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Founded in 1821, Amherst College. is a Private college. Located in Massachusetts, which is a city setting in Massachusetts, the campus itself is Suburban. The campus is home to 1,849 full time undergraduate students, and 0 full time graduate students.
The Amherst College Academic calendar runs on a Semester basis. In the school year the student to faculty ratio was 8:1. There are 221 full time instructional teachers. Degrees awarded at Amherst College include: Bachelor's Degree, Masters Degree, Post-master's certificate, Doctor's degree.
Admissions at are considered Most Selective, with ,15% of all applicants being admitted.
In the school year, of the students who applied to the school, only 6 of those who were admitted eventually ended up enrolling.
100% of incoming freshmen are in the top half of their high school class. 97% were in the top quarter, and 84% were in the top tenth. You can apply online.
We asked, and students answered these important questions about student life at Amherst College.
31 Students rated on-campus housing 4.6 stars. 48 % gave the school a 5.0.
14 Students rated off-campus housing 3.3 stars. 0 % gave the school a 5.0.
31 Students rated campus food 3 stars. 13 % gave the school a 5.0.
31 Students rated campus facilities 4.5 stars. 48 % gave the school a 5.0.
31 Students rated class size 4.6 stars. 55 % gave the school a 5.0.
31 Students rated school activities 4.4 stars. 48 % gave the school a 5.0.
31 Students rated local services 4.1 stars. 39 % gave the school a 5.0.
31 Students rated academics 4.4 stars. 52 % gave the school a 5.0.
10 Students rated Amherst College
Great school to get to know your peers very closely, as it's only undergrad and about 1800 people enrolled. It is in a small town, so don't expect much social life outside of what is going on on campus, and the culture can be a little cliquey, but as an alumn, no one thinks along those lines anymore. The professors and student support organizations are top notch and I've continued contact with many for nearly a decade after graduation. Very close alumni community too that gives back - highly recommend!
Choose Williams. Amherst raised their tuition 4% during Covid; Williams dropped theirs by 15%. Amherst financial aid are really unfriendly and stingy. At least at Bowdoin they're nice and at least Williams is reasonable. If you have a choice, choose Williams or Bowdoin.
I've very much enjoyed my time here. People talk about the "Amherst Bubble," which is in some ways true, but in a good way. Amherst and the surrounding areas are very much college and education driven. Including all 5 area colleges/universities, there are over 30,000 students here, so the feel of the town is very academic. The College itself is in a "bubble" in that everyone lives on campus all 4 years, there are no "commuter" students, everything is for the most part walking distance, etc. and everything tends to revolve around academics. The student body here is truly amazing, I think there are only a handful of colleges that can match it.
It's an amazing place, they only take the very top students (for example, average ACT score for acceptance was 33 this year, which is top 1%), so the student body is very bright. But in addition, admissions does a good job of admitting well rounded students. The school is also very wealthy (the endowment is over $1 million per student), so everything is well funded.
The fall 2020 acceptance rate for Amherst College is 13%. That means, out of _____ applications received in 2020 , _____ students were offered admission. The number of males who applied was _____ vs the number of females which was _____.
Diverse, people dress very differently, students from all over the country and the globe. It's a very liberal place.
The Five College stereotypes are greatly overblown. Most of them are limited to brief encounters with Amherst students. But Amherst students are certainly goal oriented and focused on their studies. Compared with other similar colleges, the stereotypes are true. Amherst does maintain its uniqueness through culturally and socially active students. The school funds many of their pursuits. Finally, the on campus stereotypes hold water very consistently.
If one must decide on a single aspect of Amherst that sets it apart from its peers, it is on its academics. Famous for its lack of a core curriculum, Amherst students bear the freedom and responsibility to choose any class at any time. While I have seen some students abuse this privilege by taking only "gut" or easy courses, others truly take advantage of this by trying subjects that they would normally have been restricted from due to distribution requirements at similar schools. The school definitely fosters the image of producing humanities and social science majors--probably from the relative well-spokenness of Amherst students. However, the biology, neuroscience, and psychology departments are quite renowned. More so than just the actual subject matters, the professors themselves are one of the central reasons to attend Amherst. Not only are they accessible, but they actually enjoy student interaction. Additionally, you are never taught by TAs at Amherst.
Amherst College: rigorous academics, strong athletics, liberal student-body, small Amherst Students: smart, liberal, athletic, white/preppy
I feel a certain freedom to pursue what I want to pursue, when I want to pursue it, and the only things holding me back time and my own willingness at Amherst. Since the school is well endowed, I never feel like I am missing any opportunities my friends at larger missing. Although the school is unquestionably small, this is something to embrace. Life at a small college, in an area with many colleges, does create the "bubble" mentality. However, schools like Middlebury and Williams are far more guilty of this than Amherst. One can venture out of Amherst with relative ease if he or she wishes. Moreover, when one leaves, the name recognition of Amherst is known by the right people. Sure the school does not carry the national fame of Harvard or Yale, but the right people know about Amherst, and it often says a lot about one's familiarity with good schools if one knows about Amherst. Students frequently complain about dining services; students congregate at our one dining hall on campus. But they are more than adequate. Most of the complaints come from the silly hours they still employ. The college is undergoing a HUGE renovation of all its dorms, so at times, it feels like things are in flux. However, all the freshmen dorms are now completed. School pride reached a high when the men's basketball team captured the D III National Championship in 2007. On the whole, students feel connections to the school in a variety of ways, not just athletics.
