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What is YourPace?

Established by the University of Maine at Presque Isle in 2017, YourPace is a personalized learning model that allows busy students like you to progress through the program at your own speed with no set class meeting times or weekly deadlines. Developed by faculty who understand the challenges busy adults face when balancing work, family, and school, YourPace is delivered on a digital platform and is completely online and asynchronous.

The competency-based online degree programs available through YourPace are designed to leverage previous knowledge and experience as you complete course modules aligned with a list of competencies. You advance through the course modules by demonstrating mastery of the content—ensuring you understand the content thoroughly and learn the 21st century skills and expertise employers seek. And that gives you the ability to earn your degree on your time, at your pace.

YourPace At a Glance

100% online instruction

Take your courses when and where you want with 24/7 access to our digital platform. All your study materials are embedded in the modules, so you can leave the heavy books behind.

Affordable tuition

You pay a flat rate per session ($1,800 for undergraduate, $2,450 for graduate)*. Plus, there are no hidden fees or textbook costs.

Built-in Flexibility

With no weekly deadlines, you can study when it’s convenient for you, at your speed. As you progress through your course modules you can complete your program in a way that saves both time and money**.

Career Preparation

UMPI regularly meets with employers in each sector to learn what skills they are looking for in current and new hires to ensure what you learn is relevant to workforce needs.

Real-World Application

Designed to give you a wealth of opportunities to apply real-world problem solving, our curriculum is aligned with competencies that focus on 21st century skills and expertise employers seek.

Individual Attention

We’re with you from start to finish. Stay on track with an Academic Success Coach who will help you achieve your academic goals throughout your journey.

*Tuition and fees are subject to change.

**Time to completion varies by student and is based on several factors including prior college coursework, relevant work experience, amount of time dedicated to studying, and the number of courses completed each session.

What to Know About YourPace

UMPI has built the most affordable competency-based education (CBE) program in the country. Through YourPace, adult learners can finish the bachelor’s degree they may have started years ago. Many of our YourPace students have 15 or more years of professional experience and 90 or more college credits before they enroll, allowing them to move quickly through the remaining course work.

Advance at Your Own Pace

Students advance by demonstrating mastery against rubrics that require ‘near excellent’ or ‘excellent’ on every line. Students complete at different rates, but the mastery threshold is the same for everyone.

YourPace Competency

Every YourPace competency is designed, taught, and assessed by faculty who hold the same academic credentials as faculty in traditional programs. Each course is held to the same academic standards as traditional programs.

Accredited Programs

YourPace has had nearly seven years of continuous accreditor review, documented compliance with the Council of Recognized Accrediting Commissions standards for CBE programs, and a “Highly Developed” rating on the C-BEN Quality Framework.

CBE is a learner-first approach to education, allowing students to advance through course material as quickly as they can demonstrate proficiency of the academic content. CBE leverages students’ previous knowledge, college coursework, and work experience, allowing them to move through the content they know so they can focus their studies in the areas where they are not yet proficient. CBE is especially aligned with the needs of working adults as it focuses on career-relevant knowledge and skills.

Established by the University of Maine at Presque Isle in 2017, YourPace offers degrees designed especially for busy adults 20 and older. We provide a fully online and asynchronous format, meaning you don’t have class at a specific time or receive weekly assignments but you do have 24/7 digital access to the coursework and all study materials (so no need to buy any books). This, and the fact that YourPace is offered year round through six 8-week sessions, gives students maximum flexibility. Our program also provides exceptional one-on-one support–each student receives an academic success coach–as well as an affordable, flat tuition rate. In fact, it’s possible to complete a degree in under a year for $11,000 or less, as many of our thousands of YourPace graduates have done.

At the start of each session, students receive access to UMPI’s digital platform and can begin working through courses one learning module at a time. As soon as you demonstrate proficiency with the material, you’re able to advance to the next module, and when you complete a course, you can move to the next one, until you reach degree completion.

What really sets UMPI’s YourPace program apart is its incredible affordability and exceptional flexibility. The cost per 8-week session is $1,800 for undergraduate courses and $2,450 for graduate courses. And unlike traditional online programs, you can customize your workload and earn credits at a speed that fits your needs and busy schedule. If you can only work on your courses from 9 p.m. to midnight on Wednesdays and Saturdays, you can do that. Or if you’re in the middle of an 8-week session, have to pause for two weeks, and then finish strong, you can do that, too.

In addition to the immediate upskilling and credentialing of an employee, there are career advancement and higher wage opportunities on the employee side and the ability to fill higher level leadership roles on the employer side. YourPace is also an excellent complement to existing training and professional development programs; individuals can maximize their tuition reimbursement dollars or federal financial aid through our flat tuition rate, allowing them to complete multiple sessions and as many credits as they’re able during that time. There are 43 million adults in the U.S. with some college but no degree or credential. In helping to meet workforce development needs, UMPI’s YourPace program is ensuring that those individuals are able to reach degree completion and realize their full potential.

More YourPace Questions?

Check out our FAQs to learn more.

YourPace FAQs
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“YourPace empowers adults to turn their experience into progress, offering a clear, affordable pathway to finishing a degree. We’ve helped thousands of students achieve that lifelong dream, and then we make it easy for them to seamlessly transition to one of our graduate programs to keep advancing their career goals.”

-Courtney Boma, Executive Director of YourPace

“UMPI makes it possible to balance work, life, and school without feeling like you’re drowning. That flexibility doesn’t lower the bar, it just makes the path realistic for people who are already deep in their careers.”

-MK Youngblood, UMPI YourPace Student

Hear from more students
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What You’ve Done Counts!

Learn how your previous college credit, certifications and work—as well as life experiences—are considered and help you graduate faster with YourPace online at UMPI.

Your Journey. Your Pace.

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2026 RFI Revision
YourPace is a flexible, competency-based degree program with 8-week sessions and a flat tuition rate for students who must be 20 years old at the time of application
On-campus students also have the flexibility to take a variety of online courses in many of our programs.
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