Skills Assessment, Advising & Registration, and Orientation for Freshman and Transfer Students

Skills Assessment

Assessment is an important tool in the advising process at UMass Boston. It gives students valuable information ensuring that their advisors can help them register for appropriate courses, during an advising & registration session.

UMass Boston offers assessment for students in the following two areas: 1) writing, critical analysis, and English language proficiency, and 2) in mathematics and quantitative reasoning.

Freshman Assessment

(A student is considered a freshman, if they have no previous college or university level coursework.)

All incoming freshmen are required to take the writing and mathematics assessments before they may attend advising & registration. Sign up at www.uac.umb.edu.

Transfer Assessment

(A student is considered a transfer if they have already earned three (3) or more college credits--not counting Advanced Placement or Dual Enrollment courses.)

Though all students new to UMass Boston are encouraged to take these tests to help them with their course selection, many incoming transfer students are not required to take the skills assessments.

• Transfer students are NOT required to take the writing assessment if they have received transfer credit in English 101 (Freshman English). 

• Transfer students seeking a BA are NOT required to take the mathematics assessment if they have received transfer credit in College Algebra

• Transfer students seeking a BS are NOT required to take the mathematics assessment if they have received transfer credit in College Algebra and/or Calculus I.

• Transfer students seeking a degree from the College of Nursing and Health Sciences are NOT required to take mathematics assessment if they have received transfer credit in Statistics.

Skills Assessment Sign Up

Once students have determined if they need to be assessed, they should go to the University Advising Center website at www.uac.umb.edu and follow the instructions to make a reservation for an assessment session.

You should register for these placement tests as soon as you have been accepted to the university.

Advising & Registration Session and Orientation

Once you complete Academic Assessment, you will be invited to attend an Advising and Registration Session. The sessions are customized to accommodate the differing needs of Freshmen and Transfer students.

• Freshmen receive their advising and registration during their choice of one of four day-long events called Freshman Orientation Days. Freshmen Orientation Days welcome participants as new and valued members of the UMass Boston academic and social community.

Freshman Orientation Days will be held from 8:30am-4pm on various days before the start of each semester.

Reservations for Freshman Orientation Day can be made through the Office of Student Life by calling 617-287-7950 or emailing student.life@umb.edu.

• Transfer students are offered their choice of advising and registration sessions available on different days and times. The Transfer advising and registration sessions last between two and three hours. Participants receive instruction in degree requirements and general University policies, assistance in interpreting their transfer credit evaluations, and assistance in course registration.
• All transfer students are invited to attend a Transfer Orientation Day, which includes a morning program consisting of a comprehensive introduction to the university and allows transfers to meet other students and some professors. Students also have the option of attending their advising and registration session in the afternoon, granted they have made reservations for it in advance through the University Advising Center at www.uac.umb.edu.

Transfer Orientation Days will be held from 9am-1pm on various days before the semester begins.

Reservations for Transfer Orientation Day can be made through the Office of Student Life by calling 617-287-7950 or emailing student.life@umb.edu.

Please note that you cannot register for classes until you attend the Advising and Registration session.