Admission and Enrollment Policies

Admission to the University of Maine at Augusta

Those interested in admission to a UMA degree program should contact the Office of Admission. You may reach us by calling 1-877-UMA-1234 or emailing us at: umaadm@maine.edu.

Responsible Admission Policy

At the University of Maine at Augusta, our first priority is helping our students to succeed. Success demands that a student begin his or her college work with the proper preparation. To be admitted to a UMA degree program, an applicant must have a high school diploma or have earned a General Equivalency Diploma (GED/HiSET). Applicants should be able to demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics. Generally, to receive admission, students are required to have graduated in the upper 75% of their high school class or receive comparable GED/HiSET scores.

Many students will find their skills are adequate for UMA’s academic demands, and will begin their studies without developmental courses. Some students may need an opportunity to review their skills in reading, writing, and/or mathematics. These students will take the appropriate UMA developmental course or courses. Some students might need more intensive work on their skills. These students will be referred to their local adult education program.

Students needing adult education work on a single skill will be offered admission to the University of Maine at Augusta. Applicants who need two or more adult education classes are not offered admission and will be referred to their local adult education program. The University will encourage these students to retake our placement tests after completing their adult education work.

Some degree programs have additional entrance requirements as specified in the individual degree program listings http://www.uma.edu/admission/apply/. Contact the Office of Admission for more information.

Admission Process

A candidate for admission must have earned a high school diploma or have earned a General Equivalency Diploma (GED/HiSET) and should proceed as follows:

Submit an application for admission to the University of Maine System Shared Processing Center:

Application Processing Center
University of Maine System
P.O. Box 412
Bangor, ME 04402-0412

Contact the high school from which you graduated and ask that a copy of your transcript be sent to the Application Processing Center (see address above). GED or HiSET recipients must forward a copy of their certificate and scores.

Contact all colleges previously attended and request that official academic transcripts be sent to the Application Processing Center. (For more complete information refer to the section on transfer.) For students who have attended within the University of Maine System, we will obtain those transcripts for you.

When the applicant’s file is complete, the applicant will be notified by letter and e-mail of the UMA admission decision.

Admission Deadlines

All applications for admission should be filed prior to July 1 for the fall semester and November 1 for the spring semester to allow time for admission and financial aid processing. Applications will be accepted after these preferred dates, although processing may not be completed before the beginning of classes due to the late nature of the application submission. In these instances, students may begin course work on a non-degree basis.

Applicants for  Architecture, Aviation, Dental Assisting, Dental Hygiene, Medical Laboratory Technology, Nursing, and Veterinary Technology must submit a complete application for admission prior to January 31st for equal consideration with other candidates. Letters of admission issued prior to the completion of the current school year may be modified or rescinded if the final high school transcript unsatisfactory.

Application deadlines for international students are May 1 for fall admission and October 15 for spring admission.

Scholastic Aptitude and Achievement Test

The College Board SAT or ACT examination is optional for recent high school graduates applying for all programs, but is not required. Arrangements to take the SAT or ACT can be made by contacting any high school guidance counselor or by visiting the SAT website, www.collegeboard.org or the ACT website, www.act.org for information. Official test reports should be requested from the Educational Testing Services, Princeton, New Jersey 08590, and sent directly to the Application Processing Center. The University’s College Board SAT code number is 3929. When registering for the SAT, we strongly urge prospective students to complete the “Student Descriptive Questionnaire” as part of the registration procedure.

Early Action Plan

We offer an early decision plan under the guidelines established by the College Board. Under this plan, high school seniors who apply to the University as their first choice college before November 1 will be notified by December 1 of the admission decision with the exception of Architecture and Medical Lab Technology.

Applicants who apply to the Dental Hygiene, Nursing and Veterinary Technology programs before November 15 will be notified by December 15 of the early admission decision.

Early Admission Plan

The University offers an early admission plan for those qualified high school students who have completed most, if not all, of their high school graduation requirements at the end of their junior year. These students, with the approval of their high school, may complete their remaining high school graduation requirements and the freshman year of college simultaneously. Students in this category would be registered as full-time students. High school students who enter UMA prior to graduation from high school will not qualify for federally funded financial aid.

Admission by Transfer from Regionally Accredited Institutions

A student transferring from another college or university should file an application with the admissions office at least three months prior to the semester of registration. The application must include a statement of the names and addresses of all high schools, postsecondary schools, junior colleges, and universities attended. A “C-” grade or higher is required for transfer credit. The transfer student should normally have a minimum of a 2.00 cumulative grade point average to be admitted.

Admission of International Students

Applications are encouraged only from international students who are able to fully fund their educational expenses from their own resources. To verify this, a certification of finances statement will be required for matriculation at UMA.

CERTIFICATION OF FINANCES: The federal government of the United States requires international applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents to document their ability to meet all expenses incurred while studying in the United States before they can be considered for a student visa. You must submit the financial certification form and financial documentation once you have been formally admitted to UMA before your F-1 Student Visa will be issued.

