Prospective Students | International Student Information

1. Location
2. Preliminary Considerations (coming to the U.S., language, expenses)
3. Graduate Programs
4. Admission to the University (required materials)
5. The Graduate Record Examination Test (GRE)
6. University Funding
7. Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships
8. Miscellaneous (Obtaining a visa, travel, medical insurance, employment, climate)

1. Location
   The town of Amherst, where the largest campus of the University of Massachusetts is located, is a small but active and growing community. The town population is 35,827, including students who consider Amherst their town of residence. Amherst is located about 90 miles (145 km) from Boston, 170 miles (270 km) from New York City, and 250 miles (400 km) from Montreal, Canada. The University campus resembles "a city within a town," with a present enrollment of about 24,100, of whom approximately 1,600 are from other countries.
   


2. Preliminary Considerations
   
   • Coming to the United States
     The decision to come to the United States to study is a personal one which will undoubtedly affect your whole life. Accordingly, you must consider the drawbacks as well as the benefits of coming here. It is a heavy investment of time and of finances. You will be away from home for many years and will probably look at your homeland with quite different eyes when you return. The loneliness, hard work, frustration, and occasional anxiety you will face are, of course, shared by American students. The challenge and opportunity will reward you in many ways -when you are ready for them- academically, linguistically, financially, and emotionally. Stop and think a moment; when you know you are ready, you will find a warm welcome here.
     
   • English Language Requirement
     In addition to meeting academic and financial requirements, applicants whose native language is not English must prove their ability to speak and understand English by taking the standardized Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Beginning in July 1998 TOEFL will be administered on computer in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, and in eight areas in Asia: Brunei, Indonesia, Nepal, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. Many locations will have permanent testing sites, including colleges and universities, ETS field offices, TOEFL representatives, Fulbright and binational comissions, and Sylvan Technology Centers. Until the computer-based TOEFL is introduced in the remaining Asian countries, the paper-based test will continue to be administered in those countries. The fee for taking TOEFL is currently $110 U.S., and $12 U.S. for each additional copy of the results. Official test results are sent out by TOEFL to those institutions which you name on your test answer sheet, or to those additional institutions named on your Request Form for Official Score Reports. The University of Massachusetts requires an official score report (ETS code 3917).
     
   • Estimated Expenses at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
     Many applicants assume that the University of Massachusetts Amherst, because it is a public state institution, costs little to attend. This is not the case. Tuition is lower for residents of Massachusetts (U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents), but international and other non-resident students are subject to a higher tuition rate. In general, life in the United States has become expensive, complicated by recent U.S. Immigration Service decisions which make summer and part-time work away from campus doubtful for international students. (You may, accordingly, have to show adequacy of funds not only for the nine-month academic year, but for the entire twelve-month year when you make application for the appropriate visa at a U.S. consulate.) For summer expenses, you should add $1,200 in living costs plus $1,000 for course fees if you plan to attend summer school.
     
     Refer to the Estimate of Expenses for a specific estimate of academic year expenses. This estimate does not include such items as travel expenses to and from Amherst, winter clothing, or furniture and appliances not provided by housing facilities (residence halls rooms are furnished with bed, bureau, and desk; most apartments provide only a stove and refrigerator).
     
     Most graduate assistantships provide a waiver of tuition and some fees. While a full assistantship should enable a single graduate student to live without financial worry, it may still be necessary, in order to obtain visa documents, for a international student to indicate that a certainamount of personal funds are available. This will depend on the amount of the assistantship.
     
     Graduate students should remember that when they are near completion of the degree, they must pay thesis or dissertation preparation costs ranging from $250 to $500.
     
     Mandatory students health protection costs about $1,000 per academic year and is required by the University; coverage for a family costs an additional $1,400 per academic year. For most single graduate students with an assistantship, the University will pay all health protection costs. Remember that there is no national health program in the United States and that medical costs are extremely high.
     
     Students accompanied by dependents should add $5,500 for the first dependent and $3,000 for each additional dependent, for each twelve months to meet their basic expenses.
     
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3. Graduate Programs

   The Dean of the Graduate School in collaboration with the Graduate Council, exercises overall review and supervision of graduate programs conducted in all of the several schools and colleges and provides guidance in the development of new programs of research and study. Graduate programs are developed in accordance with the highest national professional standards within the respective fields. Inquiries concerning specific programs of study and the possibility of research or teaching assistantships should be directed to the graduate program director of the particular department; the specific address is listed in the application form.

4. Admission to the University
   Additional information regarding the completion of the application can be found on the International Applicant Information page.
   
   A non-refundable $65 application fee must be submitted by check or money order in United States dollars. The check should be made payable to the University of Massachusetts and must accompany all graduate application materials. NO APPLICATION WILL BE CONSIDERED WITHOUT THE FEE.
   
   If you do not have access to these funds but have a relative or friend who does, mail your completed application to that individual, who can attach his/her check to your application.
   
   Applicants may be considered for admission to master's or doctoral degree programs if they have attained the baccalaureate degree at an American college or university, or possess an equivalent degree. "Equivalent" means four years of university undergraduate work, preceded by at least 12 years of elementary and secondary school studies. Most international four-year degrees are recognized as being equivalent; however, the three-year Indian Bachelor of Arts, Sciences and Commerce degrees are not considered to be equivalent.
   
   The deadline for receipt of the Graduate School Application form for September entrance varies from January 2 to February 1 depending on desired program of study October 1 for those wishing to enroll in January. Refer to the application form as some programs have an earlier deadline or do not admit applicants for the spring semester. Applications will not be fully considered until all required documentation (including TOEFL) has been received. An applicant who delays may find that the respective academic department's annual admissions allocation has been filled before his or her application is completely processed. Get your application, credentials, and score reports in early!
   
   Only the Dean of the Graduate School has authority to admit or deny admission to graduate applicants. Statements about admission, either expressed or implied (verbally or written) from any other source are not final or binding on the University of Massachusetts and will not be honored in and of themselves. When admissibility has been determined, you will receive a formal letter from the Graduate Dean and information from the International Programs Office about the process to receive your visa documents.
   
   A master's degree program can take up to three years to complete while a doctoral program can take six years, especially in scientific fields.
   
   Applicants from international countries who apply for admission must submit the following materials to the Graduate School:

   • A completed Application Form.
   • A $65 application fee check drawn on a U.S. bank (This fee cannot be waived or deferred.)
   • International Student Financial Statement is required of all international students.
   • Two (2) official transcripts or notarized copies of your academic record from each college or university you have attended, together with a certified photostatic copy of each degree and diploma earned. If the official transcripts, degrees and diplomas are not in English, certified English translations must accompany them.
   • Letters of recommendation (academic references) from two (2) professors or instructors who have taught you in courses in the field you are applying to here. Use the Recommendation Forms in the Graduate School Application form.
   • Scores from the following standard examinations, all of which are conducted worldwide by the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey:
     • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)-refer to Section 2b
     • GRE (Graduate Record Examination)-General Test required by nearly all graduate programs - (refer to Section 5 and Degrees and Programs Offered)
     • GRE SUBJECT TEST (not a universal requirement-refer to Degrees and Programs Offered for those programs requiring a Subject Test)
     • GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test)-for graduate applicants to Management (Business Administration), Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration, and Sport Studies.
       
       For further information regarding these standardized examinations, refer to the Application form and information from the Educational Testing Service.
   
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5. The Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE)
   The Graduate Record Examination General Test is administered by the Educational Testing Service in most countries of the world. The GRE is the standardized examination used by the majority of colleges and universities in the United States to evaluate graduate applicants. There is no minimum passing score at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but results are used, together with transcripts and letters of recommendation, to help the Graduate School and the respective departments in their evaluations. You can usually take the General Test and one Subject Test on the same day; each Test will take two to three hours.
   
   
6. University Funding
   The University does not award student funding of any kind unless this is explicitly stated in writing by the graduate department to which the applicant has applied. Assistance in the form of a teaching or research assistantship is becoming increasingly limited. Tuition scholarships and fellowships are few and are not usually awarded during the first year of attendance, before the student has an academic performance record at the University itself. All applicants should plan on being self-financed, without recourse to part-time employment at the University, at least through the first academic year, unless they have specifically been offered some form of assistance by the department.
   
   The University's International Programs Office offers a limited number of tuition scholarships for international graduate students. These are awarded on the basis of financial need and academic performance. Recommendations from the student's academic program play an important part in determining who will be awarded these waivers of tuition, and competition for the tuition scholarships is great. Those incoming graduate students who have not received any other type of financial assistance and who are interested in applying for a tuition waiver should contact their department directly. Applicants should be aware that the competition for new student tuition waivers is intense. Very few waivers are granted to new students and the few that are granted, are based only on departmental recommendations.
   
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7. Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships
   • Graduate Assistantships
     The University offers a number of teaching and research assistantships in the instructional and research programs of various departments. Stipends vary greatly from as little as $5,000 for a half assistantship to $16,000 for a full assistantship for the calendar year. International applicants who are awarded assistantships, and who have no supplemental means of support, must make sure that the assistantship is adequate to meet their minimum financial needs, refer to Estimate of Expenses. Graduate assistants are not required to pay tuition charges provided their stipend is $5,000 or higher ($ 2,500 is the minimum for a one semester waiver of tuition and most fees). Assistantships are awarded for a maximum of one academic year at a time. A graduate assistantship is not a scholarship, and a full assistantship requires a work contribution by the student averaging 20 hours per week, and Federal and State income taxes will be withheld from earnings.
     
   • Research Assistantships
     A number of research assistantships, with no teaching duties, are available to qualified graduate students in various departments. Funds are provided by either private industry, the U.S. Government (especially in agriculture, engineering, and the sciences), or by the University itself.
     
   • Teaching Assistantships
     Many departments offer teaching assistantships to qualified, enrolled graduate students. International applicants are eligible for these assistantships. Since teaching assistantships involve instruction, all incoming students who have been awarded a teaching assistantship and whose native language is not English must demonstrate oral English proficiency, either by passing the Test of Spoken English administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) before their arrival on campus at their own expense or by passing the SPEAK test upon arrival at no cost to the student. In order to pass the TSE or SPEAK test, students must score 50 or above.
     
   • University Fellowships
     These Fellowships are awarded to graduate students on a very competitive basis and are intended to help superior students pursue graduate study without a work requirement and obtain a degree in the minimum possible time. They are normally awarded only after a graduate student has completed two semesters at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. A University Fellowship is for only one year. A tuition waiver accompanies a University Fellowship, and no service is required.
     
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8. Miscellaneous
   • Obtaining a Visa International students admitted to any American university need a "Certificate of Eligibility," issued by the admitting institution, indicating that they have been accepted as full-time degree-seeking students, that they have the required proficiency in the English language, and that there is sufficent financial support for their education. The University of Massachusetts Amherst will normally provide the international applicant with either the I-20 or DS-2019 form to enable him/her to apply for a visa with which to enter the United States. The University of Massachusetts Amherst cannot issue the 1-20 to part-time or non-degree students. Students entering the United States on the I-20/DS-2019 of another institution will not be considered for admission to the University of Massachusetts without first having attended the other institution. Visa documents will not be issued until the applicant has accepted the University's offer of admission and has satisfied International Programs Office requirements for document issuance.
     
   • Travel Considerations
     Amherst, the town where the University is located, is about 90 miles ( 145 km) from Boston and 170 miles (270 km) from New York City. The closest major airport is Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut, and while few flights go directly to Bradley from abroad, it is possible to get connecting flights from other major U.S. airports. (Bradley Airport is about 50 miles (80 km) from Amherst and does offer bus service to the University. Bus service is also available from New York and Boston.)
     
   • Housing
     Limited graduate housing is available in the Prince Crampton Residential Complex, the University's only graduate student housing for single students. Married students can apply for housing in the University-owned apartments, but there is much competition for this type of housing, and it is not always possible to obtain one of these apartments. There is no special consideration given to international students who apply for any type of university housing. All students have equal opportunity for housing, and housing assignments are made based on the date of application. In addition to University-owned housing, there are many privately owned apartment complexes in Amherst and the surrounding area. Many students choose this type of housing which, while sometimes more expensive than University housing, offers many facilities not found in campus accommodations.
     
   • Medical Care and Insurance
     All students who register at the University of Massachusetts Amherst must pay a basic health fee (approximately $500 per academic year) as part of their registration fees, entitling them to free (or inexpensive) service at the University Health Services. For most graduate students with assistantships this fee is waived. In addition, the University of Massachusetts requires that all students maintain adequate hospitalization/major medical insurance coverage. This requirement is usually met by enrollment in the University's Supplemental Health Benefits Plan; the annual cost is about $500. (Complete medical coverage costs an additional $ 1,700/year for the dependents of a student and is strongly recommended as there is no national health program in this country.)
     
   • Employment
     F-1/J-1 students are allowed to work on-campus. However, immigration regulations concerning off-campus employment are strict. In general, you should not plan to work while you are in the United States. You are expected to provide evidence that you have sufficient funds to make employment unnecessary. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT YOU REALIZE THAT, IN MOST CASES, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A SPOUSE AND/OR DEPENDENTS OF STUDENTS TO WORK. Contact International Programs Office ( http://www.umass.edu/ipo/fso_crstd.html ) for details .
     
   • Extracurricular and Community Affairs
     Many cultural, recreational, and social activities are offered by student societies and other groups of the Five College community. The International Students Association organizes a number of activities which are helpful and enjoyable to international students. In addition, there is an active Hospitality Program which introduces interested students to local families and may be the start of many friendships. There are also special cultural and language programs for spouses of students.
     
   • Climate, Clothing, and Sports
     Autumn is cool and sometimes rainy, but it is a beautiful season of colorful foliage. Overcoat weather begins in October or November, and snow usually remains on the ground through March. Overcoats, boots, and rainwear are essential. Spring is warm but unpredictable, with occasional rain, and the months of July and August are often uncomfortably hot and humid. Outdoor sports include bicycling, hiking, cross-country and downhill skiing, tennis, and swimming in nearby ponds or on-campus indoor pools.
     
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