USM Admissions

USM Spotlight

All aboard the Husky Line

The Greater Portland Transit District (METRO) just launched a new bus line this week that will replace the shuttle service between the University of Southern Maine (USM) Portland and Gorham campuses and extend a public transportation option to residents in and around Gorham and Westbrook. Students, staff, and faculty must show their USM Campus ID cards to ride the Husky Line — plus all other METRO lines — for free.

Bringing the global economy home

Shaelan Donovan has big plans for the future and knows how to go after them. She's our first student to take advantage of the unique partnership between USM and Reykjavik University (RU) in Iceland. Shaelan took business classes at RU while working at international shipping company Eimskip — a relationship she began as an intern in Portland. Now she wants to help grow Maine's economy.

Helping student veterans succeed

There are 50 student veterans enrolled at USM who participate in our new Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) program. A federally funded pre-college program recently featured on News Center Maine's 207, VUB assists eligible Maine veterans who want to pursue a college degree by helping them fill out college applications, obtain financial aid, or upgrade skills.

New Center for the Arts possible, thanks to gift

An anonymous donor has gifted $1 million to launch a new Center for the Arts on our Portland campus. The center will feature a 1,000-seat concert hall, recital hall, black box theater, and art gallery to support the academic programming of our music, theatre, and arts programs.

New nursing degree addresses critical care needs

Maine has the oldest population in the nation, and acute care for adults, particularly the aging, is an urgent need in the state. Our School of Nursing now offers an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner master's degree that prepares students to provide comprehensive care to adults with acute, complex, and critical illnesses.

Say hello to the bike patrol

The next time you see a Public Safety Officer ride by on a mountain bike, be sure to say hi — because that's the idea! Tooling around campus on two wheels gives officers and students the opportunity to get to know one another better and communicate about public safety issues. It's a wonderful addition to our Portland and Gorham campuses and offers a more specialized level of protection.