University of Maine

Orono, ME · founded 1865 · 11,000 students · public research university · America East Conference

Known for: Pioneering research in forestry, climate science, and advanced materials, along with a strong focus on marine sciences and engineering.

Rankings

U.S. News national: #216
Times Higher Education: #801

Top programmes

Forest Resources
Engineering
Marine Sciences
Business
Education
Climate Science

Notable alumni

Stephen King — Bestselling author of horror and supernatural fiction
Bernard Lown — Nobel Peace Prize-winning cardiologist and inventor of the defibrillator
John Baldacci — Former Governor of Maine and U.S. Congressman
Linda Lavin — Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress
Paul LePage — Former Governor of Maine

Traditions

Maine Day
Black Bear Bash
Homecoming
Steamroller Printing

If University of Maine were…

As a food: Lobster roll from a roadside shack in Boothbay — Unpretentious, rooted in place, and better than it needs to be given the low-key setting. You come for the honest regional flavor, not the Instagram clout.
As an athlete: Patrice Bergeron — Quietly excellent, deeply loyal to New England, does the unglamorous work without flash. Not the flashiest name in the league but respected by everyone who knows the game.
As a person alive today: Stephen King — Maine's most famous export, prolific and workmanlike, with deep roots in the state and a knack for turning the ordinary into something memorable. UMaine has that same blue-collar, get-it-done ethos.
As a historical figure: Joshua Chamberlain — The Bowdoin professor turned Civil War hero who held Little Round Top — a Maine figure who combined intellectual rigor with gritty determination. UMaine embodies that same land-grant practicality meeting higher purpose.
As a movie or TV show: The Perfect Storm — Set in the working-class maritime Northeast, about people who do dangerous, essential work the rest of the country takes for granted. UMaine students study the ocean, the forests, the infrastructure — the unglamorous bac
As a US president: Calvin Coolidge — Quiet, from rural New England, did the job without fanfare or pretense. Not flashy, not Ivy, but competent and rooted in a particular regional sensibility that values thrift and hard work.
As a city: Halifax — A maritime city at the edge of things, colder than it needs to be, with a strong working-class backbone and a university that punches above its weight in research. Both are underestimated regional anchors.
As an element: Iron — Essential, unglamorous, the backbone of infrastructure and industry. UMaine is the state's land-grant workhorse — not precious, but foundational to everything that gets built.
As a car: 1997 Subaru Outback — All-wheel-drive wagon for snowy backroads, L.L.Bean catalogs, and marine biology fieldwork. UMaine serves a small, outdoorsy state with serious research chops (climate science, forestry, lobster aquaculture) and the unpr

Campus life

UMaine has a vibrant, spirited campus life with a strong sense of community and school pride. Students enjoy Division I athletics, numerous clubs, and outdoor activities like hiking and skiing. The campus is known for its friendly, down-to-earth atmosphere and active student involvement.

The film, scored

This profile answers “if University of Maine were a movie or TV show?” with The Perfect Storm (2000). Set in the working-class maritime Northeast, about people who do dangerous, essential work the rest of the country takes for granted. UMaine students study the ocean, the forests, the infrastructure — the unglamorous backbone stuff. It sits in the 28th percentile on rankquant, which re-centres every critic score on the reviewer who gave it, so a percentile means position against peers rather than a raw star average. The full film & TV catalogue ranks the rest the same way.