Study abroad at Orono

Orono is an exceptionally scenic, safe, and welcoming university town situated on Marsh Island between the Penobscot and Stillwater Rivers in Penobscot County, central Maine, located just 15 minutes north of Bangor and Bangor International Airport (BGR), and 1 hour from world-famous Acadia National Park on the Atlantic coast. Celebrated for its pristine natural beauty, the Orono Bog Boardwalk (a 1-mile accessible nature trail through a northern peat bog), Collins Center for the Arts, DeMeritt Forest trails (over 15 miles of running, cross-country skiing, and biking paths), and a thriving culture of green technology and outdoor recreation. Orono is the flagship campus home of Maine's premier public doctoral research university: University of Maine (UMaine - established in 1865, flagship Land, Sea, and Space Grant institution designated Carnegie R1 Very High Research Activity enrolling over 12,000 students on a picturesque 660-acre campus). The University of Maine is globally renowned for the Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC - home to the world's largest 3D printer BioHome3D and pioneering offshore floating wind turbine technology), College of Engineering and Computing (ABET-accredited Biomedical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering), Maine Business School (AACSB-accredited), School of Forest Resources, School of Marine Sciences, and Climate Change Institute (world leader in polar ice core research). Degrees are taught 100% in English with prestigious US accreditations. International students benefit from Maine's safe, friendly environment, generous UMaine International Flagship Scholarships ($5,000 to $15,000/year), low living costs, and direct US F-1 / I-20 Student Visa support with 3-year STEM OPT work extensions.

Tuition fees in Orono for international undergraduate students at the University of Maine (UMaine - Carnegie R1 Flagship) range between $33,500 and $35,800 per academic year for Engineering, Computer Science, Maine Business School, Marine Sciences, and Forestry (with UMaine awarding generous automatic International Flagship Scholarships discounting $5,000 to $15,000/year from tuition for qualified applicants with a GPA of 3.0+, bringing net tuition down to approx. $18,500–$28,500/year). Postgraduate Master's and PhD degrees range from $16,000 to $24,000 per year (with extensive graduate research and teaching assistantships providing full tuition coverage and monthly stipends). Modern on-campus university student residences (UMaine: DTAV / Patch Hall Apartments, Knox Hall, Somerset, Oxford, Doris Twitchell Allen Village - fully furnished student suites with high-speed Wi-Fi, utilities, and dining halls) cost between $650 and $1,100 per month (inclusive of meal plans), while off-campus student apartments in Orono, Old Town, and Veazie range from $450 to $780 per month. General monthly living expenses range between $680 and $1,050 (one of the most economical in New England).

International students require a US F-1 Student Visa. Upon academic admission and verification of financial documentation (bank statement certifying first-year tuition and living expenses minus scholarship awards approx. $24,000), the Office of International Programs (UMaine OIP) issues the official Form I-20. The student pays the SEVIS I-901 fee, completes the DS-160 online visa application, and attends the F-1 visa interview at the US Embassy or Consulate. STEM graduates qualify for a 24-month OPT extension (total 36 months of US employment authorization).