- STEP 1: Follow Us – Follow our Instagram for updates on Move-In and closings, housing options, fun activities, residence hall resources, job posts, how to get involved, and much more!
- STEP 2: Sign Up for Orientation – Register for Transfer Orientation.
- STEP 3: Complete Enrollment Checklist – Complete the Enrollment Checklist.
- STEP 4: Explore Housing Options – Find next steps on applying for campus housing by checking out the tabs below.
Transfer Housing Options
Living at UMass Amherst, you will find it easy to get involved with campus activities, get to know faculty, and find leadership opportunities. You will live in a community environment in which collaboration leads to academic success. You will have access to resources, informed professionals, and supportive student staff who can answer questions, help you navigate campus, and much more.
Explore our diverse on-campus living options below to help you find your community at UMass Amherst. If you are not planning to live on campus and are an incoming freshmen, please view the Housing Requirement and Exemption information.
Explore these on-campus options:
Break Housing
Students who need on campus housing during the weeks of Thanksgiving, winter, or spring break should consider Break Housing.
Residential Academic Programs (fall semester only)
Residential Academic Programs (RAPs) are academic learning communities that offer students a truly rich university experience. RAPs provide students an opportunity to enroll in a course or seminar with students who live in their residence hall. Most RAP classes have 30 or fewer students and are taught in the residential area, allowing strong relationships to develop among peers and faculty.
Defined Residential Communities
Different communities of students who share interests, ethnicity, or identity are available in residential areas.
Special Housing Options
Options for living arrangements such as quiet floors and gender inclusive housing are available in specific residential locations.
Transfer Housing Choices
At UMass Amherst, residence halls are a lot more than a place to sleep. The 51 residence halls and apartment buildings are grouped into 7 separate and distinct residential areas. Each area is characterized by its unique location, architecture, and availability of different cultural or academic living/learning programs.
As you explore the different areas of campus and weigh your housing choices, be sure to review the Room Rates & Fees associated with different assignments. Single rooms, the Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community, and North Apartments are billed at a higher rate.
Sylvan (Suite Style)
Transfer Residence Hall
McNamara (Transfer Community)
Multi-Year Residence Halls
Brown, Cashin (Break Housing, Gender Inclusive Housing)
North Apartments
Multi-Year Residence Halls
North Hall A, North Hall B, North Hall C, North Hall D (Gender Inclusive Housing)
Southwest
Multi-Year Residence Halls
Coolidge (Harambee: African Heritage DRC), Crampton, John Adams (Transfer Residence Hall), John Quincy Adams (24-hour Quiet Floor), MacKimmie, Patterson, Prince (Break Housing), Washington (El Barrio: Latinx Heritage DRC)
Northeast
Multi-Year Residence Halls
Johnson, Lewis (Asian/Asian American DRC), Thatcher
Orchard Hill
Multi-Year Residence Halls
Grayson, Field
Central
Multi-Year Residence Halls
Baker (Spectrum: LGBTQA Community DRC, Gender Inclusive Housing), Brett (Break Housing), Brooks (24-hour Quiet Floor, Alcohol-Free), Chadbourne, Greenough
Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community
Multi-Year Residence Halls
Birch, Elm, Linden, Maple
Transfer Roommate Life
Transfer students may make specific roommate requests and we do our best to assign students together as long as the request is mutual and there is space available for the assignment. All students, even those with a roommate request, will need to complete the five-question Housing Profile.
Requesting Your Roommate
To complete a mutual roommate request you and your preferred roommate must do the following.
1. Sign the Residence Hall Occupancy License and Submit the Housing Profile on SPIRE
2. Request your preferred roommate on the Preference Applications by:
- listing your housing preferences in the same order
- adding your preferred roommate to the roommate preference section
Living with a Roommate
For many students, living in a residence hall can be one of the most unique experiences in your life. It may also be the first time sharing a room with someone who is not a family member. Hear what other students have to say about preventing and dealing with roommate conflict in the videos below.
Transfer Applying for Housing
First Steps for All New Students
- Follow the instructions to submit your UCard photo.
- Sign the Residence Hall Occupancy License in SPIRE under Housing > Room Selection > Occupancy License.
All students must sign the Residence Hall Occupancy License before applying for housing and living in a residence hall. This is a yearly license, legally binding enforceable agreement, which will remain in force for the duration of residency and includes financial responsibility for the entire contract period. You can read and sign the license online on SPIRE.
- Submit the Housing Profile in SPIRE under Housing > Room Selection > Housing Profile.
- Complete the Preference Application between Monday, June 3, 2024 through 11:59 p.m. on Monday July 1, 2024. Students can either hold a space in a Residential Academic Program or rank order Residential Areas below. Assignments will be released on SPIRE under Assignment Notification on Monday, August 5, 2024.
Applying for a Residential Area
- When you access SPIRE and the Housing Preference Application you will be able to rank, in your preference order, the areas of campus. In addition, you can request Defined Residential Community or Special Housing Options available across campus.
- You are required to rank order at least four Residential Areas (Central, CHCRC, North Apartments, Northeast, Orchard Hill, Southwest, Sylvan). You must include Sylvan and Southwest, since these areas include Transfer communities.
*If you are interested in a single room, you will have the opportunity to indicate it on your Preference Application. Please note that single rooms are billed at a higher rate.
- If you have a roommate request, you must:
- List your residential area preferences in the same order and,
- List each other as roommates on your individual preference applications.
Video Tutorials
Step-by-step video tutorials of the application process are available to help guide you. Watch how to submit area preferences and living option preference and request a roommate!
Canceling Your Application
If you decide not to live on campus you can cancel your preferences in SPIRE through July 1, 2024. After July 1, contact Residential Life Assignments by email at @email to cancel your housing application/assignment immediately. Depending on when you cancel, you may be subject to a cancellation fee.
Transfer Making Connections
Engage in the campus community experience!
Students can get involved with organizations on their floor or in their hall, and choose from hundreds of additional options such as Registered Student Organizations, intramural teams, community service opportunities, or student government associations. Campus engagement is your chance to learn leadership skills, develop friendships and make connections based on what you are interested in.
Transfer Resources
As part of your transition to university life, you will become part of a diverse living and learning community. All new students, regardless of background, will find a number of resources for their individual interests or needs.
Residence Hall Staff
Residence Hall staff members can provide assistance close to home. Your Resident Assistants and Residence Directors are available to provide advice and support as you transition into life at UMass Amherst. They can also connect you directly to a wide range of campus resources.
Welcome to the U!
The Fall Welcome to the U! program helps facilitate your transition to living on campus. Your Residential Life staff will share information about living in the halls and help you make connections in your new community. You’ll meet your Resident Assistant, your neighbors, and get comfortable in your new home.
Inclusion & Support
Student Affairs and Campus Life offers services and programs for support as well as advocacy opportunities.
UMatter at UMass
This campus-wide program is about creating a community of care, compassion, connection, and active engagement. Learn what it means to Listen Up, Show Up, Stand Up, and Follow Up at UMass Amherst.
Additional Resources
The University provides a variety of services for students who have documented and emerging physical and mental health needs. Students and families can engage with Disability Services, University Health Services and the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health for assistance and services. The Dean of Students Office is also a great place to check in.
Through UMass Amherst’s relationship with our approved vendors, students receive discounted options for company products such as linens and combination microwave and refrigerator rentals. Student emails and permanent addresses are provided to our approved vendors in order to send informational mailings. If you wish to be removed from this mailing list please email @email.
Learn more about Living at UMass.
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