Merit Scholarships
UNE offers a robust Merit Scholarship program that bases gift money awards on your level of academic achievement. All incoming full-time undergraduate students will receive Merit Scholarships in amounts from $5,000 to $24,000 per year. UNE uses a test-blind admissions policy, which means we will not consider ACT or SAT scores for general admission. Instead, we will review your high school experience as a whole. These awards are renewable for four years of undergraduate study at UNE as long as you maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above.
Institutional Grants
Nor’easter Scholarship
If you demonstrate financial need, we may award this funding to further supplement the cost of your UNE education.
Sibling Grant
If you and your sibling are concurrently enrolled full-time at UNE, contact our office to obtain the Sibling Grant.
Legacy Grant
If your parent(s) earned a degree from UNE, Westbrook College, or Saint Francis College, contact our office to obtain the Legacy Grant.
Endowed and Annual Fund Scholarships
These scholarships are made possible to returning undergraduate students by individual donors to UNE. Award criteria vary based on the individual donors' preferences. In most cases, awards are made on the basis of academic merit and financial need. Student Financial Services will contact students in late spring, highlighting the application process.
Federal Grants
Pell Grant
The Federal Pell Grant is awarded to undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need and have not yet earned a baccalaureate degree. Amounts are awarded according to the U.S. Department of Education's standards and requirements. If you are awarded a Pell Grant, the amount can change annually and is dependent on your enrollment status.
SEOG Grant
The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) can be awarded to undergraduate students who demonstrate great financial need and have not yet earned a baccalaureate degree. Eligibility and amounts are determined by our office.
TEACH Grant — Education Majors
The U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant Program (TEACH) provides funds to students who are completing or plan to complete coursework necessary to begin a career in teaching, and who agree to teach full-time for at least four years:
- As a highly qualified teacher
- At a school or educational service agency servicing low-income students
- In a high-need field.
Students must complete the following in order to be eligible:
- FAFSA
- Agreement to Serve
- TEACH Grant Counseling
- UNE TEACH Grant Application on/before the final day of the current academic year for which you’re applying
The requirements can be completed at Federal Student Aid — TEACH. Contact our office at (207) 602-2342 for more information on the TEACH Grant.
State Grants
Maine State Grant
The Maine State Grant is awarded to undergraduate students who are Maine residents, demonstrate financial need, and have not yet earned a baccalaureate degree. UNE will determine awards based on eligibility as well as enrollment status for applications received no later than the May 1 priority deadline.
Other State Grants
Similar to Maine, other states may offer grant programs to our undergraduate students. Funding is usually based on certain levels of financial need, enrollment status, and the completion of application materials by a certain deadline found on the FAFSA website. We encourage you to check with your state for specific requirements.
Additional Scholarship Sources
An effective way to reduce student loan borrowing is to access as many scholarships as possible. An outside scholarship is gift aid awarded by an outside organization. Most outside scholarships are awarded via an application process and may have additional student requirements or prerequisites. We strongly urge you to diligently research available scholarships and to take advantage of as many as you can every year you are in school. Great resources for finding scholarships include guidance counselors, parents’ employers, local organizations, and banks. We have also developed a comprehensive list of scholarship search engines and tools.
Outside Scholarship Reporting
Students who have been awarded a scholarship are required to report their outside resources to UNE Student Financial Services. You can notify SFS of your scholarship via our online Outside Scholarship Reporting Form. The information that you provide will help us apply your scholarship to your account. Please note that only scholarships that are coming directly to UNE and are payable only to UNE may be added to your anticipated financial aid before payment is received.
Most students receive a Scholarship Notification when they are awarded a scholarship. You are required to send your notification to the UNE Student Financial Services office. You can provide your scholarship notification to us through our scholarship reporting form above.
- Some scholarship checks are sent directly to UNE and are payable only to UNE. In these cases, you only need to complete the scholarship form. If the check is sent directly to UNE and is made payable to both you and UNE, you will need to come to the SFS office to endorse the check before payment can be made.
- A small number of scholarships require UNE to send them an invoice for the awarded scholarship funds. If your scholarship requires it, UNE will send the invoice and will apply the scholarship funds to the account when we receive payment from the scholarship organization.
- If the scholarship check is sent directly to you and is payable to you, you can use scholarship funds by making a payment on Touchnet. You can also endorse the check and make payable to UNE. Contact our office for instructions.
When UNE has received payment for the award amount, your scholarship funds will be applied to your account. Please contact our office at (207) 602-2342 or sfs@thy111.net if you have any questions.