Colleges of the Fenway

Five Schools, One Community

Through the Colleges of the Fenway (COF) consortium, students share the best of both worlds: continuing to study and live in a small-college setting while enjoying the resources of a larger academic environment.

In 1996, Emmanuel College President Sister Janet Eisner, SND invited presidents of neighboring colleges in the Fenway area to form a collaboration to enhance the educational experience of all their students and faculty, while still retaining the unique and special qualities of each institution. Today, the Colleges of the Fenway is a five-college consortium that includes Emmanuel College, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, MCPHS University, Simmons University and Wentworth Institute of Technology.  

COF At-A-Glance

Five Boston colleges, one shared academic community.

5

Schools

15,000

Students Represented

700

Full-Time Faculty

2,500

Courses Available

Multiply Your Academic Opportunities

Want to add glassblowing to your studio art skillset? Enhance your communications & media studies major with a course in data literacy & visualization? Or learn Japanese before your dream study abroad trip? The hallmark of the five college consortium, cross-registration enables COF students to take courses at other COF institutions.  

Browse the course directory, learn the four easy steps to complete course registration and check out other special COF academic opportunities, such as minors in sustainability or performing arts.

Never a Dull Moment

Experience college beyond Emmanuel's 17-acre campus by participating in activities and events across all five COF schools. Find your chance to connect with the COF below!

Want to see the neighborhood behind all this?

Explore what life in the Fenway looks like day to day.

Emmanuel isn't just a part of the community, we play a part in it.

Learn what it means to live in the Heart of Boston.

Expand Your Worldview

College is a chance to explore the world, and the COF Global Education Opportunities (GEO) Center works directly with students to enhance and promote international programs, study abroad and cultural exchange both at the COF and abroad.  

Learn more about the GEO Center and search available opportunities.

A five-school partnership consisting of Emmanuel College, MassArt, MCPHS University, Simmons University and Wentworth Institute of Technology founded in 1996. It enables students at any of the five schools to take courses, join events and access resources across each college, backed by a shared faculty of over 700 across the consortium.

Yes. Emmanuel students can cross-register for courses at any of the other four Colleges of the Fenway schools, at no added cost, through a four-step registration process. This lets a student add coursework — like a studio art elective, a data-visualization course, or an introductory language class — that isn't offered on Emmanuel's own campus.

Yes, through Colleges of the Fenway cross-registration. Students can pursue COF-wide minors, including sustainability and performing arts, by combining coursework across the five consortium schools.

Cross-registered courses are approved in advance and count toward your Emmanuel coursework. See this registration page for more information about how Colleges of the Fenway courses get added to your record.

A consortium builds upon a smaller college's class sizes in day-to-day coursework, with added course variety, events and cross-registration options of a much larger academic community layered on top.

In addition to the clubs, activities and organizations offered at Emmanuel College, students can get involved in a wider set of Colleges of the Fenway organizations and student groups across all five schools, ranging from creative arts and club sports to service and sustainability.