Joining Commonwealth College as a Transfer Student
If you are transferring to UMass Amherst, and especially if you participated in an honors program at your previous institution, you may wish to join Commonwealth College. Though graduation cum laude ("with honors") is awarded to all students graduating with a final cumulative GPA of 3.200 who complete 45 graded credits in residence at UMass Amherst, higher Latin honors (magna cum laude and summa cum laude) are awarded only to those who join Commonwealth College and meet the graduation criteria for those special honors.
Upon acceptance to the University, transfer students are eligible for Commonwealth College membership if they meet the criteria in category 1 or 2 below.
1. If you have completed two or more fulltime college terms and:
- have completed at least four courses per term there that are viewed as academic courses by the University of Massachusetts Amherst
- have completed each term at the previous school with a minimum GPA of 3.200
2. If you have completed less than two fulltime college terms and:
- have a combined SAT score of 1300 or higher
- Rank in the top 10% of your class
- have a GPA of 3.800 or higher (calculated only on courses viewed as "academic" courses by the University of Massachusetts)
Note:
Students without an official class rank are required to have a GPA of 3.900 or higher.
If you meet the criteria and wish to participate in Commonwealth College you should attend an "Information and Contract Signing Session" (see below) to review the specific requirements in effect at the time of your admission, as well as to confirm your membership.
If you do not meet the criteria at the time of your University admission, you may seek membership upon completion of one full-time semester of academic coursework at UMass Amherst and by earning a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.200. Attendance at an "Information and Contract Signing Session" (see below) is required to complete your ComCol admission process.
Information and Contract Signing Sessions
These informational meetings are held during the New Students Program in July and January and during the UMass Add/Drop period. You'll meet other prospective Commonwealth College members and learn more about our academic offerings, opportunities, and requirements. At the conclusion of the session, should you wish to participate and commit to our requirements, you will be asked to sign a membership contract.
Notes:
Check the Events Calendar or contact the Commonwealth College office for the schedule. You'll be asked for a copy of your SPIRE Degree Progress Report, so be sure to bring one with you to the session.
If you have an unofficial copy of your previous school's transcript, it would be helpful to bring that along to the Contract Signing Session for inclusion in your Commonwealth College file. It may contain other valuable information not provided on the UMass Amherst Transfer Credit Evaluation report.
For details regarding Commonwealth College course offerings and requirements, please consult the Academics pages and the "Students" section of our website (links at top and bottom of homepage).
|
