New Lifetime Credit Cap
Beginning with the Class of 2027 (current high school sophomores), students can earn up to 18 tuition-free college credits through the Aspirations Program. The annual limit for eligible students will remain at 12 tuition-free credits, and students will be limited to a lifetime total of 18 credits. The one exception to the 18-credit lifetime limit will be CTE students in designated early college career pathways with the Maine Community College System (MCCS), as many of those programs have corequisite course requirements. Students in approved CTE pathways will be able to access a total of 24 tuition-free college credits through MCCS. UMS students will always be billed for any credits above 18. Students who choose to take courses beyond the lifetime cap may apply for additional credits as self-pay students at the Early College tuition rates set by UMS and MCCS.
You can read the full DOE Priority Notice here.
Summer 2025 Guidelines
- Current Seniors: Students who are on track to graduate in Spring 2025 are not eligible for early college courses in the summer semester following their graduation, regardless of course start date, high school graduation date, and/or high school diploma conferral date.
- Students will be limited to 2 courses during the summer semester and the courses should not happen during the same session. The following overlaps will be considered:
- Overlap for 3- and 4-week courses should be less than one week.
- Overlap for 7- and 8-week courses should be less than two weeks.
Advising Tip
Please note that summer courses are accelerated and demand a higher weekly time commitment from students.
It’s important to understand the time commitment involved in different course lengths. Here’s a breakdown:
- 15-week semester:
- A typical 3-credit course will require roughly 9-12 hours of work per week. This includes both in-class time and study time.
- 6 or 7-week courses:
- These accelerated courses demand a significantly higher time investment, approximately 20 hours per week.
- 3 or 4-week courses:
- These are extremely intensive, requiring around 40 hours of work per week. Due to their demanding nature, they are not always offered and some campuses will not enroll early college students in these sections.
Key considerations:
- Study time: 2-3 hours of study time per credit hour is a general guideline. Some courses may require more or less.
- Intensity: Shorter courses condense a full semester’s worth of material into a much shorter time frame, leading to a much heavier workload.
- Individual differences: Time commitments can vary depending on individual learning styles, the difficulty of the course, and other factors.
Excess & Duplicate Course Applications
We will not process excess or duplicate course applications. Many students have been applying for multiple sections of the same course or multiple courses across campuses. When all applications are approved by the school, our staff cannot determine which course(s) take priority, leading to processing delays.
All excess and/or duplicate applications will be marked as “Application Not Processed – See Notes,” and a note will be sent via ExplorEC to the student and school counselor. Students will then be referred to Christy Alley, Early College Advising & Success Coordinator, for targeted outreach.
Excess applications are defined as:
- More than 2 courses in the summer semester
- More than 3 courses in the fall and spring semesters
Duplicate applications are defined as:
- Two sections of the same course at the same campus (e.g., 2 sections of PSY 100 at UM)
- 2 equivalent courses at different campuses (e.g., one Pre-Calculus course at UMA and one Pre-Calculus course at SMCC).
What you can do to help:
- Encourage your students to apply early to increase their chances of getting their desired courses. The ExplorEC Portal opens for applications on the following dates:
- Summer Semester- Second Friday in February
- Fall Semester- First Friday in April
- Spring Semester- First Friday in November
- Do not approve excess course applications.
- Do not approve duplicate course applications.
- Direct students to contact an early college advisor for assistance, email earlycollegcadvising@maine.edu, or call Christy Alley at (207)-255-1268.