The Colleges of the Fenway is a collegiate consortium located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The association promotes collaboration among six local colleges to enhance the variety of educational programs; to gain economics benefits through shared research, medical, and dining facilities; and to provide students and faculty with the opportunity to study, live, and teach in a small college environment while enjoying the resources of a major academic environment comparable to that of a large-scale university setting.
The six colleges, each with its own unique mission, offer specialized learning and experience on and off campus. Collectively, the COF represent more than 12,000 full-time undergraduate students (16% of all students attending four-year colleges in greater Boston), 6500 graduate students, nearly 700 full-time faculty, and more than 2300 course offerings. Shared initiatives among the six colleges are aimed at enhancing the quality of education, enriching student experiences and reducing costs through sharing of resources. For example, the second floor of a new dormitory at MassArt is a Student Health Center, shared by students of MassArt, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and MCPHS University.
Collaborative student opportunities include formal cross-registration which allows access to courses otherwise not available on the student’s home campus. As of 2016[update], approximately 400 students take advantage of cross-registration each semester. Students may use career centers, intramural sports, performing arts, student life programs and activities, and study-abroad opportunities at other schools in the consortium. Students may also participate in shared social events planned by the Colleges of the Fenway and various groups throughout the campuses. Students may live at their school of attendance or in the campus dormitories of the other member schools.