New and Prospective Graduate Students
On this page you will find useful links and information for graduate students seeking housing while attending UMass Amherst.
Graduate Housing Application Form
Residence
Life Policies & Procedures
Code
of Student Conduct
| ALERT: The location of the Graduate and 12-Month residence hall has changed. Beginning Fall 2009, graduate students will be housed in Cashin Residence Hall in the Sylvan Area. Cashin will undergo renovation but is now expected to be open for occupancy and able to accomodate Early Arrivals. Check back here for further updates! |
Residence Hall Facility
Meals
Prohibited Items
Residence Hall Staff
Summer Housing
Application Periods, Rent and Fees
Refunds and Cancellations
Policies and Regulations
Most of the 5,770 graduate students enrolled at the University of Massachusetts will secure housing off-campus in the private rental market in Amherst and the surrounding communities. A small number of graduate students who are married, have legal custody of dependent children, or who are in domestic partnerships, will live in one of the two Family Housing Apartment Complexes. Approximately 200 graduate students will choose to live in traditional residence hall rooms.
The University provides 12-month housing for graduate studentsand non-traditionally aged undergraduate students in a traditional, suite-style, residence hall setting. Eligible residents who need more than 9-month housing may continue during the summer for an additional cost. (See Application Periods, Rent and Fees below)
Residents are accommodated on all male, all female and coed floors. There are more than 125 single rooms. New residents can request either single or shared rooms. When all single rooms are assigned, new residents will be assigned to shared rooms with roommates.
The graduate residence hall offers graduate students the following amenities:
- Local phone services
- Cable TV
- Ethernet computer connections
- Resident and study lounges
- Coin-operated washers and dryers
- Vending machines
- Recreational equipment that can be borrowed
Rooms are equipped with the following furnishings:
- Single, bunkable or loftable beds (80” long x 36” wide)
- Desks and chairs
- Wardrobes or closets
- Bookcases
- Recycling bins
- Wastebaskets
Most graduate students who live on campus choose to prepare and eat many of their meals in the residence hall dining area. The kitchen is equipped with a stove, a microwave, a restaurant quality refrigerator and a large freezer. The dining area has a number of tables and chairs where residents may choose to dine privately or join together with other residents for community meals.
All appliances with exposed heating coils or those that can become very hot are potential fire hazards are prohibited from use in the suites. These items can be used only in the residence hall kitchen:
- Coffeemakers that do not have an automatic shut-off
- Corn poppers
- Electric frying pans
- Exposed Coils
- Hot plates
- Toaster/toaster oven
- Rice cooker
University Dining Services offers a number of Campus Meal Plan options that are available for graduate students to purchase for an additional fee. Visit the Dining Services website or contact them by phone at (413) 545-1362 to determine which meal plan or other dining options best meets your needs.
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You may not have hazardous items in your room. Possession of any of these items violates the Residence Hall Regulations in the Code of Student Conduct.
Items that are prohibited from all residence hall rooms include:
- Hot plates, electric grills, and other such equipment used in preparing hot foods
- Candles
- Incense
- Air conditioners
- Firearms, pellet guns, facsimiles of weapons, or lethal weapons of any kind
- Fireworks or explosives
- Flammable liquids
- Gas powered equipment
- Halogen lamps
- Laser pointers
- Lighted smoking materials
- Pets, except for service animals and fish in tanks containing no more than 10 gallons of water
- Space heaters and quartz heaters
- Waterbeds
The graduate residence hall is staffed by a Residence Director (RD) who lives in the building, an Assistant Residence Director (ARD), and a number of Resident Assistants (RAs). Resident Assistants are live-in, part-time graduate student staff members who are chosen through a departmental selection process.
Graduate students have the option to secure housing during the summer months of June, July, and 15 days in August. Graduate students continuing as residents for the fall term are able to remain for the full month of August. Summer fees are not pro-rated for late check-in or early check-out. No refunds can be given to graduate students who leave or withdraw after the start of a Rental Period. Payment for Summer Session occupancy is required in advance of check-in.
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Application Periods, Rent, Fees
Summer 2009 Rent and Fees for UMass Graduate Students
June Private Room $750.30 |
July Private Room $750.30 |
August Shared Room $607.00 Tele/Ethernet $30. |
August - 15 days Shared Room $448.50 Tele/Ethernet $15. |
Summer 2009 Rent and Fees for UMass CPE Students
| Rental Period | Dates of Occupancy | Cost |
| Summer Session I | June 1 - July 9 | $984.00 Private Room $796.00 Shared Room $40. Telecomm Fee |
| Summer Session II | July 13 - Aug. 19 | $959.40 Private Room $776.10 Shared Room $40. Telecomm Fee |
Summer 2009 Rent and Fees for Visiting Residents
(Not UMass Graduate or CPE Students)
| June | July | August - 15 days* |
| $1,125.50 Private Room $912.00 Shared Room $30. Telecomm Fee |
$1,125.50 Private Room $912.00 Shared Room $30. Telecomm Fee |
$553.50 Private Room $448.50 Shared Room $15. Telecomm Fee |
*Only UMass students are eligible for on-campus housing after August 15, 2009.
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If a request to cancel an assignment is received prior to the start of a Rental Period, rent charges will be cancelled and refunded, less a $100 cancellation fee. Once a room key is accepted, a portion of the rent is automatically forfeited according to a schedule determined by the Housing Assignment Office. No refunds can be given to graduate students who leave or withdraw after the fifth week of the semester.
Policies and regulations outlined in the Code of Student Conduct. apply to all graduate students. Residence hall rules and regulations require that occupants assume responsibility for damage in or to their rooms. The University is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged property unless there is negligence or wrongdoing on the part of the University. Students are well advised to secure a rider to existing homeowners’ policies or to purchase a renter’s insurance policy in anticipation of possible problems.
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