Academics & admin
Student Legal Services Office
A student-funded law office giving fee-paying UMass Amherst students and student groups FREE, confidential legal advice or referral in most legal…
UMass at a glance
23,671
undergrads
60%
of applicants admitted
92%
come back for year 2
81%
graduate
17 : 1
students per teacher
$80,486
typical pay 10 years in
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard.
What a year really costs
After grants and scholarships, by family income. Average: $22,857.
Under $30k $10,294
$30k–$48k $10,343
$48k–$75k $12,020
$75k–$110k $17,769
Over $110k $33,795
Tuition, in state
$18,487
Tuition, out of state
$41,759
Typical debt at graduation
$21,500
23% of students get a Pell Grant
Free stuff most students miss
Career
Iris Photo Booth (free headshots)
A free, automated professional headshot booth in the Goodell Career Hub (Goodell 563), with studio lighting, a good camera and posing prompts.
Getting around
PVTA Bus Service
Free fare-free bus service for students covering campus, downtown, and Five College area
Places
University Museum of Contemporary Art
Free contemporary art museum in the Fine Arts Center with rotating exhibitions
Eat
Dining halls, quick bites and coffee on campus.
Worcester Dining Commons
Dining hall The newest dining commons, in the Northeast Residential Area, and one of the busiest: Mediterranean, street food, a tandoor Indian kitchen…
669 N Pleasant St
Berkshire Dining Commons
Dining hall Southwest's award-winning dining commons: hand-rolled sushi, a stir-fry station, international dishes, a salad bar, a build-your-own deli and pizza.
121 Southwest Circle
Hampshire Dining Commons
Dining hall Southwest's second dining commons, built around healthy eating, sustainability and world flavors: a vegetarian line, gluten-free options, noodle…
141 Southwest Circle
Franklin Dining Commons
Dining hall Central's dining commons, known for its vegan and vegetarian food.
260 Stockbridge Road
Earthfoods Cafe
Student co op Not-for-profit, student-run co-op in the Student Union (room 260, ground floor) serving homemade plant-based meals at low prices: a rotating menu of…
Student Union 260, 41 Campus Center Way
Greeno Sub Shop
Student co op Non-profit student-run co-op in 120 Greenough Hall (Central) serving late-night subs, paninis, quesadillas, salads, wraps, milkshakes, garlic knots…
120 Greenough Hall
Harvest Market
Market Full-service market on the Campus Center main concourse.
1 Campus Center Way Student co op
People's Market
Student co op Student-run collective in the Student Union, going since 1973: bagels with a choice of cream cheeses, hot and iced coffee, iced chai and baked goods.
Student Union, 41 Campus Center Way
People's Organic Coffee
Cafe Fair Trade coffee bar on the Campus Center main concourse with organic teas, salads, paninis, cookies and locally baked pastries.
1 Campus Center Way
Procrastination Station
Cafe Coffee bar inside the W.E.B. Du Bois Library: espresso drinks, organic salads and sandwiches, soup, ciabatta paninis and pastries, without leaving…
W.E.B. Du Bois Library, 154 Hicks Way Student co op
Sylvan Snack Bar
Student co op The oldest student-run co-op on campus (since 1971), in the basement of McNamara Hall in Sylvan.
McNamara Hall, Room 06 (basement), 102 Eastman Lane
Terrace
Cafe Cafe at the Fieldstone apartments on Lincoln Avenue with breakfast tarts, club sandwiches, salads and Peet's espresso drinks.
345 Lincoln Avenue
The Commonwealth Restaurant
Restaurant Sit-down restaurant on the top floor of Worcester Commons with views across campus, a local and sustainable menu and a full bar.
Worcester Commons, 669 North Pleasant Street
Blue Wall
Cafe The food court on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center, made up of separate counters: Tavola (house-made pizza, pasta, hummus bowls), Star Ginger (pho…
1 Campus Center Way
Roots Cafe
Cafe Cafe in the Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community with a salad bar, artisan pizza, mac and cheese and quesadillas.
157 Commonwealth Ave
Hampshire Cafe
Cafe Starbucks cafe on the first floor of Hampshire Dining Commons in Southwest: Starbucks coffee and drinks, artisan sandwiches, salads, build-your-own…
141 Southwest Circle
babyBerk Food Trucks
Specialty dining UMass Dining's two food trucks, babyBerk and babyBerk 2.
Courtside Cafe
Cafe Snack bar on the second level of the Recreation Center: smoothies, cold drinks, snacks and grab-and-go sandwiches and salads after a workout.
161 Commonwealth AveWhere to live
Residence halls, apartments and help finding a place.
Sylvan Residential Area
Residence hall Suite-style halls in a shady wooded area: Brown and Cashin (multi-year) and McNamara (first-year and transfer, home of the Transfer Community).
