Tips
UMass Amherst has a dedicated Veteran Services Office to assist you with your military benefits and available tuition assistance.
You can obtain a UMass Distance Learning ID card to help verify that you are a current student.
As an online student, you have special privileges at the UMass Amherst Library. You can access articles and other materials online, you can speak with a subject specialist librarian and you can order print materials delivered to your home.
You do not need to have prior business education to be admitted.
Tricks
What should I include in my personal statement? How long should it be?
Your personal statement should be 2-3 pages long, discussing how your experiences led to your decision to apply for a UMass Amherst degree program. Describe your educational goals, including the focus of your academic interests, as well as how you think UMass Amherst can help you meet these goals.
Can I participate in graduation ceremonies on campus?
YES!
All eligible students can participate in graduation ceremonies. Many of our online students have made only one trip to campus -- to graduate!
You are eligible if your last semester is September 2012, Wintersession 2012/13, Spring 2013 or Summer 2013.
Isenberg Senior Recognition Ceremony
- Saturday, May 11, 2013
- 9:00-10:30 a.m.
- Mullins Center
Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony
- Friday, May 10, 2013
- 5:00—6:30 p.m
- McGuirk Alumni Stadium on the campus of UMass Amherst
Learn how to get your regalia; in person or by mail.
Learn more about graduation schedules and ceremonies.
What are the criteria to graduate with honors?
All graduating seniors are eligible for Latin honors designations on diplomas and transcripts if his/her complete academic record shows at least 54 calculable credits at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and meets one or more of the following criteria:
- If a student’s GPA places him/her among the top 5% of the graduating class of his/her school or college, then he/she will receive the degree summa cum laude.
- If a student’s GPA places him/her among the top 10% of the graduating class of his/her school or college, but not among the top 5%, then he/she will receive the degree magna cum laude.
- If a student’s GPA places him/her among the top 25% of the graduating class of his/her school or college, but not among the top 10%, then he/she will receive the degree cum laude.
The Registrar will annually post on their website the GPA needed to secure a place in the top 5%, 10%, and 25% in each school or college for the current year, based on the average of the previous three years’ graduating classes.
What courses can I transfer to UMass?
As a general guide, a course will transfer if:
- The course was offered at a school that has regional academic accreditation at the post-secondary level (consult the other school’s catalog), and was comparable in content and scope to a course offered at UMass Amherst (Check for UMA course descriptions).
- You passed the course with a minimum grade of C-.
Courses will generally not transfer if it was:
- Taught by a school which does not have regional academic accreditation at the post-secondary level.
- A remedial or development course (pre-100 level, ESL, basic math, pre-composition, etc.).
- A skills-oriented course (Lotus 1-2-3, study skills, career development, word processing, business communication, sales, etc.).
- A vocational course (secretarial, lab technology, real estate, electronics, paralegal, medical assistant, radiology, etc.).
- An internship, co-op, field experiences or practicum sponsored by another school.
- A non-credit course
- Credited with Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
- A first year/college prep course.
Will my military credits transfer?
UMass Amherst applies the same standards to credits for military education as those applied to coursework from accredited colleges and universities. The AARTS military transcript is available in electronic format only and may be requested via the Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS) website.
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