The University of Maine - Fort Kent hosted the world in 2004 when the IBU World Cup Biathlon came to town. Over 100 athletes called the University's new dormitory home for the week. The University understands and recognizes the hardship and difficulty that cross-country skiers and biathletes face as they endeavor to peruse an education and fulfill their dreams of becoming a competitive athlete. UMFK is pleased to offer national and international athletes both two and four year academic degrees. UMFK is located just one mile from the world class training facility (10th Mtn. Div. lodge) managed by the Maine Winter Sports Center in Fort Kent, Maine. Athletes train year round at this world-class facility with some of the finest coaches in the world. It does not get any better than this!
UMFK, situated at the center of Acadian history and culture in rural Northern Maine, is a regional baccalaureate university within the University of Maine System presently serving 850 students, mostly from Maine but with a considerable number of international students. The University offers a broad array of undergraduate degrees with programs in liberal arts, natural and behavioral sciences, education (elementary & secondary), nursing, forestry, business, human services, environmental studies, e-commerce, and rural public safety administration. We take pride in our student-centered atmosphere where our faculty's primary concern is teaching and advising.
The warm, friendly community of Fort Kent has a population of 4,500 and is situated in the St. John River Valley where the St. John River merges with the Fish River. The people of "the valley" are largely descended from the French-Acadians and French-Canadians. French and English is commonly spoken on the US side of the border; where French is the predominate language spoken on the Canadian side. Our location across the river from New Brunswick, Canada provides exceptional opportunities for international educational experiences and unsurpassed outdoor activities including alpine and world-class Nordic/biathlon skiing, hiking, camping, canoeing, hunting and fishing and much much more! If you love the outdoors, this is the place to be.
For more information, athletes should contact the USBA directly or the UMFK Admissions Office at 1-888-TRY-UMFK.