The University of Maine is a quality institution in the northeast. It is located in the Central part of the State in Orono near the city of Bangor. It is the largest university in the state and the most well known institution for research and development.This university is one that has a long and varied history. Many people find this to be a venerable institution and one that is known to have a number of diverse specializations.
The university was founded in 1865 as a land grant university by President Lincoln. It was originally a mechanical college and known as Maine mechanical college and later changed it’s title to University of Maine in 1897. The University of Maine began primarily as an engineering school, but changed it’s focus several times a long the way, and added departments gradually such as Life Sciences, Education and Liberal Arts. The University is now known is a prime research university.


Location
The University of Maine is the only land grant university that is located on an island. It is located between the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers on Marsh Island. The town that it is located in Orono has roughly 8,500 people. The larger city of Bangor 5 miles away is home to approximately 36 thousand inhabitants. It offers the students a chance to have a slightly more of an urban experience.
Academics
The University of Maine has a fine tradition of academic excellence. It offers 88 Bachelors degrees, 64 master’s specializations a long with 25 doctoral degrees. The university is broken down into 5 colleges which are Business, Education, Public Policy and Health, Engineering and Natural Sciences including Forestry and Agriculture. The universities most popular majors include engineering, health and science as well as education. This university has approximately 12,000 students including both full and part time students.



Athletics
There are a number of athletic teams associated with the university. The team colors are blue and white. The athletic teams are ice hockey, and swimming for men as well as basketball for women, and many other types of athletic teams. The University teams have the insignia of the black bear and are well known throughout the North East.
Rankings
The school has a ranking of 159 in the overall ranked schools by US News and World report. Some of the notable alumni that have attended the University of Maine include Stephen King and his wife Tabitha. Political figures including Joe Baldacci, and former Senator Olympia Snowe, as well as several figures of the sports world including ESPN announcer Jay Thorne and NHL Goalie Ben Bishop



Tuition
Tuition at the University of Maine is 20,308 for in state students and is slightly more for those who attend the University from out of state or are foreign students. The per credit hour for foreign students is 728.00 as opposed to 253.00 for in state students.The University does offer a number of financial aid packages however, including grants, scholarships, and work study programs. There are quite a few programs that the individual interested in tuition assistance can access.


Campus
The campus itself is located on an island and is a wooded and peaceful setting. It has a number of trails and is a pleasant environment in which to study. It is one of the more peaceful University settings.
The University of Maine is a fine school for most academic majors. They are particularly known for their engineering department, and have won accolades for their engineering majors. They also have a fine Liberal Arts program. Stephen King has taught some creative writing courses on the campus. This school is fine place to study for one wants a University experience.
The campus is 48 percent male and 52 percent female. 77 percent of those that request admission to the University of Maine are accepted. The University is a quality school that has turned out some distinguished graduates, that have gone on to success in the real world. Consider it for an option for your future. It is a diverse and well respected school.