FINANCIAL DOCUMENTATION EXCEPTION FOR ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAMS: International students applying to an on-line degree program (e.g., Information and Library Services) are not required to submit the Certificate of Finance. U.S. immigration policy does not require such documentation since online international degree students will not be traveling to or residing in the United States to complete the degree program.

Applicants whose native language is not English must submit a Test of English for a Foreign Language (TOEFL) official score report providing evidence of a minimum score of 550 for the written test, or 250 for the computer-based test, or a minimum 68 for the internet-based test. UMA also accepts the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Applicants who prefer to take the IELTS examination must submit an IELTS official score report evidencing a minimum score of 6.0.

Transfer students must present a translation of their college work in English rendered by a qualified translator and an evaluation from World Education Services (www.wes.org/). UMA will also accept documents reviewed by any vendor who is a member of NACES, the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (www.naces.org). Once accepted, students will be expected to remit to the Office of Student Financials sufficient funds to cover all tuition costs and fees for the first semester. The I-20 immigration form will not be sent to the student until this amount has been received and has been cleared by a bank. Students are personally responsible to bring with them sufficient funds for books, room and board, and other incidental expenses.

Immunization

Maine state law requires UMA to certify that degree students born after 1956 have been immunized against measles, mumps, and rubella (all three to have been administered after student’s first birthday and a follow-up vaccination for a total of two doses); diphtheria, and tetanus administered within 10 years of enrollment. Students must provide appropriate documentation of immunization history to the Office of the Registrar. Visit http://www.uma.edu/compliance/immunization/ for more information.

Admission to NEBHE Eligible Programs

UMA participates in a regional cooperative program administered by the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE). This program, known as the New England Regional Student Program, permits qualified residents of the New England states to study with reduced tuition in certain programs at New England public institutions of higher education. UMA charges 50 percent above resident tuition for those students admitted under the New England Regional Student Program.

The purpose of the program is to expand opportunities in higher education for New England residents by making it available to all students in those programs not commonly offered at every institution. Detailed information about this program can be obtained through UMA’s Office of Enrollment Services.

Programs Available to New England Residents at Reduced Tuition

Notice to Canadian citizens: Canadian residents qualify for a special reduced out-of-state tuition rate.

Readmission Policy

Students who seek readmission after having voluntarily withdrawn, or having been dismissed due to academic standing, or for disciplinary action should contact the Office of Admission for information on how to gain readmission. A student who was not academically dismissed will be required to re-apply if the student has not attended UMA for two years and/or enrolled as a degree student at another institution since being admitted to UMA. Readmission is reviewed on an individual basis.

All former Trio Program students seeking readmission should first meet with a Trio counselor to review previous course work and develop an academic plan. All students who voluntarily withdrew or was academically dismissed for program course failure(s) must reapply for admission. Please refer to specific program readmission policies for competitive programs as these policies vary by major: Architecture, Dental Hygiene, Medical Laboratory Technology, Nursing, and Veterinary Technology.

Admission Deferral Policy

Undergraduate students who are admitted to UMA can defer their admission for up to one year. Students who choose to defer their offer of admission may submit a written request to the Office of Admission prior to the start of the semester. Students attending another institution may not defer admission to UMA.

To defer your undergraduate admission to the University of Maine at Augusta, please submit a written request to umaadm@maine.edu or mail to:

UMA Office of Admissions
46 University Drive
Augusta, Maine 04330

The University of Maine at Augusta is a military friendly school. Admitted students needing to defer admission for more than one year due to military deployment can be accommodated. Please contact the Office of Admission for information on how to request an extended deferral.

Student ID Card Program

The UMA Admissions Office manages the UMA ID card which serves as the official University of Maine at Augusta identification card. The ID card provides access to library services, supports pay-for-print services in campus computer labs and libraries, and may be used for purchases at the Augusta Moose Tracks Café. A list of local merchants offering discounts to UMA students can be found at our website www.uma.edu/about/umacard. Cards may be obtained in person by visiting the Admissions Office located on the UMA Augusta campus, the Enrollment & Advising Center on the Bangor Campus, or by visiting the UMA Lewiston Center. 

UMA newly admitted students will be emailed a unique link to their university email address that allows for students to upload a photo of their choice for their student ID card. Links will be emailed to new students approximately 7-10 days following admission, so it’s very important for students to check their university email as the link is unique for each student. Students who misplace or mistakenly delete the link will need to request a new link by emailing Admissions from their university email account. The email request should include the student’s full name and student ID number. Admissions can be contacted at umaadm@maine.edu

Once a student submits their information and preferred photo, UMA will create the ID card and mail it to the student’s preferred address on file. Students who complete this process, but who are living in UMA dorms will have their ID cards distributed to them in person during move-in.