The Five Colleges

Did you know that thanks to a unique interchange between five esteemed educational institutions, Smith students get five colleges for the price of one? It's true. Approximately 5,000 undergraduates every year cross-register for courses at one or more of the five campuses.

Incorporated in 1965, Five Colleges, Inc. is one of the oldest and most highly regarded consortiums in American higher education. Its members are four private colleges (Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass). Cooperative arrangements give faculty and students access to resources, facilities and courses for credit on all five campuses. Fare-free buses provide transportation day and night.

As a student in the Five College system you may choose from more than 5,000 undergraduate course offerings a year. Collaborative academic programs range from formally organized departments, to supervised independent and mentored language programs, to Five College certificate programs that are comparable to a minor.

Various forms of collaboration with departments such as theater and dance give students from all five campuses opportunities to perform and learn, including open auditions for all theater productions. And the consortium connects you to a larger community of 30,000 students and hundreds of social and cultural events.