The Orono campus at the University of Maine in July 2023. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Undergraduate and graduate enrollment is up 3.1% in the University of Maine System this year.

The eight-school system in August reported its highest enrollment increase in three years (5%) based on preliminary data. Following a systemwide census on Oct. 15, the final numbers officially show a 3.1% total enrollment increase over last fall, the system announced in a written statement Thursday afternoon. There are now 20,044 undergraduate students, 4,965 graduate students and 277 law students.

Enrollment has generally been declining across the system for about a decade, thanks to a decrease in graduating high school students in Maine, and the rising cost of education nationally. This year’s increase represents a positive trend that leaders say comes from a combination of factors, but it is still not an increase over the system’s enrollment five years ago.

One way the system has been able to increase enrollment is through undergraduate transfers, which are up about 24% this year. Maine made community college free in 2022, and the state’s community college and university systems collaborated on an agreement this summer to make transferring easier for some students. This fall, 714 students transferred from Maine community colleges to state universities, a 30.8% increase over last year, the system said.

All schools except those in Machias and Augusta have higher total enrollments than last year. The school in Presque Isle is now the fourth largest in the system, thanks to its competency-based YourPace program, the statement said.

The University of Maine in Orono has 10,870 students, a 1.5% increase over last fall. The University of Southern Maine enrolled 6,257 students this fall, which is a 1.1% increase from last year.

“Maine’s public universities are not only welcoming more students but also seeing those students taking more courses – a reflection of the accessibility and relevance of UMS academic offerings,” the statement reads. “Credit hours, which correlate to tuition revenue, are up 3.8% for undergraduates and 7.2% for graduate students, and 40% are now delivered through technology, including to place-bound and working adults.”

More than 8,000 out-of-state students enrolled this fall, which the system said aligns with Maine’s 10-year economic strategy to attract more members to the state’s workforce.

Note: This story was updated Nov. 1 to clarify that enrollment numbers reported in August were based on preliminary data that was subject to change.