UMaine System Approves Tuition Hike as Budget Hits $717.7 Million

According to the Bangor Daily News, the University of Maine System Board of Trustees approved a 4% tuition increase Monday morning during a meeting at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. The increase is part of the system’s $717.7 million budget for the upcoming academic year.

For in-state and Canadian undergraduate students, the tuition hike works out to roughly a $1,000 increase. That brings the average yearly cost to attend one of the system’s seven campuses to about $24,069 when tuition, room and board, and other fees are included.

System leaders say the budget also includes $90.1 million in need-based student aid. University officials noted that even with the increase, Maine’s public university system remains less expensive than comparable public universities elsewhere in New England.

Chancellor Dannel Malloy said the system is trying to keep public higher education affordable while still investing in students, programs, facilities, and the workforce Maine needs.

The tuition bump comes as many families are already feeling pressure from the rising cost of housing, food, and just about everything else. So while university leaders may argue the increase is modest compared to other schools, for students and parents trying to make the math work, another thousand dollars is still another thousand dollars.