[1] In 1952, the school changed its name to St. Francis College and began granting bachelor's degrees with state approval in 1953.

[12] In October 2020, the University of New England received a gift of $30 million from the Harold Alfond Foundation as part of a major investment in eight Maine institutions for the purpose of growing the state’s workforce and economy and supporting quality health care.

The Harold Alfond Center for Health Sciences houses Maine's only medical school: The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The Center includes a replica of the Oval Office during Bush's term in the White House and a statue of the former president.

[18] In September 2017, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell visited UNE's Biddeford Campus to deliver the Bush Lecture.

[19] The UNE Biddeford Campus also includes the Harold Alfond Forum, which offers 105,000 square-feet (9,800 m2) of athletic and learning space, including: an NHL-size ice hockey rink with 900 seats, a basketball court with 1,200 seats, classrooms, a fitness center, and multi-purpose indoor practice courts that are also used for performances and lectures.

[20] A $10 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation facilitated the building's construction and the development of associated programming.

[21] UNE also owns Ram Island, off the coast of the Biddeford Campus, which serves as a field station for student and faculty researchers.

The College of Dental Medicine, which is housed in the $14.5 million Oral Health Center, graduated its first class in 2017.

[24] Other features of the UNE Portland Campus include the Art Gallery, the Maine Women Writers Collection, Alumni Hall, and the Center for Global Humanities.

Alumni Hall is the oldest building on campus, dating to an original opening in 1834; its most recent renovation was completed in 2016.

On May 12, 2017, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell visited the UNE Tangier Campus to present a lecture titled "Is Peace Possible in the Middle East?

[48] Men's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, and soccer.