AUGUSTA (AP) – Students majoring in nursing and veterinary medicine at the Bangor and Augusta campuses of the University of Maine System will benefit from a scholarship donation.

The estate of Eleanor and Al George of Mount Vernon has donated $423,000 for scholarships for students in the two programs. UMaine-Augusta offers a two-year nursing program as well as an associate degree in veterinary technology at its branch campus, the University College of Bangor.

The Georges never went to college. But they hoped their gift would make it possible for others who wouldn’t have gotten a chance to receive higher education, said Susan Liebling, a trustee for the Georges’ estate.

Interim UMA President Richard Randall said the school is “incredibly grateful and appreciative for this gift.”

The donation was not the first from the Georges. In December, their estate provided nearly $211,644 for scholarships at Southern Maine and Kennebec Valley community colleges. The couple also left $84,000 to the Capital Area Technical Center in Augusta.