Bastard Step-Child of the University of
Maine System, it manages to have the largest enrollment of any of its sister colleges but the least amount of funding per
student.
The majority of the students (about 8,000 of 10,000, as of late 2000) commute to one of the two main campuses, located inconveniently in both Portland, ME, and Gorham, a tiny town 15 minutes away from Portland. Gorham houses the majority of the resident student population, though a dorm exists on Portland's Congress Street in which lucky USM students can share rooms with members of several other area colleges. A third campus that is a member of USM in name alone exists two hours away in the twin cities of Lewiston and Auburn.
USM is not a bad college, but it's not a remarkable one, either. Academics are neither top nor bottom-notch, and in-state tuition is a pretty good deal, if you don't consider the fact that financial-aid-to-in-state-universities wise, Maine continually ranks at the very bottom in affordability. The student population consists mainly of adults returning to college and Mainuhs who have lived sheltered lives in the lower half of the state.