This section will help you navigate housing information at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. You will find information about who is required to live on campus, the cost of living on campus, important deadlines, and how to apply for housing.
For more information about housing options follow the links below:
- View all the Residence Halls on campus and the features of each community.
- Explore the different Living and Learning Communities and Special Housing Options offered on campus.
Looking for Off Campus Housing?
Look for available apartments and learn more about Off Campus Student Life. Also, check out Fieldstone, an privately run housing option exclusively for UMass students, located on campus.
Contact Us!
Residential Life Assignments
235 Whitmore Administration Building
413-545-2100
Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Email: @email
Frequently Asked Questions
Residential Life Student Services is experiencing significantly higher call and email volume and currently have reduced staff due to furloughs. Please review the FAQs for answers to common questions before emailing or calling our office.
Please note: FAQs are being updated regularly with additional questions and new information. If you cannot find the information you are looking for, please contact Residential Life Student Services.
Last Updated: August 17, 2021
Move-In
What do I do if I I have a conflict with my Move-In Reservation...?
Answers below have been broken out based on specific reservation situations.
...in a hall where reservations are assigned?
Students who were assigned a reservation time are not able to change their reservation in SPIRE. Students may come earlier or later than their assigned time on their assigned move-in day. They will be checked in and their belongings will be unloaded at the hall. Please note there may be a delay while staff becomes available to deliver your items to your room. When staff is available, your belongings will be delivered as soon as possible.
...in a hall where reservations are selected?
Students who are able to select their own reservation can log back into SPIRE>Main Menu>Residential Life>Move-In Reservation/Key Agmt to search for any other available times. Please note the deadline for selecting and changing your reservation time is August 18th at 4:00pm.
...and I'm seeing Early Arrival times, but planning to arrive on 8/27, 8/28 or 8/29?
All students who are seeing reservation times before 8/27 (with the exception of Cance and Kennedy residents, who are able to select 8/26 reservations) were provided to Residential Life by an approved early arrival group. If you do not intend to arrive early, please send an email to @email with the subject "Early Arrival Removal." In the email, please state that you do not intend to arrive early and wish to arrive on the traditional move-in day for your hall. We will update your account as soon as possible. Students in Southwest Towers, Sylvan or CHCRC will be assigned to their floors reservation time. Students in all other halls will select from the available reservation times in SPIRE.
...and I am an international or Out of State student with a flight arriving August 25 or August 26 and I am not coded as an early arrival?
Please email @email with a copy of your flight itinerary. If you are arriving before August 25, you will need to make other housing arrangements, such as a hotel.
International students who planned for early arrival accommodations through the Public Health Promotion Center (beginning August 18) should contact quarantine@umass.edu with questions regarding arrival procedures.
...and I want to arrive after 6pm on August 28 or 29, or on August 30 or 31 but I do not see any available move-in reservations?
Students can move in from 6:00pm-10:00pm on August 28 and 29. Students can also move in on August 30 or 31 from 9:00am-10:00pm. If there are not reservations for these times in SPIRE, students can simply print their current boarding pass and arrive to campus. Students in this situation will check in through their Residential Service Desk. There is no move-in assistance available during these times, but students are welcome to bring family to help them move in.
I have a flight that arrives before August 27 or I have been coded as an early arrival and I plan to arrive on the traditional move-in day for my hall.
Students can complete the Early Arrival Modification form to request an adjusted Move-In time.
Housing Assignment Questions
I would like to change my housing assignment
There is a room freeze in place through fall 2021 opening. Once halls open, there are several processes available for students to change their assignment. Please visit the Current Undergraduate Student web page for more details about our assignment change options.
I do not have a fall assignment
If you do not already have a fall 2021 housing assignment and still wish to live on campus, please request an appointment for the Unassigned Fall Room Selection Process today.
Fall 2021 Admitted First-Year students are guaranteed housing. For all other students, any available spaces will come from cancellations and we are not able to guarantee all unassigned students will be able to secure a space. Based on that, we strongly encourage students without an assignment also research Off Campus Options.
Please find the updated Unassigned Fall Room Selection Process timeline below:
Students can request an appointment through August 22.
Appointments Post: One business day after the appointment is requested.
Room Selection: July 23, - August 23, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.
I want to cancel my housing assignment
Newly admitted fall 2021 residents can cancel their housing assignment by emailing @email. Please include 'Assignment Cancellation' in the subject of your email. New students who cancel their assignment will be subject to the cancellation fee. All projected Freshmen are also required to live on campus. If you are not planning to withdraw, you must also submit a Housing Exemption or Commuter Exemption form to our office or the base room fee will remain on your fall 2010 Bursar Bill. If your exemption is approved, the base room fee will be adjusted off of your bill within one week.
All other students can cancel their housing assignment in SPIRE under Main Menu>Residential Life>Room Cancellation. Students who cancel their fall 2021 housing assignment will be subject to the Cancellation Fee Schedule.
I require an accommodation based on a Disability
Residential Life works closely with Disability Services to support students with disabilities. If you believe you qualify for an accommodation, please complete the intake form on the Disability Services website. If you receive an accommodation, you will receive further information from Residential Life Student Services regarding how that will impact your current assignment and any future room selection processes.
I have a base room fee on my bill, but I do not plan to live on campus
There are two reasons this can happen. It takes about one week for adjustments to be reflected on your bill. If you have recently canceled your assignment, please wait at least one week for the base room fee to be adjusted.
The primary reason this happens is that you are a required Freshman. Fall 2021 Freshmen are required to live on campus and must complete a Housing Exemption in order to break their requirement. Please note, it takes about one week from submission for your exemption application to be reviewed.
Students admitted prior to fall 2021 can simply email @email to request that the requirement be removed from their account. Please subject your email 'Housing Requirement Removal' to help staff quickly find your email.
I have a question about what to bring to campus, details about my room or lofting kits
You can find details about lofting kits, suggestions for what items to bring to campus and many other details on the Your Room website.
Explore floor plans for all residence halls. Please note that students can access floor plans using the same login credentials used to access SPIRE.
You can also find photo albums of all residential areas on our Facebook Page.
I have a question about mail and packages
Mail and package delivery begins starting on August 25th. Packages that were ordered through the Linens Program or were shipped through the Luggage Program will be delivered to the Service Desks and held until students arrive. When your package is ready to be picked up, you will receive an email from the RSD staff. Please wait until you receive this email to check in with the service desk about your package. The first 2-3 weeks after halls open are some of our most high-volume package periods. Since packages need to be logged, it may take several days after your tracked package shows as delivered before it is ready to pick up.
Learn more about mail and packages.
I have a question about my UCard or Photo Upload
Any student living in the US who submitted their UCard photo before the July 5 deadline should have already received their UCard in the mail. Please make sure to follow the steps to activate your card prior to arriving on campus. There is a 2-3 hour delay from activating your card to when it will be usable on campus.
Students who have not submitted their UCard photo can still do so on the UCard Office's website.
More information will be available on the UCard Office's website for students who have submitted their UCard photo but have not received the card.
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