Financial Support Resources
We've pulled together key resources to help you manage your money, find aid, and plan for the future.
UMass Amherst Campus Offices & Services
These are the go-to spots right here on campus for specific financial and academic support.
- Financial Aid Services: Your main point of contact for understanding your financial aid package, including federal loans, grants, and UMass scholarships. They also list scholarships and student jobs.
- Bursar's Office: Handles all things related to student billing and payments, including setting up payment plans and processing outside scholarships.
- Dean of Students Office (DOSO): A support hub offering emergency financial help through microgrants and microloans for unexpected hardships. They also manage Student Care Supply Closets for essential items.
- Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success (CMASS): Provides student success coaching and access to a computer lab for affiliated students.
- Student Legal Services Office (SLSO): Offers legal assistance if you're a fee-paying UMass Amherst student or student group.
- Career Services: Helps with internships, job searching (before and after graduation), resume/cover letter writing, and finding funding for unpaid internships.
- UMass IT (Information Technology): Provides access to free and discounted software programs like Microsoft Office and McAfee.
- Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA): Offers free help with filing your domestic and international tax returns during the spring semester.
On-Campus Financial Institution
- UMass Five College Credit Union: A local credit union located right on campus. They offer various loans, often with low or 0% interest rates, to help students build credit and reach goals (like specific loans for bikes or farm shares!).
Key UMass Resources & Topics
Here are some important guides and tools specific to UMass.
- iGrad: Your campus-provided online financial wellness platform! Since UMass has a subscription, you get free access to interactive tools, videos, articles, and tutorials on everything from budgeting and student loans to investing and career planning. It's a great resource to explore various financial topics at your own pace.
- Your Financial Wellness Roadmap: A foundational guide covering the basics of personal finance specifically for UMass Amherst students.
- UMass Student Job Board: Search directly for on- and off-campus work-study and non-work-study jobs.
- UMass Scholarship Search Board: Explore a wide range of scholarships you can apply for.
- Academic Works: The system used to automatically match you with UMass-specific scholarships you might qualify for.
- Alumni Association Scholarships: Learn about scholarships offered specifically by the UMass Alumni Association.
- Single Stop: An online portal designed to be a single place to find various UMass resources.
- Health Insurance Basics for UMass Students: A guide to help you understand your student health insurance.