UMass to Adjust Student Room, Board and Parking Costs

BOSTON, MA – University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan and the chancellors of the UMass campuses in Amherst, Boston Dartmouth, and Lowell announced this week that the university will adjust student room, board and parking fees following the closure of residence halls in response to the coronavirus threat.

In a press release statement, President Meehan, UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, UMass Boston Chancellor Katherine Newman, UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Robert Johnson and UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney said:

“The financial impact of this crisis is causing real hardship for many of our students and their families. We hope that this adjustment of housing, dining and parking fees will help alleviate some of the stress they are enduring. The challenges that lie ahead for the university, its students, faculty and staff will be complex and difficult. We are confident that by staying focused on our mission our students will emerge as strong, innovative, highly skilled contributors to society.”

The Amherst, Dartmouth and Lowell campuses had more than 20,000 students living in university-owned residence halls. UMass Boston is adjusting dining and parking costs and is working with the private owner of its 1,070-bed on-campus residence halls concerning housing cost adjustments for its students.

The planned adjustments will decrease university revenues by approximately $70 million in the current fiscal year.

Under the plan, the adjustments will be applied to student university accounts. Students will then receive their net balance by direct deposit or check. Campuses are planning to notify students of their individual cost adjustments by April 17.

Featured

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • Zurn Elkay Releases 2025 Sustainability Report

    Zurn Elkay Water Solutions recently announced the release of its annual sustainability report, according to a news release. The 2025 report discusses the organization’s efforts to maintain good environmental stewardship and the solutions provided in helping customers meet sustainability goals.