Five College Interchange Resources for You
As a full-time UMass Amherst student, you have the unique opportunity to take classes at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College and Smith College — at no additional cost to you beyond what you’re already paying for your UMass tuition. And don’t let transportation stand in your way: all four campuses are accessible via PVTA bus routes (bus rides are free as well).
To find out more about the Interchange process, see these FAQs or go to the UMass Five College Interchange website. You can also visit our UMass Five College program office in person: you’ll find them in 408 Goodell, hours M-F 8.30am-5pm. And there are several specialized inter-campus certificate programs — one that’s popular with Environmental Science students is the Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences certificate program.
Where to Get Started: Find Yourself a Five College Course
The first step in taking a class at one of the other schools in the Five College Consortium is to identify a class you’re interested in. Use the Five College Course Catalog to browse and select classes. This catalog works in a similar way to our SPIRE Course Catalog, and it lets you browse classes by discipline.
When choosing classes, keep in mind that you cannot exceed 8 credits at any one of the other five colleges in a given semester.
Registering for Classes at Other Schools
Once you’ve found a class or two and want to enroll, locate the Five College Enrollment Request Form on your SPIRE account.
- Log on to SPIRE, and under “Enrollment” follow the link for “Five-College Enrollment Request”.
- Read the two pages of instructions there, enter the course information onto the form, print it out, and take it to our UMass Interchange in 408 Goodell. (handwritten forms aren’t accepted, so make sure you enter the information before you print it).
There are additional step-by-step instructions on the Registrating for Five College Interchange Courses page for more detailed instructions on this process.