University of Southern Maine

What University of Southern Maine does

The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university founded in 1878 and a member of the University of Maine System, operating across three physical campuses in Maine — Portland (urban STEM and research hub at 85 Bedford Street), Gorham (residential campus at 37 College Avenue), and Lewiston-Auburn (healthcare-education focus at 51 Westminster Street) — plus a fully Online delivery channel. USM offers more than 300 undergraduate and graduate programs, mix-and-match majors/minors/certificates, a Polymath Pathways BA that allows two concurrent majors, an MS in Digital Marketing Analytics completable in as little as one year, the Osher School of Music, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, professional development, and pre-college youth programs. Academic work is organized into the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences; the College of Management and Human Service; and the College of Science, Technology and Health, plus Library and Learning Services.

The university's technology stack includes the MaineStreet (PeopleSoft Campus Solutions) student information system, the myUSM student portal, Parchment-powered electronic transcript delivery (typically within 24 hours, $7 per recipient), ParkEngage parking services, a GiveCampus donation portal, and an in-house Maker Innovation Studio paired with applied research programs such as the CubeSat Design Challenge. A university-wide digital accessibility program is in implementation to meet WCAG 2.1 AA by April 26, 2027 under the 2024 DOJ Title II ADA update. Public-safety compliance is documented through the Clery Act Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

Revenue is diversified across tuition and academic fees (the primary recurring stream, not publicly itemized in source), philanthropic donations through the USM Foundation (led by President & CEO Corey Hascall), transaction-based fees (transcripts, parking), external grants and sponsored research (including prior U.S. Department of Education mental-health grants partially cancelled in April 2025), and auxiliary services (University Store, Conference Services, Residential Life & Housing, Athletics). Institutional leadership is headed by President Dr. Jacqueline Edmondson, with a cabinet including the Provost, CBO/VP Finance, VP HR, VP Enrollment Management, VP Student Affairs, and VP Public Safety/Chief of Police.

Name

University of Southern Maine

Legal name

University of Southern Maine

Website

https://usm.maine.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1878

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The University of Southern Maine is a public university and University of Maine System member serving undergraduate, graduate, online, and adult learners across campuses in Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, offering 300+ programs and applied research in STEM, healthcare, arts, and public policy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and academic fees: Recurring tuition and fees paid by undergraduate, graduate, adult, and online students across more than 300 degree programs; supported by scholarships and financial aid (Costs & Financial Aid page).
2. Donations and philanthropy: Philanthropic giving channeled through the USM Foundation (led by President & CEO Corey Hascall) and an online GiveCampus donation portal.
3. Transcript fees: $7.00 per electronic transcript recipient (plus applicable taxes and fees) billed to the requester at the time of order, plus paid shipping options for printed transcripts.
4. Parking and transportation fees: Annual parking permits, hourly/daily/overnight parking rates, validation codes, and event parking revenue generated by Parking Services. Lewiston-Auburn parking is free.
5. Grants and sponsored research: External grant funding from federal and state sources, including prior U.S. Department of Education Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant funding for school mental health workers (cancelled in April 2025 and partially reinstated).
6. Auxiliary services: Revenue from the University Store, Conference Services, Athletics (Southern Maine Huskies), Residential Life & Housing, and other campus-based commercial operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public metropolitan research university that delivers higher education services, including undergraduate and graduate degree programs, certificates, professional development, and continuing education. It serves traditional college students, adult learners, and working professionals across multiple campuses in southern Maine.

Product overview

University of Southern Maine (USM) operates a multi-campus academic platform — Portland (urban STEM hub), Gorham (residential campus), Lewiston–Auburn (healthcare education), and a fully Online option — unified by the myUSM student portal and the MaineStreet SIS backbone. Its academic catalog spans 300+ Undergraduate Programs, Graduate Programs (including the featured Digital Marketing Analytics MS), Online Programs, the Polymath Pathways BA, the Osher School of Music, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Professional Development Programs, and Youth Programs (Camps and Clinics). Supporting services are delivered as discrete modules around that academic core, including the Maker Innovation Studio makerspace, the USM Parking Services module (ParkEngage-powered), the Transcript Request Service (Parchment + MaineStreet integration), and the Title IX Confidential Resource Advisor service; a separate Public Safety module publishes the annual Clery Act security and fire safety report.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Southern Maine Huskies: Athletics program of the University of Southern Maine (southernmainehuskies.com)
• Osher School of Music
• Maker Innovation Studio
• Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs
• Graduate Degree Programs
• Certificate Programs
• Continuing and Professional Education
• Online and Hybrid Learning

