Cherry Streusel Cheese Danish for dessert? Berkshire Dining Commons, UMass Amherst. Amherst Now file photo.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst has earned national recognition again this year for its food. For the ninth year in a row, UMass Dining was ranked No. 1 for Best Campus Food by The Princeton Review. The 2026 rankings were based on surveys of 170,000 students across 391 colleges.
UMass Dining is the largest collegiate dining program in the country. Students can choose from four dining commons; Worcester, Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampshire, plus more than 30 other eateries, cafés, and even food trucks.
Menus feature local ingredients from over 100 area farms and vendors, along with produce from five permaculture gardens right on campus.
In addition to sourcing locally, UMass Dining emphasizes sustainability and variety, with options ranging from classic New England comfort food to globally inspired meals. This broad approach helps explain why students consistently give it top marks.
See the full Princeton Review rankings here.
