 100% of tuition and mandatory fees for recent high school graduates, an increase in the number of high school students taking early college courses, expanded hours with more nights and weekend classes, and increased capacity in popular academic programs that traditionally had waiting lists. The colleges are also seeing more returning and continuing students from last year’s record-breaking historic fall enrollment of 19,477 students.

As of Tuesday, early fall enrollment was 16,670 students, compared to 15,334 students on the same date last year.

“All of these factors are playing a role in ongoing strong enrollment at the colleges, and we couldn’t be more pleased that we’re able to offer more low- or no-cost educational opportunities to more students,” said David Daigler, president of the Maine Community College System (MCCS). “It’s also a reminder that the clock is ticking on the Free College Scholarship: The high school class of 2025 is the last graduating class that qualifies for the free college scholarship, so we strongly urge all high school seniors to plan for a tuition-free college experience at Maine’s community colleges.”

The Free College Scholarship, which started in Fall 2022, was intended to re-engage people whose high school and early college experience was disrupted by COVID, particularly since most community colleges serve higher percentages of first-generation and lower-income students. Since it launched, MCCS has enrolled a total of 12,625 Free College-eligible students.

New this fall are seamless transfer agreements with both public and private Maine colleges. Under these new agreements, Maine’s community college graduates are guaranteed admission to 13 four-year colleges in Maine. Over the summer, MCCS signed new transfer agreements, one with the University of Maine System guaranteeing direct admission – without having to fill out application forms, write essays, or pay application fees – to all seven universities in the University of Maine System, and individual agreements with six independent colleges guaranteeing admission to certain programs.

As more students complete their associate degrees at Maine’s community colleges, the number of transfer students going to four-year colleges is expected to increase. Already this fall, the University of Maine System is reporting a 39% increase in undergraduate transfer students.

Early fall enrollment figures do not include short-term workforce training students at Maine’s community colleges. More than 26,000 students have taken short-term workforce training classes since January 2022. Some of the students from those programs continue in certificate and degree programs, adding to the fall enrollment numbers.

Official fall enrollment figures are calculated on October 15.

This is the third academic year with the Free College Scholarship, which was proposed by Governor Janet Mills in early 2022 and enacted by the Legislature a few months later. In July 2023, the scholarship was extended to the Classes of 2024-25. Graduates in the Class of 2022 must enroll at a community college in the 2024-25 academic year, graduates in the Class of 2023 must enroll no later than the 2025-26 academic year, the Class of 2024 must enroll no later than the 2026-27 academic year, and this year’s high school seniors – the Class of 2025 – must enroll no later than the 2027-28 academic year.

Details about the Free College Scholarship are here.