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Amherst College

Amherst, Massachusetts · Private, a small city · 1,911 undergraduates

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Is it hard to get into Amherst?

The middle half of admitted students scored in these ranges: a quarter scored lower, a quarter higher. Fall 2024 admissions, from the College Scorecard.

Acceptance rate
9%
12,727 applied
SAT, middle half
1490 to 1580
Reading plus math, out of 1600
ACT, middle half
33 to 35
Composite, out of 36
Test scores this year
Optional: considered if sent
39% of admitted students enrolled
What they look at
  • High school GPAConsidered
  • Class rankConsidered
  • Courses takenRequired
  • College-prep programConsidered
  • RecommendationsRequired
  • EssayRequired
  • PortfolioConsidered

How much does Amherst cost?

Sticker prices and what students actually paid after grants, by family income. A year means tuition, fees, room, board, books and other costs.

Tuition and fees
$73,830
A full year, sticker price
$90,670
Living on campus
Average price after grants
$19,536
Students who got federal aid

What a year cost, by family income

Family incomeAverage paid after grants
Under $30,000$2,424
$30,001 to $48,000$3,063
$48,001 to $75,000$13,814
$75,001 to $110,000$17,999
Over $110,000$49,700
Room and board on campus
$19,260 a year
Books and supplies
$0 a year
The school's own grants
58% of full-time first-years get one, averaging $63,167

Tuition over the years

Tuition and fees for a year, as reported to the federal government.

$0K$22K$43K$65K$86K201220142016201820202022Amherst

How much do Amherst students borrow?

Federal student loans only, for students who borrowed.

Typical debt at graduation
$13,250
About $151 a month over ten years
Students who borrow
11.5%
Get a Pell Grant
25.2%
Federal grant for lower-income families
Over 25 when they start
1.1%

What do Amherst graduates earn?

Typical yearly pay of everyone who started here with federal aid, whatever they studied and whether or not they finished.

Six years after starting
$83,643
Ten years after starting
$95,161
Middle half: $63,047 to $179,119
Best-paid program, five years out
$175,020
Economics
Lowest-paid program, five years out
$73,033
English Language and Literature, General

Do Amherst students finish?

Of the students who started full time, first time.

Back for second year
97.3%
Graduate in six years
92.5%
The four-year figure is for a later, smaller group, so it is not shown
After eight years
94% graduated
4% transferred, 0% still enrolled

Who goes to Amherst?

Women
54.9%
First in their family at college
20.8%
Part-time
0%
Students per teacher
6
Background
White 36%, Hispanic 14%, Black 9%, Asian 17%, Two or more 9%, International 13%
Housing
Campus housing, 1,948 beds

What do Amherst graduates earn, by program?

Every bachelor's program the school awards, with what its graduates earn and owe. The government hides pay for small programs, so some rows have no figure.

Computer science

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Computer Science107$116,660HiddenHidden

Life sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology61HiddenHiddenHidden
Biology, General57$37,129HiddenHidden
Natural Resources Conservation and Research32HiddenHiddenHidden
Neurobiology and Neurosciences42$45,912HiddenHidden

Math and physical sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Astronomy and Astrophysics11HiddenHiddenHidden
Chemistry36HiddenHiddenHidden
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences18HiddenHiddenHidden
Mathematics162$76,249$172,920$12,000
Physics40HiddenHiddenHidden
Statistics34HiddenHiddenHidden

Social sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Anthropology13HiddenHiddenHidden
Area Studies33$44,715HiddenHidden
Economics157$109,806$175,020$19,500
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies31HiddenHiddenHidden
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies55HiddenHiddenHidden
Political Science and Government71$61,098$97,885Hidden
Research and Experimental Psychology118$39,597$73,572$11,500
Sociology19HiddenHiddenHidden

Arts and humanities

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics8HiddenHiddenHidden
English Language and Literature, General60$41,040$73,033Hidden
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics7HiddenHiddenHidden
History51$54,456$102,511Hidden
Philosophy27HiddenHiddenHidden
Religion/Religious Studies10HiddenHiddenHidden
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics50$46,938$80,840Hidden
Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics8HiddenHiddenHidden

Education (teaching)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education20HiddenHiddenHidden

Fine and performing arts

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft14HiddenHiddenHidden
Film/Video and Photographic Arts12HiddenHiddenHidden
Fine and Studio Arts27HiddenHiddenHidden
Music22HiddenHiddenHidden

Architecture and design

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation14HiddenHiddenHidden

General arts and science (major chosen later)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other6HiddenHiddenHidden

Compare Amherst with other universities

Side by side: acceptance rates, scores, costs and pay.

Where these numbers come from

College Scorecard release 10152026, Most Recent Cohorts files, fetched 2026-10-20. Test policy: the school's page (opens in a new tab). Tuition history, housing and the school's own grants: the federal IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) survey.

How every figure in this part of the site is sourced, and the check of every link.

Careerhelp is not affiliated with Amherst College. Figures describe past students; check the school's own pages before you apply.

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