Private nonprofit · College

Amherst College

Amherst, Massachusetts · Small city

#4 graduation rate in Massachusetts#5 most selective in Massachusetts
9.0%
Admit rate
$23,367
Avg net price
94%
Graduation rate
$77,644
Median earnings

Amherst College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Amherst, Massachusetts (small city setting), enrolling 1,911 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,911 undergradsSmall cityHighly selective · 9% admitNCAA Division III with football · New England Small College Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Amherst College's admitted students.

Admit rate
9.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
1490–1580
Avg GPA (est.)
4.00

Enter a test score to see where you land against Amherst College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Amherst College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Amherst, Massachusetts

Amherst is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. The earliest known document of the lands now comprising Amherst is the deed of purchase dated December 1658 between John Pynchon of Springfield and three native inhabitants, referred to as Umpanchla, Quonquont, and Chickwalopp. Major employers in Amherst include University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst College, William D. Mullins Memorial Center, Hampshire College, and Amherst-Pelham Regional School District. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To the ocean
69 miles
Nearest airport
31 miles to Bradley (BDL) · major hub

How Amherst College compares

Selectivity9.0%

More selective than 98% · #5 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

SAT average1533

Higher than 98%

Graduation rate94%

Higher than 98% · #4 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention97%

Higher than 95%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$77,644

Higher than 90% · #20 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$23,367

Cheaper than 34% · #20 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$13,740

Lower than 93%

Student–faculty ratio6 : 1

Lower than 94%

Undergraduate enrollment1,911

Larger than 56%

Percentiles compare Amherst College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.

Amherst College campus

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,911undergrads
  • Women1,03954%
  • Men87246%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White36%
  • Black8.9%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian16%
  • Other or multiracial24%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,911
Student–faculty ratio
6 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
21%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$42,053
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$140,454
Endowment
$3,549,576,398

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 488 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Massachusetts8.9%
  • Other U.S. states78%
  • International13%

A national draw — only 9% of first-years come from Massachusetts; 77% arrive from other states.

13% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
9.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1490–1580
SAT average
1533
SAT reading
740–780
SAT math
750–800
ACT composite
33–35
Average GPA (estimated)
4.00

Cost

In-state tuition
$70,480
Room & board
$18,390
Books & supplies
$0
Total cost of attendance
$87,640
Average net price
$23,367

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
94%
Graduated on time (4 years)
75%
First-year retention
97%
Transferred to another college
3%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$62,537
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$77,644
Median debt at graduation
$13,740
Students with federal loans
8%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
81%

About 19% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
75%
First-generation
80%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,948
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$9,490
Meal plan (year)
$8,070
Application fee
$65
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
New England Small College Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
798 (442 men · 356 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (16)

Track and Field (Indoor)115
Track and Field (Outdoor)111
Football84
Lacrosse77
Soccer63
Swimming and Diving (combined)53
Cross Country52
Ice Hockey49
Baseball33
Squash30
Field Hockey27
Basketball25
Tennis24
Golf20
Volleyball20
Softball15

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
10.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
45
Property offenses (2022–2024)
15

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,914 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

20reported offenses a year
15 violent a year5.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
7.3
Rape
6.7
Motor vehicle theft
3.3
Burglary
1.3
Aggravated assault
0.7
Robbery
0.3
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$1,086
$30–48k
$1,570
$48–75k
$17,478
$75–110k
$23,639
$110k+
$47,521

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$75,189

$17,478/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

58%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$63,167
average award, among those who get one

Amherst College discounts heavily: 58% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $63,167. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 467 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$77,644
Typical debt at graduation
$13,740
Debt vs. one year's pay
18%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$76,152
Men
$101,133

Men out-earn women by $24,981 (33%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
83°F
Winter low
14°F
Annual rain
46.6″
Annual snow
36.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Amherst, MA US station (1.4 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Amherst College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Amherst College side by side →

Colleges near Amherst College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.