Maine’s medical school to celebrate first Match Day on UNE’s Portland Campus March 21
The University of New England will host its medical Match Day celebration on Friday, March 21, marking a transformative moment as the first time Maine’s medical graduates will convene in Portland for the annual event as the College of Osteopathic Medicine begins its transition to a new home on the University’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences.
Match Day is a milestone for medical students across the country, marking the moment when fourth-year students learn where they will complete their residencies and in what specialties. At noon, UNE COM’s Class of 2025 will open envelopes revealing their matches, surrounded by faculty, family, and peers.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine is Maine’s only medical school and the premier educator of physicians for the state.
“As Maine’s only medical school, UNE plays a critical role in addressing the state’s and the nation’s growing need for physicians,” said Jane Carreiro, D.O. ’88, vice president for Health Affairs and dean of UNE COM. “The journey to becoming a physician takes over a decade of hard work, commitment, and sacrifice, and Match Day celebrates that dedication. This Match Day is particularly special as it occurs at the beginning of a new chapter for our medical school as the College of Osteopathic Medicine moves to its new home on UNE’s interprofessional campus in Portland.”
The ceremony will be held in Arthur P. Girard Innovation Hall, located at 716 Stevens Ave. Doors will open at 11 a.m., and remarks will begin at 11:30 a.m. A livestream will be available at une.edu/live.
UNE’s medical students consistently achieve exceptional residency placement rates, far surpassing national averages. In 2024, UNE COM boasted a 99% match rate, exceeding the national match rates for both allopathic (93.5%) and osteopathic (92.3%) medical schools.
More than half of last year’s class matched into primary care specialties, including family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and OB-GYN. Additionally, 65% of UNE graduates remained in the Northeast for residency, with 35% staying in New England.
And, historically, 57% of UNE medical students who undergo their third-year clinical rotations in Maine return to Maine after completing residencies in another state.
The school is also included in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Medical Schools for Research,” boasting nationally ranked research opportunities supported by — among other sources — the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation on studies of pain, infectious disease, osteoporosis, cell signaling, biotechnology, and more.
UNE’s relocation of its medical school to the Portland Campus for the Health Sciences in July 2025 marks a transformational step for the University and the 47-year-old College of Osteopathic Medicine.
This move will unite Maine’s only medical school with the state’s only dental college, physician assistant and pharmacy degree programs, as well as other nationally ranked programs in nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, dental hygiene, nurse anesthesia, and more — creating a first-of-its-kind collaborative learning environment in all of New England. The transition will allow for greater interdisciplinary education and better preparation for graduates entering an evolving health care landscape.
UNE is also responding to the urgent need for health care providers by expanding its medical school enrollment from 165 to 200 students per class. This increase will result in an additional 35 physicians graduating each year, bolstering the physician workforce at a time when shortages are being felt nationwide.
Vincent Buonocore, M.Ed., associate dean of Recruitment, Student, and Alumni Services in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, said hosting the event in Portland was an easy decision, stating that the college’s presence in Portland will reshape the future of medicine for both UNE and the state of Maine.
“While the Class of 2025 started their journey in Biddeford, it only makes sense that they mark this next milestone in the place where the college will continue to grow and thrive, surrounded by the other health professions,” Buonocore remarked. “I have the utmost confidence that residency program directors across the country will be receiving medical graduates who are prepared, resilient, and ready to make an impact — thanks in part to the world-class interprofessional education they’ve received at UNE.”