Maine’s public universities will guarantee admission to graduates of the state’s community colleges starting this fall.

Under the terms of a historic Transfer ME agreement signed today by Maine Community College System President David Daigler and University of Maine System Chancellor Dannel Malloy, Maine’s community colleges will proactively notify their students about the opportunities to continue their postsecondary education through UMS.

Interested students will receive coordinated advising from the two systems and be directly admitted to UMS universities that offer an aligned program. After completing their associate degree, MCCS graduates can seamlessly transfer to a Maine public university of their choice without filling out an application, paying application fees, or providing essays, recommendation letters and transcripts. 

“This partnership will make it easier than ever for Maine community college graduates to continue pursuing their education at one of Maine’s public universities, building upon my Free Community College initiative, which has enabled thousands of students to attend community college at little or no cost to them,” said Gov. Janet Mills, in a news release.  “I thank the Maine Community College System and University of Maine System for heeding my calls to make it even easier for Maine students to get a great education at an affordable price with a good-paying job waiting for them in the end.” 

Transfer ME builds on more than 180 existing articulation agreements that allow MCCS graduates to transfer to Maine’s public universities and have all their Maine community college credits count, with further pathways being formalized. 

Notification will begin this fall to qualifying students who have earned at least 30 community college credits and are enrolled in eligible degree programs, including behavioral health, biotechnology, business, education, hospitality, human services, psychology and pre-engineering. A complete list of programs and additional information is available at www.maine.edu/students/transferME. 

“Transfer ME removes barriers to opportunity. We want all Mainers to know how successful they can be at the University of Maine System and in their careers. While we have long welcomed transfers from the Maine Community College System, instead of waiting for their students to come to us, we will now reach out to them together and provide a well-paved pathway to our public universities. We think this will be a real game-changer in raising awareness, aspirations and access to affordable, door-opening bachelor’s degree programs and upward mobility,” said Chancellor Malloy.

“What students want and need is a clear-cut, simple route to a four-year degree, without a lot of paperwork and barriers. This agreement does just that,” President Daigler said. “We expect this to be an enormously popular program that increases the number of Maine community college graduates continuing their education.”

Under the leadership of President Daigler and Chancellor Malloy and in response to state workforce needs, there is a growing commitment to collaboration between Maine’s two public postsecondary systems, which together enrolled 46,942 degree-seeking students in the 2023-24 academic year as well as tens of thousands of Mainers in free early college courses, short-term training and non-credit bearing educational programs. 

Just 54% of Maine’s high school graduates are now choosing college despite demand from the state’s employers for more workers with postsecondary degrees and credentials. Maine has a statutory goal that 60% of adults will hold a postsecondary degree or credential of value by 2025 – up from the current 55% – which is also reinforced by the State’s 10-year economic strategy.

To ensure more Mainers can benefit from the transformative power of public postsecondary education and further strengthen the size and skill of the state’s workforce, MCCS and UMS have partnered with the Mills Administration and the Maine Legislature to advance postsecondary education access and affordability. 

In 2022, MCCS and Gov. Mills launched a free tuition program to encourage more recent high school graduates to go to college, including those who may not have believed they could afford higher education. Since the launch of the program, which is currently funded for graduates or the equivalent in the high school classes of 2020-25, MCCS annual enrollment has increased by 20%. It has also led to the first year-over-year increase in the number of MCCS students transferring to Maine’s public universities since before the pandemic.  

Maine’s community colleges are the largest source of transfer students to UMS. In 2023-24, 737 students from MCCS transferred to UMS compared to 681 the previous year.  

While Transfer ME is the first system-to-system agreement of its kind in the state, there is a history of working together that Transfer ME leverages. For example, Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) and the University of Southern Maine (USM) have long partnered to make it easier for students to transition between the two institutions. More than 125 SMCC students who plan to transfer to USM now live in that university’s new Portland residence hall and can participate in student life offerings there. Additionally this spring, the University of Maine and its regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias, and MCCS formalized Black Bear Advantage, a co-enrollment program. 

“Maine employers need more workers with postsecondary credentials and this seamless transfer will help to ensure that more Mainers will benefit from postsecondary education and also increase the size and skills of Maine’s workforce,” said Finance Authority of Maine CEO Carlos Mello. 

"I applaud the Maine Community College System and the University of Maine System for continuing to reduce barriers for students by developing seamless pathways between the two systems," said Educate Maine Executive Director Jason Judd, a UMS graduate. "Transfer ME will lead to more students in degree programs and more graduates ready to thrive in Maine's workforce." 

Today’s Transfer ME signing ceremony took place at the Spring Point Children’s Center at SMCC. Through a partnership with SMCC, the University of Maine at Farmington has delivered its early childhood education bachelor’s degree program there since 2007, making it more accessible to recent community college graduates and other place-bound working adults in southern Maine.

As a result of legislation enacted in 2015 to foster greater collaboration, MCCS and UMS report annually to the Governor and Maine Legislature on their ongoing shared efforts to promote efficiency, cooperation and strategic planning. The 2024 joint report is here. 

About the Maine Community College System

Maine’s seven community colleges have the lowest tuition and fees in New England and serve more than 30,000 students a year through early college, short-term workforce training, associate degree, certificate, and advanced certificate programs. High school graduates or the equivalent from the Classes of 2022-2025 qualify for 100% free tuition under the Free College Scholarship. For more information, visit www.mccs.me.edu. 

About the University of Maine System
The University of Maine System (UMS) is the state’s largest driver of educational attainment and economic development and its seven public universities and law school are the most affordable in New England. Over the past two decades, UMS has awarded 106,362 degrees and spurred and strengthened thousands of small Maine businesses through its world-class research and development activities. For more information, visit www.maine.edu.