Student Accounts

USM's Student Accounts Office administers the payment policies and procedures for Maine Law. For an overview to the basic steps of paying for your Maine Law education visit USM's Student Accounts web site. This page will explain the policies and procedures that USM's Student Accounts follows within the billing functions, such as financial aid, payment plans, billing addresses, late fees, etc.

A few highlights include:

Billing

Each semester, the University establishes specific dates for charging students and mailing bills. It is the student's responsibility to maintain accurate home and local addresses at the Registrar's Office.

How to Make Payment

The University offers a variety of payment options including:

  • Cash: Cash payment may be made at the Student Accounts or at an off-campus center. Cash should not be mailed.
  • Check: Tuition checks should be made payable to the University of Southern Maine. The student's name and student I.D. (usually social security number) should be shown on the check.
  • Credit Card: The University accepts MasterCard and Discover (credit only).

Financial Aid From USM

The University offers eligible students grants, scholarships, loans and employment opportunities. Grants, scholarships and loans are credited for payment of University charges. Additional information can be obtained from Student Financial Aid.

Installment Payment

The University offers a variety of payment plans. Additional information about these plans, participation fees, and enrollment deadlines is available from Student Accounts.

Outside Scholarships

Students must notify Student Accounts of any non-University scholarships, to be used to pay University charges, prior to the date payment is due. Upon receipt of proper documentation, the University may extend the payment due date.

Third Party Payments

A student must give Student Accounts written authorization from the agency/employer prior to the payment due date. No conditional payment offers will be accepted. If, for any reason, the University is unable to secure payment from the agency/employer, the student is responsible for all unpaid charges.

When Payment Is Due

Each semester, the University establishes specific dates payment is due and notifies the students of these dates on bills and through University publications.

Tuition & Room Refunds

Refund Policy: The charges assessed students who withdraw from all classes at the University are adjusted in accordance with the schedules shown below. The date the Registrar receives written notification of withdrawal is used when calculating refunds. A semester begins with the first day of scheduled Law School classes and includes weekends and holidays.

Failure to notify the Registrar promptly will increase financial liability. A student who feels the withdrawal was caused by reasons beyond his/her control (extended illness or military service obligations, for example) may petition for special consideration up to 90 days after the close of the semester/session for which the student is claiming a refund. Charges will not be reduced for voluntary absence from classes. Contact the Registrar for additional information about this procedure.

The following schedule applies when a student withdraws from the University. University fees are not refunded after the 100% refund period. Students who vacate University housing, but remain enrolled, will be charged in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Residence Hall contract.

Fall and Spring Semester Refund Percentage
Withdrawal prior to the end of the second week 100%
Withdrawal prior to the end of the fifth week 50%
Withdrawal prior to the end of the eighth week 25%
Withdrawal after the eighth week 0%

For special and summer Sessions more than three weeks, please see current summer session catalog for summer session withdrawal.

Rules Governing In-State & Out-of-State Tuition

There are many factors which will be considered in determining residency for in-state tuition purposes. No one factor can be used to establish domicile, rather all factors and circumstances must be considered on a case-by-case basis. A domicile or residency classification assigned by a public or private authority neither qualifies nor disqualifies a student for UMS in-state status. For more in-depth information, see the University of Maine System's Residency Guidelines.

A student applying for admission to a degree program is classified as eligible, or not eligible, for in-state tuition at the time of acceptance to the University. A nonmatriculated (non-degree) student is classified as eligible, or not eligible, for in-state tuition at the time of registration. The decision, made by the executive director for Financial Resources, or other officials designated by the campus, (this authority is granted to all admissions directors), shall be made based on information and documentation furnished by the student and other information available to the University. No student is eligible for in-state tuition classification until he or she has become domiciled in Maine, in accordance with University guidelines, before such registration. If the student is enrolled full-time in an academic program, as defined by the University, it will be presumed that the student is in Maine for educational purposes, and that the student is not in Maine to establish a domicile. A residence established for the purpose of attending a UMS campus shall not by itself constitute domicile. The burden will be on the student to prove that he or she has established a Maine domicile for other than educational purposes. An individual who has lived in the state of Maine, for other than educational purposes, one year prior to registration or application to a campus is considered an in-state student.

In general, members of the Armed Forces and their dependents will be granted in-state tuition during such periods of time as they are on active duty within the state of Maine or if their military state of residency is Maine as evidenced by appropriate official documentation. A Maine resident who is absent from the state for military or full-time educational purposes will normally remain eligible for in-state tuition.

A student, spouse, or domestic partner of a student, who currently has continuous, permanent full-time employment in Maine before the student decides to apply for degree status at the University will be considered in-state for tuition purposes.

A student who is dependent on his/her parent(s) and/or legally appointed guardian (or to whom custody has been granted by court order) is considered to have a domicile with the parent(s) for tuition purposes.

In-state tuition is not available to anyone who holds a non-immigrant U.S. visa. If an individual is not a domiciliary of the United States, they cannot be a domiciliary of the state of Maine.

A student who attended an out-of-state educational institution at in-state tuition rates in the immediately preceding semester, shall be presumed to be in Maine for educational purposes and not to establish a domicile. Again, the burden will be on the individual to prove that he or she has established a Maine domicile for other than educational purposes.

To change tuition status, the following procedures must be followed:

  1. A "Request of Change in Tuition Status" must be filed with the executive director for Financial Resources or designee on or before the campus's first day of classes for the summer session, fall or spring semester for which residency is requested. All applications shall be prospective.
  2. If the executive director for Financial Resources' written decision, to be issued within thirty days of the first day of classes, is considered incorrect by the student, the student may appeal that decision in writing, within 30 days, in the following order:
    1. The chief financial officer of the campus. After receiving a written decision from this level within 30 days, the student has 30 days to submit a written appeal to:
    2. The treasurer of the University System whose decision shall be final.

In the event that the executive director for Financial Resources, or other designated official, possesses facts or information indicating a student's change of status from in-state to out-of-state, the student shall be informed in writing of the change in status and will be given an opportunity to present facts in opposition to the change. The student may appeal the decision of the executive director for Financial Resources or other designated official as set forth in the preceding paragraph.

Applications for "A Request for Change in Tuition Status" are available from the Registrar's Office or at the Student Business Office, 118 Payson Smith, on the Portland campus. Completed applications should be returned to the Portland Business Office.