Five College Course Request
Amherst College students can submit a request to take a course at Hampshire College, Mt. Holyoke College, Smith College or the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Restrictions: No more than two Five College courses may be taken in any one semester. Only liberal arts courses can be taken for Amherst College credit.
Start dates for the Five Colleges may not align with Amherst College. Please be sure to check the calendar of the host campus.
Steps to Register for a Five College Class
- Fill out a Five College Permission Form. Be sure to list on the permission form each component of a course (Lecture, Lab, Discussion, etc ) or you may not be fully enrolled. Submit these forms to registrar@amherst.edu during your registration window.
- Fill out the Five College Course Request. You must fill out a request for each component of a course.
Instructor Permission: During the Pre-registration period you only need the instructor's signature if specified in the course description. During Add/Drop, you need the instructor's permission to enroll. Every permission form requires the signature of your advisor(s). An email message of approval will work in lieu of a signature.
Only liberal arts courses can be taken for Amherst College credit. If you have a question, contact the Registrar’s office ASAP for more information.
Courses must be in-person, not online.
Note: With two rounds of pre-registration, in contrast with the other colleges, we can only forward your Five College registration form during the first week. If the registration is not turned in during the first round of pre-registration, students will have to wait for the Add/Drop period at the beginning of the term.
Warning about Credits: Some Five College classes have variable credits assigned. This can mean a course doesn't equal an Amherst course and won't be considered a full course unless the credit is confirmed. Please note on the Permission form if the course has variable credit and how much that credit is assigned. This must be confirmed by the instructor.
Approved/Denied Five College Courses
Below are two lists showing five college courses that have been historically approved and denied academic credit. Students still have the option of enrolling in courses on the "Denied" list, but those courses will not be awarded academic credit.