Eligibility & Application Questions

  • On-Campus/Online: Students must apply for On-Campus/Online courses through the ExplorEC portal. To learn more about the ExplorEC portal, visit the University of Maine System Early College website.
    If you are unable to access the ExplorEC portal, please contact us at enrollusm@maine.edu.  
  • Concurrent Enrollment: Visit the ExplorEC portal to register for a Concurrent Enrollment course. If you have used ExplorEC previously, please use your original log-in information (usually your personal or high school email address). If you are new to ExplorEC, please create an account.

Visit the Apply page on this website for registration and application instructions for all programs.

Starting with the Class of 2027, eligible high school students may earn a lifetime total of up to 18 tuition-free credits through waivers subsidized by the Maine Department of Education (aka “Aspirations Funding”). All credits taken at Maine’s Public Universities and Community Colleges are calculated towards the lifetime credit count. For more details, please visit the UMS Early College Tuition and Fees page.

  • Students are responsible for the cost of textbooks/materials and/or any course-specific fees.
  • Any credits in excess of the 18 credit limit are billed as “self-pay” at the Early College rate.
  • In-state high school students ineligible for tuition waivers are also billed as “self-pay” at the Early College rate.

It depends! Tuition waiver/”aspirations funding” eligibility can depend a lot on what kind of high school you attend (public vs. private vs. hybrid) or if your homeschool is on file with the Maine Department of Education. You can find more specific info on which students qualify for aspirations funding and which do not on the UMS Early College Tuition and Fees page.

Note: If you are an out-of-state high school student, attending a high school out-of-state, you are not eligible to participate in USM’s Early College program. Instead, you’ll be asked to sign up for courses as a non-degree student through our Office of Registration and Scheduling Services.

Yes, we look at all courses taken within the University of Maine-System and Maine Community Colleges when calculating credits and tuition waivers. Early College offices across both systems issue available tuition waivers in order of date in which the student applied for the course.

The application process is the same for homeschooled students as it is students who attend a traditional high school. The only difference is that your parent/guardian will need to complete both the parent consent form as well as the school counselor approval. Please visit the Home Educated Student Application Guide for more information and full step-by-step directions.

Early College students are encouraged to focus on 100- or 200-level courses, though there are no specific constraints so long as students meet the prerequisites for the course they want and there are seats still available. Students with a specific academic or career interest can also explore our USM Early College Pathways for a more guided academic plan.

Still unsure what to take? Students are able to book an advising appointment with our Senior Associate Director of Early College Success, Emma Roose, at emmaroose.youcanbook.me.

Summer courses: Yes – Early College students can enroll in up to 2 summer courses.

  • USM breaks up their summer into two sessions: Summer Session I runs from mid-May thru Early-July, and Summer Session II runs from Early-July thru late-August.
  • Summer courses are typically accelerated, lasting either 4 or 7-weeks.
  • Students cannot enroll in more than one course during the same summer session (at any institution).

Winter courses: No – Early College students are not eligible to take Wintersession courses at USM.

Students who are applying to take certain math and science courses may be asked to complete the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment. This is to ensure that students are enrolling in a course that best fits their knowledge and skills and will be a worthwhile experience (we don’t want students taking a course that will be too difficult nor too easy for them). You cannot “pass” nor “fail” the ALEKS, rather – your score is simply information we use to determine course fit. Information on ALEKS topics, scoring rubric, and instructions can be found on the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment website.

  • Students need to have an active UMS account in order to complete the ALEKS.
  • The ALEKS assessment can be repeated up to 5 times, so if you’re not satisfied with your score the first time, try retaking it.
  • If asked for a proctor password, please use: SOUTHERNMAINE1

Make sure to check the course status on ExplorEC! Different statuses can mean different things. You can also check out this helpful Application Status Workflow (pdf) to better understand where your application is in the process!

Remember, in order for an application to be considered “complete,” it must contain the following…

  • Signed Student Agreement (SA)
  • Signed Parent/Guardian Consent Form (PC)
  • Approved by School Counselor
  • Proof of completing any prerequisites (if applicable)

If this is your first time taking a course with the University of Maine system, you will need to activate your student account. Making sure your account is active is essential in gaining access to your USM Student Portal, Brightspace, UMS email, etc. After getting approved for registration, students will receive the following email with activation instructions (please check your spam folder if you cannot find this message).

Email Sender: ums.ec.activate@maine.edu

Subject Line: Time Sensitive – Activate Your UMS Account

Email Text:
Welcome to the University of Maine System(UMS) Early College Program!

Below you will find the information needed to activate your UMS account, which will allow you access to the following:

→ MaineStreet (External Site): Your Student Records (View and Request transcripts, View and Pay Your Bill, View UMS Admissions status)
→ UMS Gmail (External Site): Your official means of communication with UMS staff and faculty/instructors.
→ UMS Campus Portal (External Site): Your single sign-on access to all UMS resources.
→ Brightspace (External Site): Your Online Classroom (For Courses Offered by UMS Faculty/Instructors)

Activating your UMS account is important even if your class is offered at your high school. Your course may involve accessing the platforms listed below in order to connect with the UMS resources available to you as an Early College student.

