SAM Resources

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This past year, SAM launched Your Financial Wellness Roadmap, a resource created to offer UMass Amherst students a foundation of all things personal finance. Take a look and let us know if you have any questions!

UMass Amherst Financial Aid Services: Financial Aid creates students' financial aid packages based on the student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you have questions about your Financial Aid package including federal loans, grants, and UMass scholarships, visit the Financial Aid office in Whitmore. Financial Aid also maintains a Scholarship Search Board and a Student Job Board to help students cover their cost of attendance.

UMass Amherst Bursar's Office: The Bursar's office handles the billing and payment of student bills. They offer a UPay Payment Plan allowing students to pay their bill in several payments throughout the semester rather than all at once. The Bursar's Office also handles non-UMass (outside) scholarships.

Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success (CMASS): Located in Wilder Hall, CMASS offers student success coaching for students to help monitor progress, develop strategies to achieve their goals, and refer students to campus resources. They also have a computer lab open 9-5 PM during the academic year to CMASS-affiliated students where they can print 20 pages per day for free.

Dean of Student's Office (DOSO): The Dean of Students Office is student support hub. Financial security is just one area of student support they address and they do so by offering application-based microgrants and microloans to provide emergency funding to students experiencing unexpected financial hardship. They also manage the Student Care Supply Closets to provide toiletries and household items to students facing economic insecurity. The four locations of the Student Care Supply Closets are the Dean of Student's Office in Whitmore, the Off Campus Student Center (OCSC) in the Student Union, CMASS in Wilder Hall, and the Student Veteran Resource Center (SVRC) in Dickinson Hall.

Student Legal Services Office (SLSO): SLSO provides legal assistance to fee-paying UMass Amherst students and student groups.

Career Services: Career Services assists students in finding internships, reviewing resumes, finding funding for unpaid internships, writing cover letters, and applying to jobs for after graduation. This is an exceptional service to take advantage of while at UMass to prepare for life after graduation.

UMass Five College Credit Union: Started here at UMass Amherst in 1967, the Five College Credit Union is a local credit union with an on-campus location in the Campus Center ready to serve students, staff, and faculty alike. They offer various forms of 0% or low interest rate loans to help you build good credit and accomplish your goals. For example, they offer a low-interest rate bike loan and a 0% interest farm share loan.

Taxes: The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program provides free domestic and international tax filing assistance. Student volunteers assist taxpayers with the preparation of their federal and state income tax returns. Find VITA in the Isenberg School of Management in the spring to file your taxes.

Scholarships: Check the UMass Amherst Financial Aid Scholarship Search Board to find scholarships you may apply to. Create an account on Academic Works, the UMass Amherst Scholarship system, to be matched automatically with UMass specific scholarships you may qualify for. The Alumni Association offers more than 100 scholarships for which the application process typically begins in December and more details are available here.

UMass Student Job Board: Check the UMass Student Job Board to search for various work-study and non-work study positions on or off campus.

Single Stop Shop: An online single stop for UMass resources.

Health Insurance: Make it Make Sense: Health Insurance Basics for UMass Students

Free and Discounted Software: UMass Amherst Information Technology (IT) offers free and discounted software programs for students, faculty, and staff. Microsoft Office and McAfee Antivirus Security are two of the many programs that students, faculty, and staff can take advantage of.

Additional Resources:

National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS): Access and review federal student loan information, including loan service provider, interest rates on individual loans, and more.

Bankrate: Bankrate offers many calculators for loans, savings, retirement, and more which are excellent tools. Bankrate also simplifies credit and helps you determine the best credit cards for your credit score, by company, and more.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): CFPB creates and enforces rules and regulations regarding credit card company policies. If you need to dispute anything on your credit report, reach out to CFPB.

Students & Financial Literacy from Annuity: Learn about scholarships, student loans, maximizing your meal plan, starting your career and more from Annuity.

Getting an Education as a DACA Student: Undocumented (DACA) students face unique challenges in higher education. By understanding the resources named in this article, DACA students can increase their chances of success.

Comparing credit cards? Try creditcards.com or wallethub.com or come see a SAM peer financial coach.

Want to find your credit score or credit report? You can request one free report from each of the 3 reporting agencies every 12 months through AnnualCreditReport.com. If you choose to go through CreditKarma.com you will recieve unlimited access to information from Transunion and Equifax credit reports, however there is limited access to information from Experian. myFICO is another resource where you can access you FICO credit score and learn more about credit.

SAM Resources

Additional Resources:

MoneyGeek