Parking on Campus

You can purchase a yearly parking permit from Parking Services. To park in numbered lots on campus between 8am and 5pm, a valid parking permit for that lot must be properly displayed on your vehicle. Violations of this will result in a parking ticket. Metered parking is also available at locations around campus, and you can register your vehicle through the ParkMobile app to pay for the metered spots electronically. (Note, this system is also used throughout downtown Amherst and Northampton, so it can be very useful.)

If you are a GEO member, you will receive discounted parking permits. However, for the discount, you will need to go to Parking Services (located in Lot 25, solar panel lot) in person with a copy of your TA/RA appointment. This can be found in SPIRE, under the Graduate Student Employment – Review Graduate Appointment links. By clicking “View Form”, you can print that page and bring it with you to the parking office.

The bus connects much of campus with the local community. There are two bus lines, however, that serve the immediate campus region (Line 34 Northbound, Line 35 Southbound). These lines have stops located near many parking lots on and around campus, so this makes the far (cheaper) parking lots a lot more accessible. For looking at bus schedules and routes, download the PVTA app on your phone (Pioneer Valley Transit Authority). Note that some of the bus lines only stop every 30 min to an hour at a given stop, so you’ll need to plan somewhat far in advance.

Some thoughts on parking from previous students:

• “I arrived in July and needed to park on campus for the rest of the summer, so I had to buy a special Summer Permit, which was almost as much as the GEO-discounted price of a permit for the entire academic year.”
• “The parking lots that were available for the academic year generally seem to be a bit of a walk from buildings where classes happen and offices or labs are located. Good if you like a little walk every day, not always so convenient.”
• “Metered parking is available, but you have to be careful to keep the meter fed or you will get a ticket. Parking in a permitted parking lot without the right permit is a recipe for a nice big ticket too.”
• “If you come in for a medical appointment at University Health Services, there is a designated parking lot you can use for free.”