Getting started

Our non-credit courses are the main reason we exist, and we also offer a number of special half-day events each year. How do you get to take part in all this deliciousness?

1. Become a member.
First you join PVSC (click here for an application). The cost is $25/year, or $40 for two people in the same household. Membership runs from July 1 to the next June 30. (If you join between January 1 and June 30, the spring semester cost is $15.) Members are entitled to register for classes, attend special events, and enjoy our lovely annual free luncheon and meeting.

Members can also take courses at other Senior Colleges in the Maine Senior College Network.

2. Register for courses.
Courses begin the third week in September and March. Most courses last 6 weeks; some may be shorter. All courses are two hours each week. There are a dozen or so courses each session.

Catalogs arrive in your mail and are posted online several weeks before each session begins. Tuition for each course is $30. Choose your course(s) and send a check or pay online with a credit card.

Important notes:
  • Please register promptly! Some classes fill quickly. Catalogs are sent first to Senior College members, and then to others on the mailing list.
  • Most of our classes have handy, free, non-permit parking. If you have a class at the University of Maine in Orono, use the parking permit application in the course catalog. There is no fee, but failure to use the permit may result in a parking ticket. 
  • Sometimes the catalog does not list the course locations. You will be sent that information before the class begins. Because we use public, often university, facilities, we are subject to those organizations' needs. We don't always know what classrooms will be available by the time the catalog goes to press.
Then what happens?
Confirmation of your class assignment, and its location, will be sent by postcard or email about two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester. Just wait for your course(s) to begin, and enjoy!

A few more details:
This is learning for fun and stimulation. With a few exceptions (like literature courses), there is no homework in our courses. No exams, no attendance requirements, no pressure! Occasionally there are field trips, and usually members carpool.

If you have questions about membership or course registration, leave a message at 659-1359. Someone will call you back promptly.


Weather advisory: In case of bad weather, check your local radio or TV station for possible cancellation, or listen to the message at 659-1359. We cannot call members to advise them of class cancellations.