Expenses and Fees
Expenses of attending include tuition, room and board, fees, etc. Click here to view the Estimated Expenses for 2005/2006 .
Initial bills are mailed to the student’s home address approximately 30 days before the start of a semester. Charges are calculated using pre-registrations, room sign-up information, and data supplied by the Admissions Office.
Add-Drop Refunds
Students will be given financial credit for courses, which are dropped during the Add-Drop period only (the first two weeks of the semester). No financial adjustments will be made to students’ accounts for courses dropped after this period.
Tuition, Room and Board, and Fee Refunds
Student charges will be refunded to students who are voluntarily withdrawing or dropping courses from the University of Maine System institutions in accordance with the schedule and provisions set forth below. For purposes of these procedures, withdrawal is defined as students who give official notification of their withdrawal to the university after a semester/session begins. Dropping courses is defined as a reduction in course load while remaining enrolled in the university. Refunds for drops are issued during the first two weeks only. Some fees are not refundable and they include application, matriculation and new student program fees. If a student leaves the university without official notification (dropout), these procedures do not apply and thus dropouts are not entitled to refunds.
Determination of Attendance
For purposes of calculating refunds, the attendance period begins on the opening day of scheduled university classes, included weekends and holidays, and ends on the date the student notifies the registrar/records office (or other designated office), in writing, that (s)he is withdrawing.
Board Refunds
Students who withdraw from the university will be charged for board funds expended and/or for meals at the daily established rate through the date of clearance. Any remaining balance will be refunded. Any part of a board plan, not charged on a daily rate, will be refunded in accordance with the residence hall contract.
Room Refunds for Sessions Less Than 11 Weeks, and Other Situations
All room refunds will be governed by the terms and conditions of the residence hall contract.
The room and board contract is for the academic year or the balance of the academic year if entering after the start of the fall semester. If an occupant leaves the residence hall and does not withdraw from the University, the charges for room and board will be through the end of the academic year. Exceptions will be made only in cases of illness, extreme hardship or when an occupant leaves for the convenience of the University. The charges in these cases will be determined by Student Auxiliary Services according to the circumstances of each case.
Students applying for an exception to the above must complete an exception request form available at the Office of Housing Services. Additional medical or financial documentation may be requested and should be submitted with the completed form. Upon completion, a meeting may be scheduled with the Assistant Director for Residents’ Retention to review and discuss the request. If the decision of the Assistant Director is unsatisfactory to the student, he/she may make a final appeal to the Executive Director of Student Auxiliary Services. If the request is denied the terms of the contract remain in force. If an exception is granted, the student must move out by the date indicated on the exception form. Failure to move out by this date shall render the exception null and void.
Advance Deposits
No part of an advance deposit is refundable after May 1 (January 1 for Spring) for tuition and fees and after June 1 (January 1 for Spring) for room charges for students withdrawing from a University of Maine System institution. Although such deposits are applicable to tuition and room charges for students who remain enrolled, students who withdraw forfeit them.
Involuntary Withdrawals
Consideration for retroactive refunds of tuition and fees for involuntary withdrawals, e.g., extended illness or military service, will be considered by the university on a case-by-case basis. Administrative dismissals are not covered by these procedures and thus are not entitled to refunds of institutional charges.
Statute of Limitations
Appeals for the exception to the established refund practice may be made to the designated university official. Normally, appeals will be considered up to 90 days after the close of the semester/session for which the student is claiming a refund. For a typical semester/session the dates are no later than March 31 (Fall), August 31 (Spring) and November 30 (Summer). University academic appeals committees hear appeals on academic matters and have no authority to authorize refunds.
Definitions and Guidelines for Involuntary and Voluntary Withdrawals
- Involuntary withdrawal - In order to be eligible for a refund under the conditions below, the student must submit the required notification of withdrawal and the appropriate substantiating data that supports the withdrawal to the appropriate university office. The university official makes a decision based on the documentation and/or conditions presented. Involuntary withdrawals may include but are not limited to the following:
- Involuntary active duty in the armed forces - The request for withdrawal must be substantiated with copies of military orders that show proof of date of entry. The individual’s commanding officer or another appropriate official must sign the orders.
