The University of Maine at Augusta has become the first university in Maine to earn national accreditation for Early College courses taught in partner high schools and career and technical education centers.
The recognition comes from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships, the only national accrediting body focused specifically on college courses that high school students take in their own schools. For students and families, the accreditation offers added confidence that these UMA courses meet rigorous college-level standards and give students a meaningful head start before graduation.
“The Early College program at UMA has always been a powerful launchpad for Maine high school students,” said Christine Knight, UMA director of Early College programs and assistant registrar for degree progress. “Many who didn’t initially see themselves as ‘college material’ have thrived in our program, raising their aspirations and opening doors they thought were closed. NACEP Accreditation shows students and families that they are receiving a true university experience right in their high school classrooms.”
UMS’s Early College Report finds that students who took early college courses have higher first‑year GPAs and higher first‑year retention rates at UMS universities than comparable students with no early college.
Beginning with the class of 2027, eligible high school students may earn up to 18 lifetime credits tuition-free through the state’s Aspirations Tuition Waiver Program. This past year, UMA Early College served 1,692 students from 129 Maine high schools, career and technical education centers, and homeschool settings. Together, they earned 7,950 UMA credit hours.
To earn this accreditation, UMA completed a two-year program evaluation, submitted hundreds of pieces of evidence documenting how the program met NACEP’s 16 standards, and underwent a year-long independent peer review process.
“Because we have proven our program’s exceptional quality, rigor, and oversight to the nation’s only early college concurrent enrollment accrediting body, these credits are much more likely to seamlessly transfer wherever our students choose to matriculate,” Knight said.
UMA’s accreditation comes as Maine’s public universities continue to expand Early College access, with 5,723 high school students participating across the University of Maine System this academic year. As the first institution in Maine to earn NACEP accreditation for its Concurrent Enrollment program, UMA is helping lead the way, with at least four other UMS universities planning to pursue the same recognition in the coming year.
“This is a major achievement for UMA and an important milestone for Early College in Maine,” said Joseph Szakas, UMA’s vice president of academic affairs and provost. He said the accreditation highlights the impact of UMA’s Early College program on students and recognizes the dedication of the faculty, staff, and school partners behind it.
More information about UMA Early College is available at uma.edu/admission/early-college/.