What You'll Actually Pay
Price after grants
$10,164 to $30,793 a year for in-state students, depending on income.
College Scorecard 2024 estimate · in-state rates
See the price at your income ↑Sticker price
Full cost before aid: $34,549 a year in-state. Average need-based aid package: $25,669.Aid and debt
39.4%
receive need-based grants
$33,146
average debt at graduation
7,518
students got merit aid
about 31% of undergraduates
$8,177
average merit award
Getting In
Key dates
Test scores
SAT, middle 50% of those who submitted: 1330–1480 · 25% of the class submitted
ACT, middle 50% of those who submitted: 30–34 · 30% of the class submitted
33.8% were in the top 10% of their high school class.
What they value
- Very important
- Course rigor (AP/IB)
- GPA
- Important
- Class rank
- Personal essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Special talent
- Character
- Work experience
- Considered
- SAT/ACT scores
- First-gen status
- Volunteer work
- Not considered
- Legacy status
- Where you're from
- In-state residency
- Demonstrated interest
What this means for you
UMass Amherst rates course rigor as Very Important, and your essay, your recommendations, and your activities as Important.
MoreLess
Rigor means AP, IB, and dual enrollment carry real weight — make sure your mix of AP or IB courses is strong. A strong essay can differentiate an otherwise average application. Recommendations matter here too — a recommender who knows you well helps. And depth and leadership in a few activities matter more than a long list.
UMass Amherst doesn't consider demonstrated interest in admissions at all — visits and follow-up emails won't move the needle here.
Source: Common Data Set 2025–26, Section C7 (admissions factors)
UMass Amherst just showed you what it values in an application. Use that to write a Why-UMass Amherst essay that's actually about you — not a template.
Get sourced starting points for your essayStudent Life
46.6% of UMass Amherst classes have fewer than 20 students.
46.6%
under 20 students
35%
20 to 49
18.4%
50 or more
Every class section counts, labs and seminars included; first-year courses tend to be larger. UMass Amherst CDS 2025–26, I-3.
17:1
student:faculty ratio
Campus life
25%
first-years from out of state
58%
live on campus
8%
of men in fraternities
7%
of women in sororities
Who attends
- White55.6%
- Asian14.3%
- Hispanic9.5%
- Multiracial5%
- Black4.5%
- Unknown / other3%
Enrolled undergraduates; international students are counted separately and not included. UMass Amherst CDS 2025–26, B2.
Popular majors
Will They Graduate?
73.1% of UMass Amherst students graduate in 4 years.
73.1%
finish in 4 years
Entered fall 2019
81.3%
finish in 6 years
Entered fall 2019
92.3%
return after first year
Finishing late means paying for extra semesters, so the 4-year rate is the one that shows the cost.
Students with Pell Grants
75% finish in 6 years, against 81.3% of all students.
A 6.3-point gap: Pell Grant students finish less often than students overall.
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.
MoreLess
Four other colleges are within a short bus ride, which makes the area denser with students than its size suggests.
The City
College town
Amherst, MA
Best For
Notable alumni
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.
Traditions
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 from Amherst
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 and game days
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
Internships and jobs nearby
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
Who Thrives Here
UMass Amherst admits 59.9% of applicants into a 24,019-student undergraduate body that is 66.6% in-state and 25% from out of state. It is a large campus that still teaches small — 46.6% of sections have fewer than 20 students — and it holds on to people: 92.3% of first-years return and 73.1% graduate in four years. Greek life is a minority pursuit at 8% 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 $33,146.