Cross-Registration

Students may request enrollment in a course at another campus during pre-registration, following procedures at their home campus. Requests to add or drop courses should be made during your home campus add/drop period, during which additional documentation and/or instructor permission may be required. If permission is required for registration, consult with the instructor and provide proof of the instructor’s approval according to your home campus registrar’s rules.

The Five College Academic Calendar shows dates for adding courses during the current semester and the course request period for the following semester. 

Generally, your campus will require you to be in the second semester of your first year before you can begin taking courses on other campuses.

Eligible courses should fall within the field of liberal arts, as defined by your home campus. Check with your home campus registrar if you have any questions about taking a course at another campus and/or if there might be restrictions for receiving academic credit for the course.

Enrollment may be restricted for some courses by the campus offering the course; for example, in the case of courses limited to first-year students, overenrolled courses or courses requiring the instructor’s permission.

During preregistration, students may preregister for a maximum of two academic courses at other campuses for the upcoming semester. (Part-time students may have a lower limit.) This preregistration limit may be lifted during add/drop. However, UMass students should check at the Five College Interchange Office in Goodell and students at the other campuses should check with the Registrar’s Office at their home institution to determine if there is a limit on the number of courses you may take at the other campuses in a given semester or overall toward your academic program. You should also check as to whether or not there are restrictions on how a particular course will apply toward your degree.

Note that per policy at Amherst College, students from other campuses can take a maximum of two academic courses at Amherst College in a given semester.

Note that per policy at UMass Amherst, students from other campuses can take a maximum of 8 credits at UMass Amherst in a given semester. Please check with your Registrar about classes such as FORLANGC/Five Coll Ctr: World Languages classes and engineering dual degree program classes. Such classes may be excluded from the 8-credit cap for cross-registration. 

Students taking a course through cross registration are subject to the academic regulations of the hosting campus. It is the responsibility of the student to be familiar with the regulations and expectations of the host institution, including those for attendance, academic honesty, grading options (including incompletes) and deadlines for completing coursework and taking examinations.

Exam schedules: Keep in mind that there may be differences in the dates of the exam period at your home campus and the campus where you are taking a course through cross registration. Be familiar with the schedules, and make arrangements in advance for transportation and living space if needed. Exam period schedules for each campus are posted on the Five College Academic Calendar.

* Students taking a course through cross registration must make arrangements to complete work missed due to any calendar differences between institutions. They should do so at the start of term. Instructors are not required to make these special arrangements.

Final grades: Especially a concern for graduating seniors, note that final grades for courses taken off-campus are processed at the host campuses registration office and then sent to your home campus registrar's office to be added to the student's transcript. Keep in mind that grades for courses taken through cross registration may not be available to your home campus registrar at the same time as grades at your home campus. Plan accordingly and ask your home campus registrar well in advance of the end of the semester if you have any questions. Dates grades are due at each campus are posted on the Five College Academic Calendar.

The official record for any course taken through Five College cross-registration is on the student's home institution transcript. Inquiries brought to the host institution will be referred to the student's home institution.

Students using accessibility services are advised to visit your home campus accessibility services office first in order to arrange for access to services at the campus where you are taking a course through cross registration.