Students from across New England who want to study agriculture, education or other subjects at the public university can get a 35% reduced tuition rate starting next fall.
2 min read
A sign on the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vt., is pictured in March 2020. (Charles Krupa/Associated Press)
Students from Maine and other New England states will soon be able to attend the University of Vermont at a discounted rate, the university announced Wednesday, so long as they choose from a select set of majors.
Students who enroll will pay an estimated tuition rate of $30,240, or 35% below the university’s out-of-state annual tuition of $46,655. The program begins in fall 2027, and is open to first-year or transfer students who are permanent residents of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire or Rhode Island.
The eligible majors represent about a third of all programs at the university, from biochemistry to music education. They include all majors in the school’s departments of agriculture and life sciences, education and social services, and environment and natural resources, a total of 31 degrees.
Those particular departments were chosen because of the “high number of programs they offer that support service, community impact, and sustainability” according to the university’s FAQ page about the new tuition program. Students must stay in those majors throughout their time at the university to stay eligible for the discounted rate.
UVM, the state’s public flagship university founded in 1791, decided to offer the regional discount to provide a more affordable higher education option for families, and to open more pathways to careers in education, agriculture, the environment and public service, vice president of enrollment management Jay Johnson said in a statement.
Schools in Maine’s public university system have already been participating in a reduced tuition program for New England students. At the flagship University of Maine, students from other states in the region can save $14,610, for a total tuition cost of $23,300, if they enroll in a major that is not available in their home state.
According to university data, 269 students from Maine attended UVM as of last spring.
Riley covers education for the Press Herald. Before moving to Portland, she spent two years in Kenai, Alaska, reporting on local government, schools and natural resources for the public radio station KDLL... More by Riley Board