- Illness of the student or an immediate family member - A physician’s certification must be provided stating the student’s or family member’s illness that required the student’s withdrawal.
- Death of the student or an immediate member of the family - Appropriate documentation must accompany the request for withdrawal.
- Involuntary transfer by the student’s employer that precluded continued enrollment (armed services are considered employers under this section) - The request for withdrawal must be substantiated by appropriate documentation from the employer.
- Voluntary withdrawal - Voluntary withdrawal results from students who give official notification of their withdrawal to the university after a semester/session begins.
| Semester/Session 11 Weeks or Longer |
| Action and Date |
Tuition and Fees Refund |
Room Refund |
| Cancellation prior to the first day of semester/session |
100% |
100% |
| Withdrawal/drop prior to the end of the first week |
100% |
100% |
| Withdrawal/drop prior to the end of the second week |
100% |
75% |
| Withdrawal prior to the end of the third week |
50% |
50% |
| Withdrawal prior to the end of the fourth week |
50% |
25% |
| Withdrawal prior to the end of the fifth week |
50% |
0% |
| Withdrawal prior to the end of the eighth week |
25% |
0% |
| Withdrawal after the eighth week |
0% |
0% |
| Session less than 11 weeks |
| Action and Date |
Tuition and Fees Refund |
| Cancellation through the first day of classes |
100% |
| Withdrawal after the first day until 30% of the term has expired |
50% |
| Withdrawal after 30% of the term has expired and until 60% of has expired |
25% |
| Withdrawal after 60% of the term has expired |
0% |
All accounts are carried in the name of the student, regardless of the source of payment. The University expects the student to be financially responsible. Bills and statements are mailed to the student, not the parent. All charges are payable in full two weeks before the first day of class for each semester. After that, a $100.00 late fee is assessed. After the fourth week of classes, students with accounts that have not been paid or deferred to financial aid will have their class registrations reviewed for cancellation. Financially delinquent students will be subject to the following administrative sanctions:
- They are prevented from receiving an official certified copy of their transcript and diploma.
- They are prevented from registration or pre-registration at any university in the University of Maine System.
- The University of Maine System or its universities may disclose (directly or through its collection agencies) to a credit bureau organization that the student has failed to pay an assessed charge.
- The University of Maine System or its universities may use in-house collection efforts, commercial firms, legal services, and the State of Maine Bureau of Taxation for collection on the accounts.
The financial requirements of the University, changing costs, state and legislative action and other matters may require an adjustment of these charges and expenses. The University reserves the right to make such adjustments to the estimated charges and expenses as may from time to time be necessary in the opinion of the Board of Trustees up to the date of final registration for a given academic term. The applicant acknowledges this reservation and agrees to the financial terms and conditions of the University by the submission of an application or by registration.
- The student receives a billing statement and account information card from the University. With the first bill for the fall, spring and summer sessions, the student receives an account information card, which is used to notify the University of any third party sponsorship.
- It is the student’s responsibility to obtain authorization from the third party sponsor (purchase order/authorization form) which indicates how much the third party sponsor will be paying on the bill.
- The student completes the account information card by noting on the bottom 1) amount due from the bill (current balance due); 2) amount of sources (i.e. how much will be paid by the third party); 3) payment enclosed (for any balance not covered by the third party).
- The student mails the account information card, authorization form, copy of the statement and payment (if any due) to the University by the payment due date. If these items are received by the payment due date shown on the statement, no late fee will be assessed.
Please direct questions on the third party sponsor billing process to the Bursar’s Office at (207) 581-1530.
For students and parents who find it more convenient to make monthly payments, the University is offering an interest free installment plan which enables you to pay all or part of the annual charges in ten equal installments beginning in June. There is a fee for the service.
Student opting to use the installment plan must complete the specific application available in the Bursar’s Office and return it directly to the address shown on the application. Please direct questions on the Installment Plan to the Bursar’s Office at (207) 581-1521.
