Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts
11.31%
Admission Rate
Very Selective
1,839 Undergraduates Enrolled
- Private nonprofit
- Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus
- Four-year, full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
- Four-year, small, highly residential
"Mead Art Museum and Stearns Steeple Photo by Rob Mattson Amherst College Office of Communications" by Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism is licensed under CC BY 2.5
Amherst College ( (listen) AM-ərst) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher education in Massachusetts. The institution was named after the town, which in turn had been named after Jeffery, Lord Amherst, Commander-in-Chief of British forces of North America during the French and Indian War. Originally established as a men's college, Amherst became coeducational in 1975.Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution; the school enrolled 1,855 students in fall 2018. Admissions is highly selective, and it frequently ranks at or near the top in most rankings of liberal arts schools. Students choose courses from 38 major programs in an open curriculum and are not required to study a core curriculum or fulfill any distribution requirements; students may also design their own interdisciplinary major. Amherst competes in the New England Small College Athletic Conference. Amherst has historically had close relationships and rivalries with Williams College and Wesleyan University, which form the Little Three colleges. The college is also a member of the Five College Consortium, which allows its students to attend classes at four other Pioneer Valley institutions: Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Among its alumni and affiliates are six Nobel Prize laureates (with its five alumni giving it one of the highest proportions of Nobel laureates among graduates out of any undergraduate institution worldwide), 20 Rhodes Scholars, numerous Pulitzer Prize recipients, MacArthur Fellows, winners of the Academy, Tony, Grammy and Emmy Awards, a President of the United States, a Chief Justice of the United States, three Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives, and notable writers, academics, politicians, entertainers, businesspeople, and activists.
"Amherst College." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 February 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amherst_College.
Among its alumni and affiliates are six Nobel Prize laureates (with its five alumni giving it one of the highest proportions of Nobel laureates among graduates out of any undergraduate institution worldwide), 20 Rhodes Scholars, numerous Pulitzer Prize recipients, MacArthur Fellows, winners of the Academy, Tony, Grammy and Emmy Awards, a President of the United States, a Chief Justice of the United States, three Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives, and notable writers, academics, politicians, entertainers, businesspeople, and activists.
"Amherst College." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 February 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amherst_College.
Location
City
Amherst, Massachusetts
Locale
Suburb: Large (outside principal city, in urbanized area with population of 250,000 or more)
Region
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
Academics
Predominant Degree Awarded
Predominantly bachelor's-degree granting
Highest Degree Awarded
Bachelor's degree
Most Popular Fields
| Field | % Students |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 22.0% |
| Biological And Biomedical Sciences | 13.7% |
| Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services | 9.8% |
| Mathematics And Statistics | 8.5% |
| English Language And Literature/Letters | 6.2% |
| Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, And Group Studies | 6.2% |
| Psychology | 6.0% |
| Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics | 5.2% |
| History | 5.0% |
| Visual And Performing Arts | 5.0% |
| Natural Resources And Conservation | 5.0% |
| Physical Sciences | 3.7% |
| Legal Professions And Studies | 1.7% |
| Philosophy And Religious Studies | 0.8% |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | 0.6% |
| Architecture And Related Services | 0.6% |
Cost
Tuition
$58,640.00
Percentage Students Receiving Aid
15.69%
Average Net Cost After Aid
$18,524.00
Admissions
SAT Scores
1431
Composite Average
| Percentile | 75% | 50% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | 780 | 720 | 660 |
| Verbal | 740 | 695 | 650 |
ACT Scores
32
Cumulative Average
| Percentile | 75% | 50% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | 34 | 31 | 27 |
| English | 35 | 33 | 31 |
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