ADELPHI - The University of Maryland, University College has won a 10-year, $350 million extension on its contract to educate U.S. military personnel in Europe, a mission it has overseen since the late 1940s.

UMUC President Gerald A. Heeger said yesterday that bidding for the right to educate U.S. troops abroad was more competitive this year than it had ever been. "We're very pleased," he said.

The contract for educating troops in Asia is up for renewal in February. UMUC enrolls about 47,000 U.S. military students worldwide, 27,000 of them in Europe.