Amherst College

Amherst, MA · Private

Official website

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Admission rate

Amherst College admitted 9.0% of applicants university-wide (1,238 of 13,743).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide9.0%1,23813,743
In-state12.0%1231,028
Out-of-state13.8%9576,927
International applicants2.6%1505,664
Early Decision (binding)29.4%216735
Men8.3%5086,121
Women9.6%6526,776

Early Decision applicants were admitted at 29.4%, vs 9% overall — ED is a binding commitment.

Of 1,238 admitted students, 480 enrolled (38.8% yield).

Amherst College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1500–1560
ACT (mid-50%)
33–35
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.504.00

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

Amherst College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $91,170/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$69,820
Fees, housing, food, books & other$21,350
Sticker cost of attendance$91,170/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

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

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • Amherst College GrantVaries (Need Based)

International applicants

Meets full demonstrated need for internationals.

  • Amherst College GrantVaries (Need Based)

Amherst College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Application Form (Common Application, Coalition Application, or QuestBridge Application)
  • SAT or ACT Scores (optional)
  • School Report and Transcript
  • Counselor Recommendation
  • Teacher Recommendations (typically two)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Application Form (Common Application, Coalition Application, or QuestBridge Application)
  • SAT or ACT Scores (optional)
  • School Report and Transcript
  • Counselor Recommendation
  • Teacher Recommendations (typically two)
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Amherst College · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

Amherst College requires essays, but this cycle's prompts haven't been posted yet. Check back once the application opens.

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$77,644
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
93.9%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
97.3%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$13,740
At graduation

Amherst College · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • U.S. News Liberal Arts: #2
  • WSJ: #60
  • Forbes: #19
  • Niche: #44

Deadlines

  • 2026-11-01Early DecisionBinding early round
  • 2027-01-06Regular DecisionStandard deadline

Amherst College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C21–C22 · 2024

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Social sciences (18%), Mathematics & statistics (14%), Biological & life sciences (11%).

Student–faculty ratio: 7:1 · 67% of class sections have under 20 students.

Amherst College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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