View source for Five College Consortium

{{Short description|Group of colleges in Western Massachusetts, US}}
{{Distinguish|text=the [[Claremont Colleges]], a consortium in California often referred to as the 5Cs}}
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|footer = Clockwise from top: [[Amherst College]], [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]], [[Mount Holyoke College]], [[Hampshire College]], [[Smith College]].
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The '''Five College Consortium''' (often referred to as simply the '''Five Colleges''') comprises four [[Liberal arts colleges in the United States|liberal arts college]]s  and one [[university]] in the [[Connecticut River]] [[Pioneer Valley]] of [[Western Massachusetts]]: [[Amherst College]], [[Hampshire College]], [[Mount Holyoke College]], [[Smith College]], and the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]], totaling approximately 38,000 students of colleges.<ref name="5colleges">{{Cite web|url=http://www.fivecolleges.edu/|title=Five College Consortium|website=www.fivecolleges.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-03-13}}</ref> They are geographically close to one another and are linked by frequent bus service that operates between the campuses during the school year. The service is free for the students of the colleges.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.umass.edu/campus_services/transit/index.html|title=Fleet Vehicles - Transportation Services - UMass Amherst|website=www.umass.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-03-13}}</ref>

The [[consortium]] was formally established in 1965, but its roots lay in cooperative efforts between the oldest four members of the consortium dating back to 1914.<ref name="history">{{Cite web|url=https://www.fivecolleges.edu/consortium/50th-anniversary|title=50th Anniversary {{!}} www.fivecolleges.edu|website=www.fivecolleges.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-03-13|archive-date=2018-10-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004104057/https://www.fivecolleges.edu/consortium/50th-anniversary|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==
In 1914, Massachusetts Agricultural College (now UMass), Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Smith joined International YMCA College (now [[Springfield College (Massachusetts)|Springfield College]]) to form the Committee on University Extension of the Connecticut Valley Colleges, a joint [[continuing education]] program for the Pioneer Valley. In later years, Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and MAC—later known as Massachusetts State and UMass—increased their collaboration, culminating in the formation of an inter-library loaning program in 1951, and a joint astronomy department in 1959. Finally, Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Smith and UMass incorporated the Four College Consortium, which became the Five College Consortium when Hampshire College was founded in 1965, and, in 1970, admitted its inaugural class.<ref name=history/>

The five colleges operate both as independent entities as well as mutually dependent institutions. The mission of the consortium is to support long-term forms of cooperation that benefit the faculty, staff and students of the five colleges. Shared academic and cultural resources are the primary initiative of the consortium. This means that students at each of these schools are permitted and encouraged to take classes at the other colleges (through "cross-registration") at no additional cost to the student.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ualc.umass.edu/five_college_interchange/|title=Five College Interchange Five College Interchange|last=www.gravityswitch.com|first=Gravity Switch, Inc -|website=ualc.umass.edu|access-date=2016-04-21}}</ref> Student groups and organizations often draw participants from all five campuses and several academic programs  are run by the Five Colleges (for example: [[astronomy]], [[dance]], some foreign languages, and [[women's studies]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030430174217/http://www.fivecolleges.edu/academic_programs/academprog_deptprog.html Common Departments and Programs] from Five Colleges, Inc.</ref>). The colleges also participate in an [[interlibrary loan]] program, allowing students, staff, and faculty to take advantage of all five campuses' collections.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

The [[Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory]] was founded in 1969 by the Five College Astronomy Department. Together, the Five Colleges operate [[WFCR]] (Five College Radio), an [[National Public Radio|NPR]] member station operating at 88.5 [[Hertz|MHz]] in the [[Frequency modulation|FM]] band.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

In 2019, [[Hampshire College]] and [[University of Massachusetts Amherst|UMass]] briefly considered a merger due to the former's financial difficulties, but this never went through.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Glaun |first1=Dan |title=Hampshire College sought partnership with UMass Amherst before announcement of financial struggles |url=https://www.masslive.com/news/2019/02/hampshire-college-sought-partnership-with-umass-amherst-before-announcement-of-financial-struggles.html |website=MassLive |publisher=MassLive}}</ref>
==Bus transportation==
The [[Pioneer Valley Transit Authority]] (PVTA) provides free daily intra-campus bus service to students, staff, and faculty during the school year. The buses, most of which operated by [[University of Massachusetts Transportation Services|UMass Transit]] , with the B43 and B43E operated by Valley Area Transportation Company (VATCo) run on a frequent schedule, allowing car-free travel to classes, social events, and local shopping areas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Five College Bus System |url=https://www.fivecolleges.edu/students/buses |website=Five College Consortium |publisher=Five Colleges, Inc. |access-date=2020-06-22 |archive-date=2020-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625195725/https://www.fivecolleges.edu/students/buses |url-status=dead }}</ref> This service is funded primarily through a contract with the member institutions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Five Colleges, PVTA, Towns Reach Agreement to Increase Bus Payments |url=https://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/five-colleges-pvta-towns-reach-agreement |website=News and Media Relations |publisher=University of Massachusetts Amherst |access-date=2020-06-22 |date=2018-11-14}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States}}
* [[Cooperating Colleges of Greater Springfield]], a local association of colleges which often collaborate with Five College institutions
* [[Museums10]], a collaboration of several local museums run by the Five Colleges
* [[UMassFive College Federal Credit Union]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.fivecolleges.edu/}}

{{Five Colleges}}
{{Amherst College}}
{{Hampshire College}}
{{Mount Holyoke College}}
{{Smith College}}
{{University of Massachusetts Amherst}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Amherst College]]
[[Category:College and university associations and consortia in the United States]]
[[Category:Hampshire College]]
[[Category:Mount Holyoke College]]
[[Category:Smith College]]
[[Category:University of Massachusetts Amherst]]