Amherst College

Amherst College

Amherst, MA, USA

Amherst College is a highly selective private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1821. As a member of the Five College Consortium that has replaced student loans with grants on their financial aid plans, Amherst is need-blind both domestically and internationally. The college offers 40 undergraduate programs that feature open core curriculums, which means there are no distribution requirements or core curriculums. The campus is home to the Beneski Museum of Natural Science which houses America's first confirmed evidence of a dinosaur, as well as a 500-acre Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Admissions

Key Admissions Stats

Institution Type
Private
  • Not for Profit
  • Coed

Need Blind

This school does not consider an applicant’s financial situation when deciding admission

Level of Institution
4 Year
Campus Setting
Suburb or town
0
100
9%
Acceptance Rate

Admissions Requirements

SAT
SAT is not checked
No
ACT
ACT is not checked
No
Transcript
Transcript is checked
Yes

Important Deadlines

Application TypeApplication DeadlineReply Deadline
Early Decision Acceptance is binding so student must attend college if accepted.November 1
Fall Regular DecisionJanuary 3

Admitted Student Stats

In-State Students
10%
Out-Of-State Students
85%
31%
Submitting ACT
36%
Submitting SAT
Average ACT Composite: 33
0
36
Average SAT Composite: 1431
0
1600

Academics

Key Academic Stats

Highest Degree Offered
Bachelor's
Total Number of Students
1,971
Total Number of Undergrads
1,971
Academic Calendar

Semester

See your fit
Classroom Sizes

2-19 Students
80%
20-39 Students
15%
40-99 Students
3%
0
100
88%
Graduate in 4 Years US National: 28%
0
100
95%
Graduate in 6 Years US National: 52%
Student:Faculty Ratio
7:1
US National: 21:1

Tuition, Cost & Aid

Key Financial Stats

Average Net Price
$18,832
Calculate your net cost
Tuition
In-State Tuition In-state tuition is the tuition charged by institutions to those students who meet the state's or institution's residency requirements. In-district tuition is the tuition charged by the institution to those students residing in the locality in which they attend school and may be a lower rate than in-state tuition if offered by the institution.
$64,100
Out-of-State Tuition Out-of-state tuition is the tuition charged by institutions to those students who do not meet the state’s or institution’s residency requirements. Out-of-district tuition is the tuition charged by the institution to those students not residing in the locality in which they attend school.
$64,100
Additional Costs
Room and Board The weighted average for room and board and other expenses is generated as follows:
  • (amount for on-campus room, board and other expenses * # of students living on-campus.
  • + amount for off-campus (with family) room, board and other expenses * # of students living off-campus with family
  • + amount for off-campus (not with family) room, board and other expenses * # of students living off-campus not with family)
divided by the total # of students. Students whose living arrangements are unknown are excluded from the calculation. For some institutions the # of students by living arrangement will be known, but dollar amounts will not be known. In this case the # of students with no corresponding dollar amount will be excluded from the denominator.
$16,750
Books and Supplies
$1000

Aid & Grants

0
100
100%
Need Met
Students Receiving Gift Aid Percent of undergraduate students awarded federal gift aid. Federal gift aid includes any grant or scholarship aid awarded, from the federal government, a state or local government, the institution, and other sources known by the institution.
24%
Average Aid Per Year
$57,918
Students Receiving Grants Percent of undergraduate students awarded grant aid. Grant aid includes any grant or scholarship aid awarded, from the federal government, a state or local government, the institution, and other sources known by the institution.
24%
Average Federal Grant Aid Per Year
$5,951
Average Institution Grant Aid Per Year
$55,252

Student Loans

Students Borrowing Loans Loans to students - Any monies that must be repaid to the lending institution for which the student is the designated borrower. Includes all Title IV subsidized and unsubsidized loans and all institutionally- and privately-sponsored loans. Does not include PLUS and other loans made directly to parents.
14%
Average Loan Amount Per Year
$9,904
Average Debt at Graduation The median federal debt of undergraduate borrowers who graduated. This figure includes only federal loans; it excludes private student loans and Parent PLUS loans.
$10,647
Median Monthly Loan Payment The median monthly loan payment for student borrowers who completed, if it were repaid over 10 years at a 5.05% interest rate.
$129

Campus Life

Key Campus Stats

Student Gender
Male
Female
49%
51%
Student Organizations
226
Size of Town
Suburb or town
LGBTQIA Student Resource Groups
LGBTQIA Student Resource Groups is checked
Yes
On Campus Women's Center
On Campus Women's Center is checked
Yes

Housing

0
100
98%
Undergrads Living on Campus
On-campus living required of freshman
Yes

Athletics

Divisional Sports Nickname
Mammoths
School Colors
purple and white
Varsity Athletics Association
NCAA
Varsity Athletics Conference Primary
New England Small College Ath Conf

Campus Safety

24-HR security patrol
24-HR security patrol is checked
Yes
Campus emergency phones
Campus emergency phones is checked
Yes

After Graduation

Post Grad Stats

Average Salary
6 years after graduation
$83,300

What Students Are Saying

You learn more about the world and yourself than you can possible imagine. Intellectual diversity and curiosity are cornerstones of Amherst and are ingrained into every aspect of daily life. It's a college that both allows and trusts you to be self-motivated and take as much as you can from the amazing resources and faculty at your disposal.
NQS from New York
Amherst is a one-of-a-kind place and I could not picture myself anywhere else. Of course there are ups and downs as anywhere else, but I guarantee you will fall in love with this place once you settle in.
Ornella from Amherst, MA