Welcome to UMass, New Graduate Students!
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Your graduate experience at UMass Amherst is just beginning— are you ready? All new graduate students are invited to join us for this year's in-person orientation event, Welcome to the UMass Graduate School, also known as WUGS! This year's event will take place on Friday, September 4th, throughout the day. Check out our 2026 schedule to get a sense of what's upcoming!
What can I expect?
Both new Master's and Doctoral students will be introduced to essential resources and services through a variety of programs. The day will also include many opportunities to get connected with other graduate students, both current and new. You do not need to prepare anything for the day— just show up ready to learn more about our campus and your community!
The day will kick off with a short presentation in the Fine Arts Center from the Graduate School and a few key offices to remember. You will hear everything from the basics, such as how to obtain a uCard or how to learn more about your department, to more specific information regarding available support.
Afterwards, we'll invite you to grab some lunch from the many dining options available around campus. Several departments are also hosting a welcome lunch for their new students— check out who has organized a lunch so far!
Afternoon programs will pick back up again in the centrally located Campus Center. During this time we'll have several breakout sessions to attend, each focused on a specific topic that's applicable to all graduate students, or only Master's and Doctoral students respectively.
The day will close out with a community welcome dinner out on Goodell Lawn! You'll have an opportunity to mingle with one another during this time, as well as several resource offices that will be tabling during the evening.
Why should I attend?
WUGS is the perfect opportunity to get an all-in-one look at UMass Amherst and the many services or resources available to you. If you are already intending on attending a separate orientation, you may find some of the information shared during this day to be duplicative. With that in mind, however, you would still benefit from attending our topic-focused breakout sessions and the community dinner, two opportunities that will only be offered during this time.
The event is also a great way to build more familiarity with the campus and many locations across campus. If you've never visited campus before, this is a great introduction!
Is attendance mandatory?
Attendance is entirely optional. As mentioned previously, we believe all new graduate students benefit from attending WUGS in some way. If you are unavailable or if your schedule does not allow for your attendance, our team completely understands.
How do I sign up?
Check your UMass email! All new students should have received a pair of invites to our fall WUGS event by now. If you have not received a communication, please feel free to grad-communications [at] umass [dot] edu (contact us).
Learn more about WUGS on our website.
We look forward to seeing you this fall!