Published: November 10, 2025
The University of Southern Maine’s Office of Residential Life has introduced several new fees for the 2025–2026 academic year, prompting widespread concern among students regarding affordability, accountability, and the overall state of campus housing.
One of the most significant changes is a $150 winter break housing fee, charged to students who remain on campus between the fall and spring semesters. Residential life stated in an email on November 4 to all residential students that this fee is intended to cover staffing, facilities, and administrative costs over the month-long break, emphasizing that it is “not a true housing charge” but a necessary measure to sustain break housing. The email acknowledged that this is the first year the fee has been applied and encouraged students experiencing financial hardship to apply for support through the Student Emergency Fund.
However, for many students, this explanation does not resolve the core issue: campus housing is not optional for everyone. Residential Life’s messaging frames break housing as a convenience, but for countless students, it is their only stable and safe place to live. Students who cannot afford to return home, who lack transportation, who work on or near campus, or who do not have a home to return to are disproportionately affected. For these students, the $150 fee does not feel “low-cost” or “reasonable.” It feels like a charge placed directly on survival.
These new costs arrive amid mounting concerns about maintenance and accessibility across USM’s residence halls and apartments. Students in both the Gorham and Portland campuses have reported lengthy delays in maintenance requests, such as broken essential appliances left unrepaired for weeks if not months, and unresolved failures in shared spaces.
This is only one part of a broader shift. Residential Life has also introduced a tiered lockout fee, where students receive one complimentary lockout per academic year, with each subsequent lockout increasing by $5 up to $20. Additionally, the fee for staying past move-out has been raised from $35 to $50 per night. These charges, while individually small on paper, add up quickly for students already stretched thin.
These new costs arise while accessibility has been an area of growing frustration. Students with disabilities have reported malfunctioning elevators and slow responses to reported issues. Many question whether Residential Life’s priorities align with maintaining a safe and equitable living environment.
The situation is further complicated by ongoing infrastructure issues in several buildings. Last year, a burst water pipe in Portland Commons displaced multiple students, some of whom had nowhere to go as their apartments flooded. More than a year later, affected units still lack basic repairs, including missing baseboards.
Safety has also been an ongoing concern following multiple fires in Upton-Hastings Hall during the fall of 2023, which led to evacuations and raised broader questions about building maintenance and fire prevention measures.
Despite these recurring problems, students now face a growing number of financial penalties associated with on-campus living. Many are questioning why residents must pay increasing fees for services that, in their view, should be included in their housing costs, particularly when Resident Assistants and front desk staff are already compensated to handle tasks such as lockouts.
Student frustration has become increasingly focused on the lack of visible reinvestment. Semester housing rates continue to rise, now ranging from $2,680 to $6,820 depending on location and room type. Yet students report little improvement in living conditions. Many are asking why residents must now pay additional fees for services that they believe should already be included in their housing costs.
Until these questions are answered, many residents say that trust in the university’s housing system will remain strained.