To activate your UMS account go to the UMS User Account Management page (External Site) and click on Activate Your Account, then follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process.

You will need the following:  
1. Your Identification Number is: XXXXXXX
2. Your Activation Key: XXXXXXX
(this is comprised of only lower case letters and/or digits)

Please wait at least 15-30 minutes before attempting to log-in.

If you need further assistance with account activation, contact the IT Help Desk by phone (required) at 1-800-696-4357. For Help Desk hours and other resources visit the IT & Support page (External Site).

If you have questions about your course registration or course content, please contact your host campus Early College Office. View contact information for all campuses on our Contact Information page.

Thank you!

Because passwords expire every 180 days, it’s one of the most common reasons students get locked out of their accounts.

To regain access, please visit accounts.maine.edu, choose ‘recover a lost password,’ and answer the security questions you created at the time you activated your account. You will also need your UMS username (same as your @maine.edu email address) and 7-digit UMS student ID (found on your ExplorEC homepage). From there, you should be able to set a new password.

If you’re still having issues, please connect directly with our IT Help Desk at help@maine.edu or by calling 1-800-696-4357.

Navigating Campus

K-12 and post-secondary institutions are governed by separate disability laws (IDEA vs. ADA), and it’s important for students and families to familiarize themselves with some of these differences as they prepare for classes. Please review ‘Transitioning from High School to College as a Student with a Disability‘ for a helpful side-by-side comparison.

For students taking classes on-campus/online: IEPs and 504 Plan information is not automatically shared with USM. To receive disability-related accommodations for courses, students must register with the Disability Services Center (DSC). The DSC provides a wide range of services to qualified students with sensory, mobility, physical, psychological, learning and attentional disabilities.

For students in Concurrent Enrollment courses: information and requests for disability accommodations will be managed by students’ high school counselors and high school disability accommodations offices.

FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA law is enforced differently at the K-12 level than at a post-secondary institution, like USM. As an Early College student, it is important to understand these differences as you straddle these two separate legal environments.

When you take college courses, FERPA generally gives you control over your college education records – even if you are under 18. This includes information such as your grades, class schedule, attendance, academic progress, and student billing information. Because of FERPA, college staff, including the Early College office, generally cannot share information about your education records with a parent, guardian, or other person without your permission, except in certain circumstances allowed by law.

If you would like someone else to have access to your information, or for a parent/guardian to be able to communicate easily with our office, please complete the FERPA consent form located on your ExplorEC homepage. Completing this form is optional and can be revoked at anytime.

University of Maine System: On-Campus/Online or Concurrent Enrollment course credits will transfer to other University of Maine System institutions, as long as the student’s final grade for the course was a C- or above.

Outside the University of Maine System: Students seeking to transfer Early College credits to institutions outside of the University of Maine System should consult with the Registrar and/or Transfer Affairs office at the university to which they are transferring. Use this credit transfer tool to see if certain colleges and universities will accept and award transfer credit for USM Early College courses.

For directions on order a copy of your USM Transcript, please visit the Request a Transcript page on the Office of Registration and Scheduling Services website.

NetTutor is a 24/7 online tutoring service available to all USM Early College students. Students can use NetTutor to get help on a particular homework question or to receive feedback on writing assignments. Early College students also have access to the USM Learning Commons services, but are encouraged to use NetTutor when the Learning Commons are closed or when they need quick, immediate learning support. 

On-Campus/Online students can access NetTutor through their Brightspace accounts. Concurrent Enrollment students can also access NetTutor through Brightspace, but they must first activate their University of Maine System (UMS) account. Students receive an email during the first few weeks of their Concurrent Enrollment course with instructions on how to activate their UMS account. ite.

For High School Teachers and Administrators

High school teachers seeking to teach Concurrent Enrollment courses must submit a CV to USM, being sure to include all graduate-level work undertaken (whether a degree was completed or not) and other discipline-relevant information such as positions held, certifications earned, and/or active membership in professional or discipline-specific associations. The relevant academic department will review the CV and any additional materials submitted to determine who can deliver course credit on their behalf. Interested teachers may contact Emma Roose, Senior Associate Director of Early College Success for more information about starting this process.

Each Concurrent Enrollment instructor works with a USM faculty member, who helps plan courses and supports instructors. Faculty liaisons and Concurrent Enrollment instructors communicate regularly throughout the academic year about the progress of Concurrent Enrollment courses being delivered and planning for future courses. If you are already in contact with a USM faculty member in your field, please contact them and Emma Roose, Senior Associate Director of Early College Success. about establishing a Concurrent Enrollment course in your subject area at your high school.