Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 18 : Fall 2013 | Page 73

College America
College inin America
college education at a reasonably priced school
within one to two years.
Why is it that the typical UMFK graduate
carries the least amount of average education
debt than any other public college or university
in the nation? According to President Hess, the
most obvious reason behind the low debt rate is
because “UMFK works!”
“Our students reflect the values of our
communities here in the St. John Valley,” says
Hess. “That includes the sons and daughters
of the Valley in whom a strong work ethic has
been instilled, but also in the students who
come from elsewhere in the state of Maine, and
beyond. Those students come to value and
acquire the same strong work ethos that is customary to those who are born and raised here,”
he adds.
To back up his assessment, President Hess
cites some interesting statistics contained in a
National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE)
survey of undergraduate students from more
than 600 colleges and universities from across
the United States and Canada. The NSSE data
from 2011 demonstrates that the average firstyear and senior-year student at UMFK works
work far more than their average national
counterparts.
According to the NSSE survey results, three
times as many first-year UMFK students work,
as opposed to the national average. Working
six to 10 hours a week, on-campus, is most
typical, as is working 16 to 20 hours each week,

“Whether in the
classroom or online,
UMFK offers a
complete package
of quality and
affordability for high
school graduates or
adults returning to
college.”
off-campus. One in 10 first-year students attending
UMFK work 30-plus hours each week, offcampus. The final figure ranks 83 percent above
the national average.
Forty percent of UMFK senior class students
already work 15 hours, or more, off-campus.
Twenty-seven percent work 30 hours, or more.
In each case, it is approximately 60 percent
above the national average, as reported by the
NSSE survey.
Another factor that account for the lowest

national student debt load is UMFK’s low tuition
rate among four-year public higher education
institutions. Those low rates, coupled with a
zero percent increase in tuition and fees in backto-back years of 2012 and 2013, is good financial
news for undergraduates. Likewise, so was the
move to a block tuition fee structure during the
2012-13 academic year. Allowing students to
enroll for anywhere from 12 to 18 credits for a
single tuition rate, allows a motivated student to
move through their chosen academic program at
a faster rate, and with less debt.
The UMFK Foundation’s La Cloche de Fer
Campaign has increased the University’s endowment by more than 60 percent. That historic
success has led to an increase in endowed
scholarship opportunities for undergraduates,
thereby lightening the financial load on students
and their families.
Last September, UMFK once again was
ranked among the top 15 public colleges in the
North, according to the 2013 edition of U.S.
News & World Report’s Best Regional Colleges.
It marked the fourth successive year of upward
movement by the University in the rankings.
Says President Hess, “First came the Best
Colleges ranking, and now comes the least debt
ranking. Whether in the classroom or online,
UMFK offers a complete package of quality and
affordability for high school graduates or adults
returning to college.”

The Bell Tower | 7