The University of Maine System spent nearly $2 million on out-of-state trips, according to recently released 2025 first quarter data, spending more on travel than every other state agency combined.
But not all those funds come from the state, a university official said.
According to a recent state report, the University of Maine System had already spent $1,975,096 in taxpayer funds, including federal grants, on travel by the end of the 2025’s first quarter. That number takes on even greater significance when compared to the rest of Maine’s departments and agencies.
All told, taxpayers spent $3,053,546 on out-of-state travel expenses for all Maine state entities in Q1 2025, with every agency except the UMaine System combined spending only $1,078,450, significantly less than UMaine alone.
The Department of Public Safety had the second highest out-of-state travel expenditure at just $131,294, less than one tenth of what the UMaine System spent.
In contrast to the UMaine System, the state’s community colleges spent just $70,007 on travel, while the Department of Education spent $106,765.
The state university’s substantial travel expenditure are likely due in part to its travel study program that sends students across the globe for various classes, though students are expected to subsidize at least some of the costs for those programs.
Students looking for an exotic experience abroad can choose from courses such as “Human Sexuality in Europe,” taking them to London, Amsterdam, and Stockholm. Others can take “Introduction and Service to Global Health” in Colombia, or “Drug Policy in Lisbon,” which appears to be a thinly veiled excuse for students and professors to vacation in Portugal.
The Maine Wire reached out to UMaine System Spokeswoman Samantha Warren, who provided additional information on the travel expenditure.
“The University of Maine System’s unique education, research and recruiting responsibilities regularly require out-of-state travel, which is detailed in the quarterly reports we submit to the State as part of our commitment to public transparency and accountability —even though most of these travel costs are not actually funded through State appropriations,” said Warren.
She informed The Maine Wire that over two-thirds of the system’s Q1 2025 travel spending came from research grants and other sources that were not directly appropriated from the state.
She also claimed that the average annual $10.6 million in UMaine travel spending over the past three years have resulted in hundreds-of-million of dollars worth of investments in the state.
“The $10.6 million our System has annually spent on out-of-state travel on average over the last three years has resulted in a return of hundreds of millions of dollars in out-of-state investment to Maine each year in the form of tuition revenue, federal research funding and private donations, while also strengthening student outcomes and opportunities and the size and skill of the Maine workforce,” said Warren.
“From scouting future Black Bear student-athletes to advancing research and partnerships that grow the state’s economy and enhance its global competitiveness, travel both within and beyond Maine is necessary for our System and directly benefits our state,” she added.
According to Warren, the 2025 Q1 spending aligns with spending in previous years, and actually represents a decrease from 2024’s Q1 travel spending, which hit $2,098,974.
See the full breakdown of Maine’s Q1 2025 travel spending here:
