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Communication Policy
Applicants
The University of Massachusetts Amherst uses the email address and permanent/mailing address provided on the application for all official communications by the Undergraduate Admissions Office. It is very important that the applicant confirms that his/her email and mailing addresses are correct. Applicants are responsible for all communication sent by UMass Amherst to their email or mailing address.
In the weeks following the submission of an application for admission, applicants will be sent several emails to the email address provided. One important email will provide the applicant with a university computing account, which gives the ability to check the status of the application online, identify missing credentials, and verify personal information – this includes changing the email or mailing and address, if appropriate.
Admitted Students
Upon payment of the enrollment fee by the Candidate Reply Date (May 1 for first-year students and June 1 for transfers), students will be issued an official UMass Amherst email address. (This will arrive to the email address provided as an applicant.) From that point forward, official UMass Amherst communications (e.g., messages from the Registrar’s Office, excess check notices) will be sent only to the UMass Amherst email address. Admitted students are responsible for all communication sent by UMass Amherst to their official UMass Amherst email address.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
FERPA is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Accordingly, a person becomes a student for purposes of FERPA when they are "in attendance" at an institution. At UMass Amherst, we define a student as someone currently or previously enrolled in any academic offering of the university. (This includes in-person or remotely by videoconference, satellite, Internet, or other electronic and telecommunications technologies.) Therefore, FERPA becomes effective on the first day of classes for those newly admitted students who have scheduled at least one course.
A prospective student or applicant to any academic program of the university, a student who accepted an admission offer but did not schedule at least one course, or a newly admitted student who canceled his/her registration either before or after the semester begins, is not covered by FERPA. The Undergraduate Admissions Office will work with these students and their families to answer general questions when appropriate.
Last Updated: September 15, 2015