Alumni Ambassadors

Reference Guide - The World of Admissions

Alumni Ambassador Reference Guide 2006-2007

Table of Contents

• The College Fair

• The World of Admissions

• The Cost of Education

• Some Statistics

• Questions Related to Majors and Programs

• Important Facilities

• Time Outside of the Classroom

• Some Famous Alumni

WORLD OF UMAINE ADMISSIONS

What is the admissions deadline? 

To meet deadlines, applications and other materials need to be postmarked by the following dates. For fall admission our Early Action (non-binding) deadline is December 15.  Students who apply Early Action are given priority in Merit Scholarship consideration and will find out about a decision on their application by the end of January.  Otherwise, we use a Rolling Admission policy, as long as space is available. In recent years we have gone for a wait list for our Nursing program in February and we have closed all 1^st year admissions in August.

Important dates to keep in mind:

• December 15 - to be considered for Merit Scholarships awarded by Admissions
• February 15 suggested deadline for FAFSA to be submitted to the Federal Processing Center.
• March 1 – FAFSA priority date to be received by the Federal Processing Center.
• May 1 – Candidates reply date – Priority deadline for student to confirm their enrollment and submit their enrollment deposit to UMaine. Conformation deposits are refundable, on written request through April 30.
• June 1—priority deadline to confirm attendance for housing consideration

Open House dates for 2006-2007 (often on holiday Mondays)

• August 7, 2006

• October 16, 2006

• November 13, 2006

• February 19, 2007

• April 16, 2007

• August 6, 2007

What happens after the student applies?

Once we have received an application and all supporting documents, the file will be reviewed.  It should be no more than a 6-8 week wait to receive a decision on your application once it is complete.

Cycle for fall applicant:

Fall/Winter: apply for admission

January/February complete FAFSA form

Mid-to-late March-April receive Financial Aid Award

By May 1, confirm attendance by paying $150 deposit fee—this is the trigger to receive info from New Student Programs (orientation), Housing (username & password to apply for housing on-line), Cutler Health Center (necessary immunizations), and the student's college/program (registration).

June, New Student Orientation (register for classes, MaineCard ID, parking permit, meet peers, prepare for campus life)

September, Maine Hello move-in weekend

What do you look for in an applicant? 

Admission decisions are based on a holistic evaluation of a student. The following criteria are reviewed:  high school grade point average, class rank (when it is available. Many schools do not rank their students), and SAT score (ACT is also accepted). Also, students need to have the appropriate college-prep curriculum required for their intended major (refer to grid on back of Admissions Fact Sheet).  The rigor of a student's academic program is considered, including honors, Advanced Placement, senior year math. Other important factors are a student's essay, commitment to activities and school recommendations.

UMaine uses only the critical reading and mathematics SAT scores, which range from 200 to 800 for each test or a combined range of 400 – 1600 (we currently do not consider the writing test score). Students and parents frequently ask about SATs. Rather than provide a specific range of scores, you can refer to the mean SAT combined scores for the 2004 entering class (below). UMaine does not have a minimum level. SATs are one of several factors considered in our holistic evaluation.

Mean SAT score for the 2004 entering class
Verbal	539
Quantitative	544
Combined	1083

Class rank for the 2004 entering class

60% of students admitted were in the top third of their graduating class.

Top 10%	20%
Top 30%	60%

Are admission requirements different for out-of-state students?

No.  Admission requirements are the same for all applicants.

Requirements for a Complete Application

• Completed application form (UMaine System app, or Common Application. We encourage students to complete an on-line version whenever possible.)
• High school transcript with 1^st set of senior grades
• SAT or ACT score
• Guidance Counselor recommendation
• Personal Statement
• $40 application fee

How are applications reviewed?

At UMaine, we do what is called a holistic review of our applications – this means we consider all of the admission criteria, individual circumstances and how they relate to each other when making an admission decision.

The 80+ majors at UMaine are divided into five colleges:  Natural Sciences, Forestry & Agriculture; Engineering & Engineering Technology; Liberal Arts & Sciences; Business, Public Policy & Health; Education & Human Development.  In addition, students can apply to the Explorations Program, our general Undecided major. 

Applications completed after our December 15^th Early Action deadline, or applications deferred to the regular admissions process will be reviewed on a rolling admissions basis. Rolling Admissions means we read applications as they become complete. Applicants are evaluated by criteria set by the college to which they have applied. UMaine suggests that students take the following courses in high school which would meet the course requirements for all UMaine's academic programs:

• 4 years CP English
• 4 years CP Math (including Alg. I, II, Geometry and either Pre-calculus, Calculus, College Algebra/Trigonometry, etc.)
• 3 years lab science – Biology, Chemistry, and Physics
• 3 years of Social Studies
• 2 years of the same foreign language or ASL

There are specific 'unit requirements' for each College and sometimes specific majors.  Refer to the grid on the back of the Admissions Fact Sheet.  For example, Engineering requires all entering students to have Chemistry & Physics as their two lab science units.  Natural Sciences, Forestry & Agriculture requires Biology to be one of the two lab sciences.  One would not need two units of the same foreign language for either of these Colleges, but it is a requirement for Liberal Arts & Sciences, Education & Human Development, and the Business Administration major.

During the busy time (December through March) it may take 6 – 8 weeks for a student to learn of a decision on their application. 

What is your acceptance rate?

Last year, 75% of students who applied were admitted.

	Applications	Acceptances	Enrollment
First-year	5,622	4,445	1,702
Transfer	946	712	485
Graduate	1,735	1,128	844

(Students and parents may not realize this question is somewhat inappropriate to ask of a school that uses Rolling Admission—essentially what this data tells you is that only 75% of those who applied met the necessary criteria.)

What about merit scholarships at UMaine?

There are three kinds of merit (no need) scholarships awarded at UMaine.

1. Those offered to new students by the Admission office. The admission application will be used as the merit application.

2. Those offered to new and continuing students by their academic department or college. These may or may not require a special scholarship application. Information is available from the academic department or college.

3. "Restricted Scholarships" usually created by a donation from an alum or corporation have specific eligibility criteria and often require a separate application form. These are on the Financial Aid website.

(Don't forget, state, community and high school scholarships - information about these is available from high school guidance offices. Many have specific deadlines and require and application form.)

• Students in the top 20% of their class or with math, verbal SAT's of 1250 or higher should consider applying Early Action (by December 15) for Merit Scholarship consideration.
• We also honor students who are National Merit Finalists.
• To qualify for merit scholarships, your application must be complete by December 15.
• Individual departments may award scholarships to incoming students.
• Grants and scholarships offered through Financial Aid are usually based on need.
• If a school doesn't rank, students are still eligible. We will contact the Guidance Office to help us determine eligibility.
• The ACT may be substituted for the SAT for scholarship consideration.

What is the application process for these scholarships?

There is not a separate application form. Simply by applying for admission students are considered!  However, it is important to apply by December 15 (Early Action) for priority consideration.

Any questions regarding Departmental Scholarships should be directed to the College the student has been accepted to, or the specific departmental major.

The Restricted Scholarship Directory can be found on the UMaine web-site (www.umaine.edu).  Click on the A-Z Directory and go to 'Financial Aid'.  These scholarships are usually set up by Alumni who want to help students, say, from a particular high school or county, or students who are descendants of a certain graduating class.  Applications for these scholarships can be downloaded from the web-site.  Students with questions about restricted scholarships should be referred to the Office of Student Financial Aid.

The only question a student would have regarding a scholarship they are receiving in their hometown, would be how it is incorporated with their financial aid package—this question should be directed to the Office of Student Financial Aid.

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