University of New England will offer free tuition to qualified students

Photo / Courtesy, University of New England The University of New England has campuses in Biddeford, shown here, and Portland, as well as overseas in Tangier, Morocco.

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By Alexis Wells

The University of New England will begin covering tuition costs for high-achieving students whose families earn less than $100,000.

Starting in fall 2025, the university will provide free tuition to eligible graduating high school students from throughout the country, according to a statement Monday.

Eligible students must be enrolled at UNE full-time, demonstrate high financial need based on the free application for federal student aid during each year of their undergraduate degree program and live on campus for all four years.

James Herbert, the president of UNE, said this decision was made to help enhance Maine and New England’s workforce and fill jobs in the growing business, bioscience and life sciences industries. The region continues to face workforce shortages in the health care and hospitality sectors.

“UNE is committed to attracting high-achieving students from across the country to New England, and to Maine in particular, and to guaranteeing that they are poised for success in the workforce when they graduate,” said Herbert.

“By removing financial barriers to a quality UNE education, we hope to bolster the workforce pipeline in this region and ensure the long-term vitality of Maine and New England’s new economy.”

UNE includes the state’s only medical college and only dental college and offers a variety of other health care degree programs. The university has more than 6,500 students, including 2,300 on-campus undergraduates, 1,600 on-campus graduate students and 2,600 online students.

The school says that 98% of its students already receive financial aid from the university.

UNE was ranked No. 6 among Maine’s largest colleges and universities in the 2024 Mainebiz Book of Lists, based on full-time undergraduate enrollment as of fall 2023.