A bicyclist rides through the University of Maine campus in Orono in 2021. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel, file

More than 75% of undergraduate students who were enrolled last year in the University of Maine System returned this fall, the highest rate since the system began tracking the data in 2004.

The university system announced the progress on Tuesday, a couple of weeks after reporting a 3% enrollment increase – the largest in three years.

The system’s flagship university in Orono had the highest retention rate at 82.7%, while the University of Maine at Farmington and the University of Southern Maine showed the most improvement over five years, increasing retention by 3.7% and 4.7%, respectively, according to the announcement. Retention was even higher among full-time students from Maine, at 83.1%.

The system calculates retention, or “return rate,” as the percentage of bachelor’s and certificate-seeking undergraduate students who were enrolled last fall and returned this year.

“One way to continue to build our strength is to make sure that more and more of our students are getting the assistance they need to be retained, and it’s been moving in the right direction,” Chancellor Dannel Malloy said in a phone interview Tuesday morning. “And obviously, this year is a banner year for us. We’re very proud of the results across the board, and it bodes well for our graduation rate.”

Malloy said there are a couple of programs that have motivated students to return after their freshman year, particularly the “research learning experiences,” which allow first-year students to participate in hands-on research. He said the system predicted getting students involved in this work early on would improve retention.

“A lot of young people come to college or university not exactly knowing what they want to do, and it’s not unusual across the country that people change their majors once or twice or three times while they’re an undergraduate,” he said. “But this particular tool of introducing folks has proven itself.”

More than a quarter of this year’s class participated in the program, according to the system’s announcement.

That statement also cited increased student support options – both academic and emotional – like a text message system that alerts students when they have missed classes or assignments and invites them to advising or counseling sessions. Malloy said the system has learned that providing those supports makes students more likely to return.

“Our universities are tracking students better than they have in the past, as well as understanding if someone’s not showing up, if their papers aren’t getting turned in, there may be an issue,” he said. “Let’s reach out to that student and let’s try to close that gap.”

The system has also expanded course options in the summer and winter because retention rates are higher among students who take at least 30 credits a year and adding more options allows students to balance classes with work and family, the announcement said.