If you are considering attending the University of Southern Maine (USM) for the first time, below you will find a basic outline to enable you to complete all the steps necessary to finance your education:

Before you begin your financial aid application process, know the cost to help you determine your needs.

Get Admitted to USM

To receive Federal Financial Aid, Federal regulations require that students be admitted to a degree program. If you have not received your confirmation from the Admissions Office that you have been accepted into a degree program for the upcoming academic year, you may still file your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). If your FAFSA data is received from the Federal Processors prior to official acceptance into a degree program at the University of Southern Maine, your FAFSA will remain inactive. Once you are accepted as a University of Southern Maine degree seeking student, your FAFSA will move through the Financial Aid review and offer process.

Learn more about applying for admission to the University.

Submit Your FAFSA

The FAFSA must be filed annually and can be completed online electronically, or by paper.  Creating your Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID and completing the FAFSA online can significantly speed up the FAFSA process by avoiding potential post delays; screening your application for errors prior to your final submission to the Federal Processors; allowing you to follow up on the progress of your FAFSA; and enabling you to make subsequent electronic corrections to your FAFSA data.

If you are looking for financial assistance for the 2023-2024 year and you are currently enrolled – you can still fill out the FAFSA!  While filing late is not ideal, it is still possible to get some financial aid if you file the FAFSA after the academic year has started.

To ensure priority consideration for any need-based financial aid and to take advantage of the best available funding, file your 2024-2025 FAFSA by March 15th to meet our April 1st priority deadline. The University of Southern Maine’s Title IV institution Code is (009762).

For more information, be sure to visit the Frequently Asked Questions section of this site.

Scholarships for First-Year Applicants

We offer generous Admission Scholarships for both in-state and out-of-state first-year applicants. When you apply to the University of Southern Maine, you will be automatically considered for applicable scholarship awards. Remember, for your best financial aid offer, complete your University application and FAFSA by March 15.

See more information on the scholarship application process and to access the full list of Scholarships.

Student Financial Services will generally begin packaging financial aid offers for the next award year for new, incoming undergraduate students by early December and for all other students by the end of February. For the 2024-2025 award year financial aid offers will begin packaging later as a result of the delayed release of the 2024-2025 FAFSA by Federal Student Aid.   Offers are generated on a regular basis for any students who meet all eligibility requirements. These requirements include items such as being admitted to the University, maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), submitting all documents requested on MaineStreet, and meeting federal citizenship requirements.

Once a financial aid offer is generated, newly admitted students will receive a letter via regular postal service mail indicating that their financial aid offer can be viewed in the Mainestreet Student Service Center. Other program requirements are outlined in the letter. Continuing students will simply receive an email stating that their financial aid offer can be accessed on Mainestreet.

Students who have been offered financial aid must review the offer, accept loans if they are needed, and must provide additional eligibility updates through the Mainestreet Student Center.

Due to federal privacy regulations that do not allow student information to be shared without a student’s consent, students must Authorize Access to Student Information to allow their financial aid information to be shared with parents (for dependent students) or spouse (for independent students).

After you have been admitted to the University of Southern Maine, you will be given access to the University’s online administrative computing system called MaineStreet.

Once you are logged on to MaineStreet, you will be able to do the following:

  • Check financial aid offer information
  • Check financial aid status and outstanding requirements
  • Complete electronic forms
  • Print out hardcopies of required forms

It is helpful to familiarize yourself with this useful tool since your MaineStreet account is the fastest way to get the most up-to-date information regarding your student financial aid. Log into MaineStreet, select Student Self-Service and continue to the Student Center. When you click on the Financial Aid tab you can see your financial aid offer.

Need help? Check out the MaineStreet Information and Training Guides

Students who are selected for the federal process called Verification, or who have unresolved issues with their FAFSA, will be asked for additional documents via their “To Do” list in MaineStreet.

All verification documentation must be submitted prior to financial aid being processed. These documents must be submitted by April 1st for priority consideration. 

Please do not mail unsolicited tax returns, W2’s, or other documents to the Student Financial Services office.

Learn more about costs and your financial aid offer here.

Electronically view and accept the financial aid offer (MaineStreet)

Once you are in MaineStreet, select Student Self-Service and continue to the Student Center. When you click on the Financial Aid tab you can see your financial aid offer. Be sure to complete the “Accept Your Award” section. Please note the “Accept Your Award” link only works once and all subsequent changes need to be reported directly to the Student Financial Services office. Future updates and changes to your financial aid will be sent to your University email address and can be viewed in MaineStreet. You should regularly visit MaineStreet for updates from Student Financial Services and other offices at the University.

Entrance Counseling for first time Direct Loan borrowers

All first time borrowers must complete an Entrance Counseling session to make sure they know their Rights and Responsibilities as a borrower. The Entrance Counseling session must be completed prior to the processing of your loan request. Loan requests will not be processed until the Entrance Counseling session has been completed.  

We also recommend visiting the Financial Aid Calculator web site to help you determine your future payments based on your Direct Loan balance.

You may complete your Entrance Counseling requirements online. Confirmation of your successful completion will be sent to the University of Southern Maine’s Student Financial Services office automatically.

Master Promissory Note (MPN)

All Direct Loan borrowers must sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) after you accept your Direct Loan. The MPN must be completed before your loan funds will be released to the school. Please sign your MPN at https://studentloans.gov