University of New England

What is the history of University of New England?

The University of New England (UNE) is a private university in Maine whose present form reflects several institutions coming together. Its history reaches back to Westbrook Seminary, founded in 1831, while the Biddeford campus developed from Saint Francis College.

UNE took its name in 1978, when Saint Francis College joined with the New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. Westbrook College merged into UNE in 1996, adding the Portland campus and expanding the university's health-professions programs. Those developments help explain why UNE combines undergraduate liberal arts and sciences with substantial graduate and professional education in health care.

What are the faculties and departments at University of New England?

UNE organizes its programs across colleges serving undergraduates, graduate students, and professional students. Its academic structure includes the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Health Professions, College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Dental Medicine, College of Pharmacy, College of Business, and College of Professional Studies, which includes online offerings.

Undergraduates can explore fields such as biology, marine science, environmental studies, psychology, business, nursing, and education. The university also offers professional pathways in medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy, alongside graduate study in other health fields. Programs are not interchangeable across campuses or delivery formats: a prospective student should check the catalog entry for the intended degree to see where classes, labs, clinical placements, and any required in-person sessions take place.

What is the location of University of New England?

UNE's principal undergraduate campus is in Biddeford, Maine, on the coast near the mouth of the Saco River. The university also has a Portland campus, where many health-professions programs are based, and an international campus in Tangier, Morocco.

Biddeford offers a coastal campus setting rather than a downtown-city experience. Portland provides access to a larger metropolitan area, but students should not assume that courses or services on the two Maine campuses are within walking distance. Transportation matters for anyone whose program spans locations or who plans an off-campus placement. Portland International Jetport is the region's principal commercial airport; students should also account for ground travel between Portland and Biddeford.

What is the mission and vision of University of New England?

UNE describes its mission in terms of preparing students for a changing world and improving the health of people, communities, and the planet. Its educational approach connects health professions, the sciences, liberal learning, and attention to the environment.

That statement expresses institutional priorities, not a measured outcome for every student. Applicants can evaluate how it applies to them by looking at the curriculum for a particular major: an undergraduate marine-science program, an online graduate program, and a clinical professional degree will put those priorities into practice in different ways.