Five College Registration Policies

For Mount Holyoke Students Interested in Taking a Course through the Five College Interchange

Registration Policies 
Elibigility  
Course Program 
Course Approvals 
Course Credits
Academic Responsibilities 
Registration Request Denials
Permission of Instructors 
Incompletes
Travel Plans
Five College Meal Exchange
Graduating Seniors 

Students interested in enrolling in a course through the Five College Interchange may submit a request online through ISIS.

Students should follow the published instructions for completing Interchange requests to ensure that their requests are submitted and processed. Requests should be submitted through ISIS during the registration or add drop for the fall, j-term or spring semesters.

Course information offered by the other four institutions is available online through the Five College Course Catalog or the other four institutions’ Registrar’s Web sites. Free bus transportation to and from the institutions is available for Five College students. Information concerning bus transportation is available at the Five Colleges, Inc. Interchange Fare-Free Bus Web site.

Eligibility
Only students in good academic standing may enroll in a Five College course. A first-semester first-year student must obtain the permission of the first year class dean before enrolling in a Five College course.

Course Program
Normally, students may not register for more than two courses at any one institution.

Course Approvals
Normally, only those courses falling within the field of liberal arts will be approved. Students are allowed to take one non-liberal arts course during their four years of academic study at Mount Holyoke. If you would like to take more than one non-liberal arts course, you must obtain permission from the Dean of Studies.

Students may not take courses that are offered with an online instructional method only.

Courses offered through the UMass Continuing Education department are not part of the Five College Interchange.  Students may not register for these courses through the interchange system. Students may receive credit for those offered during J-term and summer by submitting a University of Massachusetts transcript directly to the Mount Holyoke College Registrar’s office. Coursework will be treated as transfer work and subject to the Mount Holyoke College transfer policy.

Course Credits
During the fall and spring semesters, course credit is awarded according to the value awarded by the host institution. Full credit courses at Hampshire and UMass are awarded the equivalent value of similar courses at Mount Holyoke, normally four credits. Courses that involve labs will grant credit according to the value of equivalent Mount Holyoke courses. 

During the January term, the maximum amount of credit awarded is two credits.

Academic Responsibilities
Students taking a course at one of the other institutions are, in that course, subject to the academic regulations, including the calendar, deadlines and academic honor system, of the host institution. It is the responsibility of the student to be familiar with the pertinent regulations of the host institution, including those for attendance, academic honesty, grading options and deadlines for completing coursework and taking examinations.

Exception: Students follow the registration add/drop deadlines of their home institutions.

Registration Request Denials
If your request is denied because the course is closed, you may attend the first class of that course and talk to the instructor. If the instructor is willing to allow you to register for the course, you must submit a new request and provide proof of instructor permission to our office. We will forward that information to the host institution.

Permission of Instructor
If a course requires permission of the instructor you must provide an email or a completed Instructor Permission form  (PDF) to the Mount Holyoke registrar’s office. Your request will not be processed until you have provided this information. The Office of the Registrar will forward your documentation to the host institution.

Incompletes
Mount Holyoke students are subject to the incomplete policies of the host institution. It is your responsibility to determine what they are and to follow them.

Travel Plans
When making travel plans, please keep in mind that all students must complete examinations according to the schedule of the host campus. Students enrolled in courses at Mount Holyoke College must complete their examinations during the examination period and are not permitted to complete examinations early. The examination schedule for each campus can be found on the host registrar’s Web page. It is your responsibility to be aware of and follow their examination policies.

Five College Meal Exchange
Students enrolled in a meal plan may arrange through their home campus food service office to have some meals at another campus. Information is available through the Five Colleges, Inc. Interchange Meal Exchange Web site.

Graduating Seniors
Graduating seniors taking Five College courses in the spring semester should make special note of the examination schedule at the other campuses. Seniors are responsible for asking their Five College professors to send an email to the Mount Holyoke registrar’s office indicating that the student will or will not pass their course.“ Will pass” letters or emails must be submitted prior to Commencement if a grade cannot be recorded beforehand. Graduating students are permitted to participate as normal in all Commencement ceremonies, but will not receive their diplomas until all grades have been recorded. Students should be advised that there is no obligation on the part of faculty at other colleges to make alternative arrangements or give exams early. If a senior is eligible for Latin Honors, their GPA will be calculated once the record is complete. If awarded, the notation will be added to the diploma, but may not be included in commencement program because of publications deadlines.