The following is an appeal process for students who dispute financial claims by the University of Maine; i.e., tuition, fees, room and board, and amounts due on outstanding student loans.
- Students should submit a written statement to the University Business Officer or other designated university official stating the amount and nature of the disagreement and why he or she feels the charge is incorrect.
- Students should submit their written appeal within thirty (30) days of the initial billing of a disputed charge. The Business Officer should respond in writing to the student’s complaint within 30 days of the receipt of the appeal.
- If the Business Officer’s decision is considered incorrect by the student, the student may appeal that decision (within 30 days) in the following order:
- To the Chief Financial Officer or equivalent official as designated by the university.
- To the President of the university.
- To the Treasurer of the University System, whose decision shall be final.
Residency Classification
Many factors are considered in determining residency for in-state tuition purposes. No one factor can be used to establish domicile, rather all factors and circumstances must be considered on a case-by-case basis. A domicile or residency classification assigned by a public or private authority neither qualifies nor disqualifies a student for University of Maine System (UMS) in-state status.
A student’s eligibility for in-state tuition is determined at the time of acceptance to the University. This determination is made for a non-matriculated (non-degree) student at the time of registration. The decision, made by the Office of Admission shall be based on information and documentation furnished by the student and other information available to the University. No student is eligible for in-state tuition classification until he or she has become domiciled in Maine, in accordance with University guidelines, before such registration. If the student is enrolled full-time in an academic program, as defined by the University, it will be presumed that the student is in Maine for educational purposes, and that the student is not in Maine to establish a domicile. A residence established for the purpose of attending a UMS institution would not by itself constitute domicile. The burden will be on the student to prove that he or she has established a Maine domicile for other than educational purposes. An individual who has lived in the State of Maine, for other than educational purposes, one year prior to registration or application to a campus is considered an in-state student.
In general, members of the Armed Forces and their dependents will be granted in-state tuition while they are on active duty within the State of Maine or if their Military State of residency is Maine as evidenced by appropriate official documentation. Individuals who have been granted in-state tuition under these conditions, but then cease from active duty would continue to be granted in-state tuition. A Maine resident who is absent from the State for military or full-time educational purposes will normally remain eligible for in-state tuition.
A student, spouse or domestic partner of a student, who currently has continuous, permanent full-time employment in Maine before the student decides to apply for degree status at the University will be considered in-state for tuition purposes.
A student who is dependent on his/her parent(s) and/or legally appointed guardian (or to whom custody has been granted by court order) is considered to have a domicile with the parent(s) for tuition purposes.
In-state tuition is not available to anyone who holds a non-immigrant U.S. visa. If an individual is not a domiciliary of the United States, they cannot be a domiciliary of the State of Maine.
A student who attended an out-of-state educational institution at in-state tuition rates in the immediately preceding semester shall be presumed to be in Maine for educational purposes and not to establish a domicile. Again, the burden will be on the individual to prove that he or she has established a Maine domicile for other than educational purposes.
To change residency classification and tuition status, students must:
- File a “Request for Change in Tuition Status” cover sheet and application with the Associate Bursar at the University of Maine, Bursar’s Office, 5703 Alumni Hall, Orono, Maine 04469-5703 before the first day of classes for the summer session, fall or spring semester for which residency is requested. All applications are prospective.
- If the Associate Bursar’s written decision, to be issued within 30 days of the first day of classes, is considered incorrect by the student, the student may appeal that decision in writing, within 30 days, in the following order:
- The Bursar. After receiving a written decision from this level within 30 days, the student has 30 days to submit a written appeal to:
- The Vice President for Finance and Administration. After receiving a written decision from this level within 30 days, the student has 30 days to submit a written appeal to the President (or designee):
- The President (or designee), will issue a final decision within 30 days.
In the event that the Associate Bursar, or other designated official, possesses facts or information indicating a student’s change of status from in-state to out-of-state, the student shall be informed in writing of the change in status and will be given an opportunity to present facts in opposition to the change. The student may appeal the decision of the Associate Bursar as set forth above.
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