Sylvan Area
Southwest Residential Area
Residence hall Largest and most social residential area with high-rise towers near Berkshire and Hampshire dining halls
Southwest Circle
Northeast Residential Area
Residence hall Classic college dorm experience with 9 halls near Worcester Dining Commons and academic buildings
Northeast Area
Central Residential Area
Residence hall Centrally located residence halls close to the library, campus center, and academic buildings
Central Area
Orchard Hill Residential Area
Residence hall Four residence halls on a hilltop overlooking campus with rolling hills and apple trees
Orchard Hill Residential services
Residential Service Desks (RSDs)
Residential services Every residence area has a service desk (eight on campus) where you pick up packages and mail, sign out a back-up key or a temporary UCard after a…
Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community
Residence hall CHCRC sits in the heart of campus, close to classrooms, the Du Bois Library and the Recreation Center.
Commonwealth Honors College Residence hall
North Apartments
Residence hall On-campus apartments with four single bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a full kitchen and a furnished living room, with utilities, wireless and central…
North Apartments, 52-58 Eastman LaneGet around
Shuttles, parking and accessible rides.
PVTA Bus Service
Transit Free fare-free bus service for students covering campus, downtown, and Five College area
UMass Amherst
UHS Shuttle
Shuttle Free van ride from your on-campus building to University Health Services and back.
University Health Services, 150 Infirmary Way
Accessible Van Service
Transit Free on-call and reservation van rides around campus for students, staff and faculty with temporary or permanent mobility impairments, run by UMass…
UMass Amherst
Getting Home: Bus, Train and Airport Options
Regional travel How to get between Amherst and the airports or home.
Car share
Zipcar Car Sharing
Car share Self-service, on-demand cars you can rent by the hour, available 24/7, for errands, a grocery run or a trip home without bringing your own car.
Parking Services
Parking Permits, visitor parking and citation appeals.
Whitmore Administration Building, Room 139, 181 Presidents Drive
Campus Center Parking Garage
Parking The main pay garage in the middle of campus, next to the Campus Center.
91 Campus Center Way
UMass Transit Facility
Transit Hub for UMass Transit operations and student-run bus services since 1969
UMass Amherst Biking
Bike Share & Bike Storage
Biking Bike storage, repair stations, and bikeshare options for getting around the UMass campus
Biking
ValleyBike Share
Biking Regional bike share program with stations across campus and the Pioneer Valley
UMass Amherst Transit
Campus Shuttle Service
Transit Shuttle service connecting perimeter parking lots to campus buildings every 20 minutes
UMass AmherstMajors that pay most at UMass
Typical pay 4 years after graduating. Top 6 of 46 bachelor's majors with published pay.
Computer Science $123,519
Computer Engineering $113,083
Electrical Engineering $101,091
Accounting $100,516
Chemical Engineering $97,990
Industrial Engineering $97,791
Source: College Scorecard, field-of-study data.
Your UMass checklist
5 things worth doing early
When you need help
5 things UMass freshmen wish they knew sooner
Watch the video1 Pass/fail got an A? The A can still count
"If the course elected Pass/Fail during the current semester carries a grade higher than the initially computed cumulative average, the reported grade will be recorded and the cumulative average recomputed; otherwise the P or F will be recorded." Limits: "Any undergraduate shall be eligible to exercise a Pass/Fail option in one course each term." And: "When students choose to take a course with the Pass/Fail option, the instructor will not be informed."
2 Added a class late? You still get 100%
"Instructors must provide the student an opportunity to start the class on their first official day of enrollment with 100% graded work, attendance, participation points available and provide reasonable accommodations for the student to make up missed assignments without penalty that were due prior to the student's official enrollment day in the class." The window: "Students may add or drop a course through seventh calendar day of the semester (counting from the first day of classes)."
3 Makeup exams must match the original
"Instructors may not require students to take a make-up exam in a format substantially different from that of the original exam." And: "Instructors must offer reasonable assistance in making up missed work (e.g., making arrangements for attendance at labs or discussion sessions which meet at other times; providing makeup exams or labs where feasible)."
4 9 college credits? Swap your Gen Ed plan
"Students admitted as freshmen who bring in 9 or more course credits (not test credits) taken prior to their enrollment at UMass Amherst may change to transfer requirements by filing a Change to Transfer General Education Requirements form in the Registrar's Office (213 Whitmore) by the end of their first spring semester." College classes count here; test credits like AP do not.
5 Record the lecture — Gus makes the notes, flashcards and quiz
Gus is an AI college companion built around your actual classes. Record a lecture and it writes the notes, pulls out the key topics, builds a flashcard deck, and makes a practice quiz from what was actually said. The flashcards come back on a spaced-review schedule, so the thing you missed shows up again right before you would have forgotten it. It is free to try.
One more thing
Extra credit should be open to every student
"Extra credit may be included in course grading policies at the discretion of the instructor." And: "If opportunities for extra credit are offered, they should be equally available to all students, taking into account scheduling, economic, or other obstacles to participation."
UMass Amherst Academic Regulations (PDF)Five College classes open up after your first semester
"With the exception of first semester freshmen, any full time or part time student in good academic standing who is enrolled in at least one three-credit course at the University may enroll in courses through the Five College Interchange Program." And: "Credits count as University residence credits, and grades earned are recorded on the University transcript and factored into the University grade point average."
UMass Amherst Academic Regulations (PDF)Gus is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by UMass (the University of Massachusetts Amherst). Tips checked against UMass's own pages in October 2026. Campus info last updated October 2026. Stats from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Something out of date? hello@meetgus.app · All campus guides