Family Communication

UMass Lowell believes that family members can be our best partners in ensuring their students' success. An important aspect of this partnership is communication, but we realize that sometimes it can be difficult to figure out the appropriate level of communication between you, your student, and the university.

Our goal is to engage families in ways that are developmentally appropriate and allow students to make independent decisions as they enter adulthood. An important part of the college experience is the ability for students to take appropriate risks, solve their own problems, and even encounter failure. It is through these experiences that students develop resiliency and problem-solving skills that will help them throughout their entire lives. We also know that there may be times when it is both necessary and important to communicate with a student's family member as an essential piece of their support network. This page contains helpful information regarding the types and frequency of communication that you can expect from the university, as well as information about how to set-up expectations around communication with your student.