Five College Student Enrollment in CICS Courses

Smith College, Mount Holyoke, Amherst College, and Hampshire College students

This page contains information for Five College undergraduates interested in taking courses at UMass Amherst’s Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS). These instructions only apply to Informatics and Computer Science courses with the abbreviations INFO, COMPSCI, and CICS; if you are seeking enrollment within a different department at UMass Amherst, please contact them directly.

To enroll in INFO, COMPSCI, or CICS classes at UMass Amherst, all Five College students must fill out an override request form to get approval from the department. In addition, some students may also need to fill out an alternative prerequisite appeal to have their coursework reviewed. More details can be found below.

Override Information for Five College Students

Five College students interested in CICS courses will need to fill out the override request form which will be processed by Academic Programs staff. The form typically opens at the end of the registration period (several months before class start) and closes at the end of add/drop week (first week of classes). Any late requests submitted during the add/drop period cannot be guaranteed. 

Override Dos and Don’ts

Do

• Request a CICS course by using the override request form when it is open. Override requests cannot be processed via email. 
  • If you do not have a SPIRE ID, please enter your school email address ending in .edu instead.
• Please read this webpage if you have questions about enrollment. If you're still uncertain, you can email questions to overrides [at] cs [dot] umass [dot] edu, including your name, major, academic level (junior, senior, etc.), and relevant course numbers.
  • This email address can only help with Informatics and Computer Science courses (INFO, COMPSCI, and CICS). If you are seeking enrollment with a different department at UMass Amherst, please contact that department.
• Submit your request early, especially if you have alternative prerequisites that need to be reviewed. Late requests sent during the add/drop period cannot be guaranteed.
• Please have understanding for our small team processing a high volume of requests. Thank you!

Don’t

• Don’t email course instructors to ask permission to enroll. CICS Academic Programs staff process enrollment, not the faculty.
• Don’t submit an override without first completing the required prerequisite courses. Students without the listed prerequisites must provide alternative courses for review.
• Don’t submit duplicate requests for the same course.

Fall 2026 Override Request Form [opens Monday, 4/6/26 by noon]

Alternative Prerequisites for Five College Students

Approved Alternative Prerequisites (Five College)

The following alternative prerequisites are already approved and should not be requested via the prerequisite appeal form; students who have completed these approved courses should submit an override request only. There is also an extensive list of approved Transfer Course Equivalents (TCEs) here that can be used as alternatives to a UMass Amherst prerequisite course as well.

APPEAL PROCEDURE:

1. Submit the completed appeal form and required supporting documents, such as a course syllabus or unofficial transcript (if you don’t have a UMass email address, you will need to request access when you open the form).
   1. If you do not have a SPIRE ID, please enter your school email address ending in .edu instead.
2. Notification: Students will be notified of the status of their appeal via the email used to submit the form. The appeal review process time will depend on the faculty response, which we can’t anticipate. If you have not received a decision after one week, please email overrides [at] cs [dot] umass [dot] edu
3. If your appeal is approved and there is space in the course for which you wish to use an alternative prerequisite, Academic Programs staff will approve your enrollment to both Registrar's Offices. Instructors cannot enroll students. 

Five College students who have taken the exact prerequisites listed on SPIRE at UMass Amherst or those with approved alternative courses: 

• Fill out the override request form only. 
• You will also need to fill out the forms your school requires.

For Five College students whose prerequisites do not match what is on SPIRE and who do not have any approved alternative courses:

• Fill out the override request form and the alternative prerequisite appeal. 
• You will also need to fill out the forms your school requires.

Alternative Prerequisite Appeal Form (currently closed for submissions)