Public Policy Departmental Honors

For prospective students - students applying to UMass Amherst as incoming first-year or transfer students - the University of Massachusetts Admissions Office oversees ALL applications and ALL financial aid decisions for students new to UMass Amherst. Students will be formally invited to join Commonwealth Honors College and will be informed as part of your acceptance letter.

• Prospective First-Year Student: Work directly with UMass Admissions to complete and submit an application to UMass Amherst.
• Transfer Students: Work directly with UMass Admissions to complete and submit an application to UMass Amherst.

Commonwealth Honors Program Transfer Student: After successfully completing the Commonwealth Honors Program at a Massachusetts community college, AND you have applied and have been accepted to UMass Amherst, bring your transcript to see a Commonwealth Honors College advisor, who will confirm your eligibility to be a member of the Commonwealth Honors College.

UMass Amherst students who are not already members of the Honors College must apply to become a Commonwealth Honors College student during the winter or summer application cycle and then apply to the Departmental Honors Advanced Scholarship CHC sub-plan. Read more by visiting: https://www.umass.edu/honors/apply/current-students.

If you are applying for Departmental Honors, you must contact the Honors Program Director in your department to confirm your eligibility and carefully read the Departmental Requirements prior to applying for the DH track. You will need to explain your plan for completing DH in your department as part of your application

Students who are already members of CHC should meet with the department’s Honors Program Director (HPD) regarding their interest in joining Departmental Honors (DH), an Advanced Scholarship CHC sub-plan. The HPD will determine a student's eligibility and preparedness for DH. Admission to DH will be at the discretion of the HPD based on the criteria as established by the department and CHC (see General Admission Criteria above). The HPD will notify the CHC office of newly accepted DH students so appropriate steps can be taken to designate the sub-plan on SPIRE.