Community colleges across Maine are expanding nursing programs that will allow them to increase the number of graduates from 240 to 480 per year, the Maine Community College System announced Wednesday.

The colleges are adding night and weekend programs that will be funded by $2.5 million from the state and matched by Northern Light Health and MaineHealth. In addition to opening up slots for more students, the colleges will also be hiring more faculty members.

“Some of our nursing programs have hundreds of applicants that are turned away because classes are full,” David Daigler, president of the system, said in a press release. “At the same time, demand for nurses is at a crisis level. This expansion is key to increasing the number of skilled nurses in Maine.”

The nursing program expansion comes at a time when the state’s seven community colleges are also offering up to two years of college tuition-free for recent high school graduates.