One of the best opportunities that I’ve had at UMass was the opportunity to take the class “Gender, Law & Policy” at Smith College last semester. This was made possible through the Five College Consortium, a higher education non-profit made up of UMass, Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Hampshire. Through the Consortium, students at any of these colleges are able to take classes, join clubs or organizations, or utilize resources available at any of the five schools.
While many students come to UMass to take advantage of the plethora of classes and resources we offer, taking a Five College class is an invaluable opportunity for us to experience new learning environments, meet new people, and learn from different faculty members. Taking a class at Smith – a historically women’s college – was a unique experience and it was interesting to see the differences in the classroom environment between there and UMass. Learning from Dr. Carrie Baker, a renowned writer and figure in the subject of sexuality and gender studies was inspiring and also introduced me to the Five College Certificate for Reproductive Health, Rights & Justice (RHRJ), which I am now pursuing.
The system to enroll in a Five College course is fairly simple, but does require initiative on the part of the student. To look for a class offered at another college, you can go to the Five College Consortium website and click on the menu option titled “Courses.” There, you can filter by institutions, subjects, or departments, but be warned that department names can vary between colleges– for example, while Political Science courses are titled under POLISCI at UMass, they are under POSC for Amherst College, or under Government (GOV) at Smith. Once you’ve found a course (or two) that interests you, you can request to register for it on SPIRE – go to “Manage Classes,” then open the “Add, Drop & Edit Classes” menu, and then choose “Five College Enrollments.” There, you will be able to make an enrollment request. Depending on the class, you may need instructor permission, so be sure to follow the instructions provided to you in order to have the best chance of enrolling in the class. I recommend emailing your professor regardless, in order to introduce yourself and express your interest in the class.
There are also a couple of important things to check or consider before registering for a class at another college:
– The academic calendar (for both UMass and your potential host institution): while UMass classes for the 2026 fall semester begin on September 8th, classes at Amherst College begin on September 1st, so make sure that your potential class schedule aligns with your housing and travel plans.
– Travel time: Amherst College is the nearest option for taking classes, and traveling to other institutions can easily take over 30 minutes so ensure that you arrange your class schedule to account for this. This can also make attending office hours in person more difficult!
– Academic policies: Other colleges have different academic policies and expectations than UMass, including regarding finals (ex: instead of having a specific date or time for final exams, Smith College has self-scheduled exams)
– Credits: Five College classes transfer easily to your UMass transcript, but speak to your academic advisor if you plan on using a Five College class to count as a credit towards a specific requirement.
While there are some hurdles that come with taking a Five College class, I found that it was a rewarding experience and one that I’d recommend to any student – I’m even planning on taking another course at Smith in the fall. UMass is a big school and there are thousands of diverse opportunities at our disposal, and the Five College Consortium only enhances this further. During our time in college, we have the privilege to gain so much knowledge and learn from so many different individuals and so it is essential to take advantage of the resources, knowledge, and opportunities available to us. If you can, I would definitely recommend checking
out the classes and opportunities available to you through the Five College Consortium.
