Residential Academic Programs

Students speaking outdoors

Commonwealth Honors College offers several Honors Residential Academic Programs (RAPs), which give first-year honors students the opportunity to live and take classes together.

Honors RAPS are opportunities to live in the Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community with students who are enrolled in one or two of your classes. Designed to ease your transition to college, these programs enable you to build relationships with others both socially and academically.

The courses selected as part of these programs assist you in meeting your general education and honors requirements. During the first semester, you’ll take one or two courses with other CHC students living in the same residence hall.

Eligibility 

You  must enroll in all of the Honors RAP classes associated with your chosen RAP. 

Since there is a housing component, you are only eligible to sign up for one RAP. 

If the scheduling of a course needed to fulfill a major requirement conflicts with the scheduling of a RAP course, major requirements will take precedence, and you’ll need to drop your RAP.

Campus RAPs 

The university offers other First-Year RAPs, open to all university students, in most residential areas. For more information and to see the university’s full RAP selection, refer to the UMass RAP website.

Honors RAPs Benefits

Check the RAP website for important dates and specific instruction on how to join a RAP.

Steps to register for a RAP
  • Share your living and learning experience with other high-achieving students in your major.
  • Experience a variety of opportunities that will help you make a successful transition to academic and social life at UMass Amherst.
  • Develop meaningful and lasting relationships by working closely with RAP faculty members.
  • Explore academic and/or professional opportunities related to your interests and goals.
  • Learn how to build a supportive community, form study groups, and work cooperatively with peers who share similar interests and are in classes with you.
  • Experience lively discussions in your RAP courses because you know your classmates so well.