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

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • California Middle School Breaks Ground on Major Renovation Project

    The Hillsborough City School District (HCSD) in Hillsborough, Calif., recently began construction on new multipurpose and administration facilities for Crocker Middle School, according to a news release.