Amherst, MA · Private · 1,911 undergraduates · urban
Amherst College
Extremely selective
Amherst is a small residential college that removes most curricular guardrails while giving students a much wider academic map through the Five College network. The point is not freedom for its own sake: students must make deliberate choices and use faculty advising well.
Institutional profile
Top tier Exceptional in student experience, and exceptional in academic standing.- Admission
- 9.8% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 93.2%
12,727 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$77,644 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Amherst apart
The Open Curriculum
The Open Curriculum has no general-education distribution sequence beyond the major. Five College cross-registration adds nearby courses, libraries, programs, and activities.
A Five College academic map
First-years live around a central quad, and full-time students are generally expected to remain in College housing and participate in the meal plan.
A tightly residential home campus
The Five College network makes the Pioneer Valley part of the academic plan while daily undergraduate life remains concentrated at Amherst.
The Amherst design
Freedom with a wider map
Amherst removes curricular guardrails but surrounds students with faculty support and a five-college academic network.
Build an academic center
Choose courses and a major with deliberate faculty guidance.
Cross the consortium
Use nearby institutions when a course, program, or community expands the plan.
Keep Amherst as home
A compact residential campus anchors the wider academic access.
Can I get in?
9.8% admitted
The application should show a student who can use substantial academic choice with purpose rather than treating flexibility as an excuse for vagueness.
Recent applicant pool
12,727About 10 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 38% submitted an SAT, and 17% submitted an ACT. Treat the ACT range as a guide to the students who submitted that test, not to everyone admitted.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Amherst, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Amherst weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
The Open Curriculum has no general-education distribution sequence beyond the major. Five College cross-registration adds nearby courses, libraries, programs, and activities.
Make the institutional fit specific
The application should show a student who can use substantial academic choice with purpose rather than treating flexibility as an excuse for vagueness.
Use the application route carefully
Amherst offers binding Early Decision and Regular Decision. Show how the intended direction would use the Open Curriculum and regional network.
Give commitments a clear through-line
Activities and recommendations should show sustained contribution, not a collection of disconnected credentials.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Amherst offers binding Early Decision and Regular Decision. Show how the intended direction would use the Open Curriculum and regional network.
Fee waiver: accepted
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Amherst
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Read the outcomes panel alongside the five college network makes the pioneer valley part of the academic plan while daily undergraduate life remains concentrated at amherst. Completion, borrowing, and field mix matter more than one university-wide earnings figure.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Mathematics
Economics
Research and Experimental Psychology
Computer Science
Political Science and Government
What is campus life like?
Amherst beyond the classroom
The Five College network makes the Pioneer Valley part of the academic plan while daily undergraduate life remains concentrated at Amherst.
The Open Curriculum
The Open Curriculum has no general-education distribution sequence beyond the major. Five College cross-registration adds nearby courses, libraries, programs, and activities.
The residential structure matters
First-years live around a central quad, and full-time students are generally expected to remain in College housing and participate in the meal plan.
Dining follows the residential map
Campus dining is part of the daily social pattern; compare the meal-plan structure and nearby options against the routine you expect.
A Five College academic map
The Five College network makes the Pioneer Valley part of the academic plan while daily undergraduate life remains concentrated at Amherst.
Use the institution beyond class
Student organizations, faculty programs, research, service, and campus events are most useful when they reinforce a clear academic or personal direction.
A tightly residential home campus
The strongest social fit comes from understanding how housing, traditions, organizations, and the surrounding setting shape an ordinary week.