About the Onward Program

Applying to Onward

Candidates apply directly to the Onward Program. Use this link for Onward application materials.

Paying for College

As University of Maine students, Onward students are eligible for financial aid packages. Through an arrangement with the University’s financial aid office, Onward students often receive preferential financial aid. In addition to traditional financial aid, Onward students are kept apprised of available scholarships, and Onward students sometimes qualify for special federal grants administered through the Onward Program and Financial Aid.

Support

Peer Advisors

Onward students meet weekly with peer advisors, who have completed at least one year in the Onward Program. At these meetings, students can receive academic help, talk about concerns, and learn how to navigate the University system.

Counseling Services

Professional counseling is available via two on-site, licensed social workers who can provide academic, career, and personal counseling free of charge.

Community

Orientation

Students at the Onward Program attend an orientation one week prior to the start of classes. During this time, students have an opportunity to tour campus, meet with their academic advisor, buy their books, meet their instructors, and more. By the first day of classes, Onward students already know where to go for class and know the names of most of the other students in the class. It is also during orientation that many students begin to build the friendships with other Onward students that many of our alumni have indicated was pivotal to their success in college.

Meet some of our students

Follow this link to read Onward students' stories.

East Annex

Onward students frequently use the East Annex as home base. At the East Annex, students can get extra help from their instructors, utilize our counseling services, do homework at our computer cluster, and study and socialize with other Onward students. Many of our students continue to utilize Onward services throughout their college career, even after completing their Onward courses, and visit the building often.

Education

Courses

Onward students take a selection of Onward courses at the University of Maine designed to prepare them not only for the academic content of the courses they will take for their degree, but also for the process of taking classes. Onward courses include homework, tests, quizzes, essays, and final exams, just like courses taken for a student’s degree. They are offered during the regular University schedule, and students taking them are, in all ways, University of Maine students. Many of our students credit Onward classes for providing them with both the self-discipline and knowledge necessary to achieve their degrees. Onward students usually take the following selection of courses (follow links to learn about each course area):

Composition

Reading

Science

Mathematics

Orientation

Labs

All Onward courses have a corresponding lab time where students can come for help and to work with a peer who has successfully completed the course. Labs are offered several hours per week.