At a Glance
UMass Amherst admits 59.7% of applicants.
What You'll Actually Pay
See what families at different income levels actually pay after aid.
What families actually pay, by income level
After grants and scholarships. Before loans. Public school prices shown at in-state rates.
Source: College Scorecard / IPEDS, 2024-25
Where the Sticker Price Goes
Based on average need-based grant. Actual cost varies by family income — see chart above.
Shown at in-state rates.
Debt at Graduation
Not reported by this school
receive need-based grant aid
$32,306
average debt at graduation
UMass Amherst graduates carry an average of $32,306 in debt.
Merit Aid
98
students received merit aid
$8,346
average merit award
Getting In
UMass Amherst admits 59.7% of applicants.
SAT — Middle 50% of those who submitted · 22% of the class submitted
ACT — Middle 50% of those who submitted · 30% of the class submitted
30% were in the top 10% of their high school class.
What They Value
Academic
Nonacademic
University of Massachusetts Amherst considers your essay Important — a strong essay can differentiate an otherwise average application. Demonstrated interest is Not Considered here — campus visits and emails to admissions won't affect your odds.
Student Life
46.5% of UMass Amherst classes have fewer than 20 students.
Share of undergraduate class sections at each size, from CDS Section I-3. More red = more large lectures.
At UMass Amherst, 46.5% of your classes will have fewer than 20 students.
Class size data reflects all undergraduate sections including labs, seminars, and lectures. Large research universities often have smaller upper-division and graduate-level sections that improve the overall distribution. First and second-year students typically experience larger classes than these averages suggest.
Source: Common Data Set 2024–25, Section I-3 (class sizes)
—
Student:faculty ratio not reported by this school
Campus Life
From out of state (freshman class)
22.8%
Men in fraternities
7%
Women in sororities
7%
Who Attends
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduates, as reported in each school's Common Data Set. "Unknown / Other" includes students who did not report or selected "other."
UMass Amherst's student body is 56.8% white.
Popular Majors
Majors data isn't reported yet for this school.
Will They Graduate?
UMass Amherst graduates 75.4% of students in 4 years.
Graduating late means paying for extra semesters. The 6-year rate tells you who eventually finishes — the 4-year rate tells you what it actually costs.
UMass Amherst graduates 75.4% of students in 4 years.
What finishing late actually costs
Based on each school's published cost of attendance. Public school costs shown at in-state rates.
UMass Amherst
75.4%
4-yr grad rate
Extra year cost: $34,549*
* In-state cost of attendance. Out-of-state students pay significantly more.
Graduation rate data from Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2018 cohort (most recent available). 4-year rate = students completing in 4 years or less. 6-year rate = students completing within 6 years.
83%
Overall 6-yr rate
74%
Pell recipient rate
A 9 point graduation gap between lower-income and overall students suggests financial or academic challenges for some students.
Freshman Retention
92%
92% of first-year students return for sophomore year.
City & Culture
Beyond the data — what it's actually like to spend four years in Amherst.
Amherst sits in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, about 90 minutes from Boston and 30 from Springfield. Four other colleges are within a short bus ride, which makes the area denser with students than its size suggests.
Notable Alumni
Jack Welch
Chief executive of General Electric for twenty years, who earned a BS in chemical engineering at UMass Amherst
Class of 1957
Julius Erving
Basketball Hall of Famer who played two varsity seasons at UMass and returned to complete his bachelor's degree
Class of 1986
Natalie Cole
Nine-time Grammy-winning singer, who majored in child psychology at UMass Amherst
Class of 1972
Alumni selected for name recognition and range of fields. Not from the Common Data Set.
The City
College town
Amherst, MA
Best For
Traditions
The Five College Consortium
UMass students can enrol in classes at Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith at no extra cost, with a free bus between them. Few large public universities sit inside a consortium like it.
The Minuteman Marching Band
Known nationally as the 'Power and Class of New England', and a larger part of campus identity than the football team it accompanies.
Dining hall reputation
UMass dining is consistently ranked at or near the top nationally, and it is a genuine reason students cite for choosing and staying.
Weekend Escapes
Within driving distance from Amherst
Boston
1 hour 45 minutesThe nearest major city and the practical international airport.
The Berkshires
1 hourHiking, skiing and Tanglewood in summer, immediately west.
Northampton
15 minutesThe larger neighbouring town, with the music venues and restaurants Amherst lacks.
Getting There & Game Days
Nearest airport
Bradley International (BDL)
50 minutes from campus
For international flights: Boston Logan International (BOS) — about 1 hour 45 minutes by road.
Pro sports nearby
- Boston Red Sox MLB
- New England Patriots NFL
- Boston Celtics NBA
- Boston Bruins NHL
Career Proximity
UMass feeds the Massachusetts economy from the western end — health care and education locally, with Boston's technology, biotech and finance employers within commuting distance for summer work.
Top Industries Nearby
Major Employers
- Baystate Health
- MassMutual
- Raytheon
- Fidelity Investments
Boston, 1 hour 45 minutes
Who Thrives Here
UMass Amherst admits 59.7% of applicants into a 23,920-student undergraduate body that is 69.7% in-state and 22.8% from out of state. It is a large campus that still teaches small — 46.5% of sections have fewer than 20 students — and it holds on to people: 92.0% of first-years return and 75.4% graduate in four years. Greek life is a minority pursuit at 7% of men and 7% of women, so the centre of social gravity sits with the residence halls and with the Five College consortium, which lets students take classes at Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith. The money is the honest problem and it cuts both ways: in-state tuition and fees are $18,987, high for a public university, out-of-state runs $42,259, and average debt at graduation is $32,306.