Five College Interchange

UMass Amherst is a member of the Five College Consortium with Amherst College (Amherst), Hampshire College (Amherst), Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley), and Smith College (Northampton). This consortium, founded in 1965, unites UMass with top-ranked liberal arts colleges to expand research, curricular and cultural resources and facilities for all partners. The consortium facilitates intellectual communities and broad curricular and cocurricular offerings; affording learning, research, performance, and social opportunities that complement the distinctive qualities of each institution.

Graduate students who wish to take a course at one of the other schools in the Five College Consortium can register during the pre-registration period (April for fall classes and November for spring classes) or during the add/drop period at the beginning of the semester. Specific dates are listed on the Five College Academic Calendar.

Eligibility

• Enrolled in a degree-seeking program;
• Registered in at least one three-credit course at UMass;
• Most courses offered by the area colleges are undergraduate level and, therefore, are not necessarily applicable toward graduate degree credit at the University;
• NOTE: Non-degree students are not eligible to register for Five College Interchange courses.

A link to the Five College Enrollment Request Form can be found on SPIRE under Enrollment—the form will appear only during the pre-registration and add/drop time periods. A copy of the Five College Enrollment Request Form should be returned to the Graduate Student Service Center.  Instructor signatures are required during the add/drop period. The advisor signature is not required. All questions regarding enrollment in Five College courses should be directed to the Graduate Student Service Center at (413) 545-0722 or gradrec [at] grad [dot] umass [dot] edu.