Quantifiable outcome

• Researchers at USM and University of Georgia found medical cannabis legalization associated with a 6.9% decrease in workplace absenteeism, with manual laborers showing 39% fewer sick days.
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Maine Community College System (MCCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSM offers direct admission for eligible Maine Community College System students and participates in the statewide TransferME articulation framework to streamline credit transfer into USM bachelor's programs.
• Maine Engineering Promotional CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHosts the annual E-Week Expo at the University of Southern Maine Field House (February 28, 2026), connecting K-12 students, job seekers, and Maine engineering employers in conjunction with National Engineers Week.
• Bath Iron WorksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExhibits at the E-Week Expo at the USM Field House, showcasing engineering careers and recruiting talent from USM and the broader Maine engineering community.
• Robotics Institute of MaineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExhibits at the E-Week Expo at the USM Field House, providing hands-on STEM demonstrations including robotics competitions to inspire young people.
• Parchment (transcript network)coreTechnology or IntegrationUSM partners with Parchment to deliver electronic official transcripts (generally within 24 hours) and printed official transcripts to third parties, with a $7.00 per-recipient fee for electronic delivery.
• Maine Office of the Attorney GeneralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSM co-collects and publishes statewide data on local-government opioid settlement fund spending in partnership with the Maine Attorney General's office, enabling public transparency.
• University of GeorgiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored research published in the Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, analyzing federal data from 1990-2025 covering 20 million+ workers on medical cannabis legalization and workplace absenteeism, with funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
• USM FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent fundraising entity (led by President & CEO Corey Hascall) that channels philanthropic donations to USM through the GiveCampus portal and other development activities.
• Maine Coalition for Palestine and Maine Voices for Palestinian RightsminorOthersCo-organized the "Consequence of Palestine" conference with USM's Department of Criminology and Sociology; USM revoked on-campus venue access days before the event citing federal sanctions. Conference organizers were pursuing alternative venues and considering legal action.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• University of Maine: Flagship campus of the University of Maine System, USM's parent system. Operates public four-year residential and graduate programs with research activity — directly comparable as a Maine public research university competing for the same in-state student pool.
• University of New England: Private university in Maine with strong health-professions, pharmacy, and dental programs and growing online portfolio. Closely comparable to USM's healthcare-heavy Lewiston-Auburn campus and similar mix of undergraduate, graduate, and online offerings in the Maine market.
• University of New Hampshire: Regional public research university in the neighboring state with multi-campus delivery (Durham, Manchester, law school) and a strong online presence. Closely comparable in mission, governance, and program mix to USM's multi-campus public university model.
• University of Vermont: Public research university in a small New England state with comprehensive undergraduate/graduate programs and healthcare emphasis. Comparable in scale, mission, and statewide-public-university positioning to USM.
• University of Maine at Farmington: Fellow University of Maine System campus offering liberal arts and education programs. Comparable as a same-system peer competing for Maine high-school graduates and teacher-preparation enrollment.
• Plymouth State University: Public regional comprehensive university in New Hampshire with multi-modal delivery (on-campus, online, cluster learning). Comparable in size, mission, and reliance on adult/transfer learners and system-level governance.
• University of Maine at Augusta: Same-system University of Maine campus with a strong online and transfer-oriented portfolio, including healthcare and IT programs. Comparable to USM in modality mix and in overlapping with MCCS transfer pipelines.

Broad incumbents

• Southern New Hampshire University: Large nonprofit university with a national online and adult-learner footprint. Comparable to USM Online in modality and audience (working adults, accelerated degrees), though SNHU operates at substantially greater scale and geographic reach.

Regional players

• Husson University: Private university in Bangor, Maine with undergraduate, graduate, and online programs in business, health, and pharmacy. Comparable to USM as a Maine-based competitor for in-state students and healthcare-program enrollment.
• Thomas College: Small private business-focused university in Waterville, Maine with undergraduate, graduate, and online programs. Comparable to USM in competing for Maine adult learners and professional-program enrollment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/USouthernMaine

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of Southern Maine