We toured with our daughter and we all loved it but there are a lot of not great reviews online, looking for more info on academics (marine, animal, psych) and social scene.
We live about 45 minutes from the campus. I’ve known a few students who attended the school and they all liked it. I’ve spoken to classes of social work students on campus about mental illness. It’s such a beautiful campus!
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It is beautiful! Our daughter was so happy with everything we heard and saw except getting the impression that many students leave on weekends and there are not any parties on campus. Not that she wants a lot of partying, she’s more of a homebody, but she is afraid of having no social scene. We thought the academics sounded great, our info session was fantastic. But, the reviews are making me worry. Thank you for your input!
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We toured UNE last Spring with Daughter while also touring UNH, BU, & Roger Williams.
She really liked the UNE marine biology facilities and opportunities. I believe a few majors such as Nursing, Dental, & Marine Bio are highly rated but cannot speak for the rest.
She liked the campus but also felt it was a little remote on coast. My wife & I loved being next to small coastal towns like kennebunkport.
She was just accepted EA with $23K scholarship. If no reach schools pan out, we may plan to visit again prior to April 30 and stay more towards Portland to show her what is available within a 1/2 drive.
Yes, Portland is easily drivable from the campus. And the nearby town of Saco is nice. That’s where my son lives. Ferry Beach State Park is a hidden gem. Run of the Mill Tavern is a fun place to eat.
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I’m glad to see this post. My daughter and I toured UNE in October and thought the campus was beautiful and the students giving the tours were knowledgeable and left us with a good impression of the college. My daughter applied EA for nursing and was accepted. We have also read negative reviews and hope that someone will be able to respond and give more information about the social scene and what the students do on weekends.
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Will your daughter have a car? If so, she will find lots to do (if not, she will probably have friends she can get a ride with). Portland is a wonderful city. My daughter had no intention of staying in the area after college, but COVID forced her to. Two and a half years later, she is very glad to be here. She’s actually shown her old parents lots of fun things to do. 
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Thank you for your response! My daughter does have a car, but I thought freshmen weren’t allowed to have a car on campus. If she’s allowed to have a car, that opens up a lot of possibilities. I will double-check and see if freshmen can have a car on campus.
Oh, I don’t know about that! That would be kind of a pain not to have one.
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I believe in virtual info session they stated they do allow a certain number of Freshman to have cars on campus. They have limited permits and use lottery type system to select.
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Thaanks everyone for your replies and info! UNE is one of our daughter’s top choices, for animal behavior and/or marine bio. She’s comparing it to a couple of schools that dont hit the mark in those programs feom what we have seen. We do love Portland, and need to check out Saco. We were also under the impression that cars on campus may be limited for Freshmen.
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Did your daughter enroll at UNE for the fall? My child is debating between UNE and another college for Animal Behavior and Marine Biology. UNE is gorgeous.
I don’t have much info to add as my HS junior is just starting the process. But I’m interested in this thread because he is going to major in animal behavior or wildlife ecology (depending on the school). I’m interested to hear what other schools your kids looked at and where you all decided.
We are headed to UNE this summer for a first visit.
Other schools he is looking at:
- UW Madison
- Michigan Tech
- Carroll in WI
- Canisius in Buffalo
- UVM
- Bucknell
- maybe Franklin and Marshall
Any advice or thoughts are appreciated!
I also read some “not great reviews” abit campus life and school spirit.
Have you heard anything more or gotten a better feel?
Did your daughter decide to attend UNE?
My son just visited and absolutely fell in love with it but I’m still worried about the Niche reviews.
Did your child end up deciding on UNE? My son is really set on it after our visit this summer but I’m worried about the niche reviews!
She did and majoring in psychology, just went to orientation. She loves it!
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Opps thought i was replying to this! We were concerned as well but the “vibe” was good at orientation, she’s happy with her decision so far!
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That is wonderful to hear!!
We loved our tour and even met with the department head for my son’s major. It’s a trek for us - we are from chicago - so that is a concern. But he really wants to go to UNE so hopefully a nice scholarship comes through.
Best of luck to your daughter and hopefully my son will be there next fall!
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My child is going to be a sophomore at UNE. When she chose this school, I was also concerned about the negative online reviews that are out there. After one year, I have the following thoughts:
I believe that the negative online reviewers were sincere in their representation of their experiences. I also believe my daughter and her friends who absolutely love this school. I think it comes down to a matter of fit. As a small school in a small town with somewhat of a make-your-own-fun vibe, I think it is a dream environment for some but maybe quite dull for others. I also think that people who leave reviews in public forums tend to be at the extreme ends of the dissatified-to-statisfied continum.
I think that what is represented during tours and at accepted students days is genuine and accurate. The school cares about school spirit and fosters a sense of community.
Post-COVID, there seem to have been some bumps in the road regarding some aspects of on-campus life (such as having adequate staff for food services), but this was nothing that would outweigh the positives of the school. This seemed to improve significantly over the course of the year last year.
Overall, we are extremely pleased, but that is due to a combination of what UNE has provided and the way that my child has taken advantage of the environment. Personally, it’s a good value and a great experience for us. Your mileage may vary.
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