New and Prospective Graduate Students
On this page you will find useful links and information for graduate students seeking housing while currently attending UMass Amherst.
Graduate Housing Application Form
Graduate Residence
Hall Contract
Residence
Life Policies & Procedures
Code
of Student Conduct
Residence Hall Facility
Meals
Prohibited Items
Residence Hall Staff
Application Periods, Rent and Fees
Summer Occupancy
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 150 graduate students will choose to live in traditional residence hall rooms.
The University provides 12-month housing for graduate students in a traditional residence hall setting. Residents who need more than 9-month housing have the option to remain for the summer months at an additional cost. (See below)
Residents are accommodated on all male, all female and coed floors. New residents can request either single or shared accomodations.
The graduate residence hall offers graduate students the following amenities:
- Local phone services
- Cable TV
- Ethernet computer connections
- Resident and study lounges
- Floor lounges, some with TVs and one with a pool table
- 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 2 stoves, 2 microwaves, 2 restaurant quality refrigerators, and 2 large freezers. 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 rooms. 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.
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Application Periods, Rent, Fees
| Rental Period | Dates of Occupancy | Cost |
| Fall 2007 | Sept. 2, 2007 - Jan. 11, 2008 | $2,587. Single Room |
| Spring 2008 | Jan. 27 - May 31, 2008 | $2,587. Single Room $2,123.50 Shared Room $102. Telecomm Activation Fee |
| June 2008 | June 1 - June 30, 2008 | $485.20 Single Room $357.00 Shared Room $40. Telecomm Activation Fee |
| July 2008 | July 1 - July 31, 2008 | $501.30 Single Room $368.90 Shared Room $40. Telecomm Activation Fee |
| August 2008 | August 1 - August 22, 2008 | $501.30 Single Room $368.90 Shared Room $40. Telecomm Activation Fee |
Application and Room Assignment Process for New Graduate Students
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Graduate students have the option to secure housing during the summer months of June, July, and August. Summer housing is billed monthly and is not pro-rated for late check-in or early check-out.
If a request to cancel an assignment to Prince 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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