A multitude of clubs exist on campus that fit a variety of interests. Some of the most popular include Educate!, an African education initiative started by Amherst students, the various affinity groups, athletic teams, singing groups, and student government. It is no surprise that Amherst is known as "The Singing College." There's an acapella group for almost every musical taste in addition to formal choral groups. I have enjoyed my tenure in the all-male Glee Club. After freshman year most people keep their doors unlocked since the dorms themselves require keycard access. There is certainly a sense of community in some of the more social dorms, while others are basically apartment buildings. In these dorms most nights are rather quiet. In the more social dorms, Wednesday through Sunday can expect one or more room groups to be throwing a party. One of the coolest things about Amherst is that one rarely has to pay money to party on campus. I have never heard of paying $5 or anything. Certain teams and groups of friends usually host. The older classes generally treat for the younger classes. I think this has been going on for a long time. Fraternities are off-campus, but still have some of the school's most reputable members a part of them.
Ten bucks says this is by far the most negative review of Amherst you'll find.
If at all possible, visit the schools you're considering. Multiple visits can even be helpul. There are things about the school--what kinds of conversations you hear people having, the way you feel when you're on campus, what it's like to sit in on a class, how helpful students are when you ask for directions, and many others--that you just can't learn from reading guidebooks or rankings. If a visit isn't possible, try to get in touch with a current student. Even the friend of a friend, if they like their school, will likely be willing to exchange a few emails about what life is really like on campus. As far as making the most of the college experience, get involved with as many groups and activities as you're interested in. Most schools have some kind of activity fair early in the year; go and get on the email lists of way more groups than you think you can realistically participate in. You'll get all their information through emails, and you can pick and choose later which ones you really want to be active in.
The food is not great -- there is variety but the same meals are repeated over and over. Quality isn't great. Plus, with only one dining hall, pickings are slim.
Amherst is a home away from home, where you will challenge yourself in many new ways and be pushed to discover more about yourself than you thought you could.
Winters are miserable, off-campus activities are limited, the food is unbearable, and the administrations is extremely inflexible in accomodating students.
A first-year’s explanation on why he chose Amherst.
Amherst is best know for its academics; it is consistently ranked near the top of the US News list for liberal arts institutions, and is currently #1. It is also known for being a very small community (only 1600 students), which is conducive to building a feeling of community on campus. The athletic teams are also fairly well-known, with several teams achieving success in NCAA tournaments in the last 10 years.
The sports scene at Amherst is pretty significant as roughly a third of students are varsity athletes, and almost everyone on campus plays some sport when including intramural and club teams. The varsity teams are all among the best in D3 (admittedly there is no D4), which adds to the importance of the sports teams on campus. Also our rivalry with Williams is a major part of not just the sports scene but more generally of the college as a whole, and the football/basketball games against Williams are some of the best days to be at Amherst. Overall, the sports scene here is very prominent, and even if you're not on a varsity team there are plenty of ways to get involved (club, intramural, sports section of newspaper, commentating games...).
The most common complaint at Amherst concerns the dining hall. While the food here is certainly not "bad" by any standards, comparatively to other similar schools there is likely room for improvement. Another popular complaint is that of a liberal "bias" amongst the faculty, although the validity of this claim is likewise very much open for debate.
Anyone can find a place here. This is an awesome college with amazing people and professors. There are only very rare cases where someone is not satisfied.
The student body at Amherst is generally very well-off financially. I felt out of my element and a little embarrassed about my poor financial upbringing.
The best place to get work done on campus is in any of the libraries; most students favor Frost which is the main library directly in the middle of campus, although the science library (Merrill) is popular as well.
People who like to party a lot and do not like large amounts of work. People who aren't focused on what they want.
THe great connections and relations I have with my professors. Also, the incredible alumni network we have.
50%
female
male
Total Undergrad Enrollment
Total Grad Students
Out-Of-State
In-State
International
Student Organizations
Fraternities
Sororities
On-Campus Housing
of students living on campus
All students must apply yearly for financial aid. This process starts with the FAFSA. Though financial aid deadlines vary by school, it is a good idea to apply as soon as possible. For the upcoming school year, you can apply as early as October 1 for the FAFSA. Additional school aid will be dependent on the FAFSA results.
62% of students attending Amherst College receive some sort of financial aid. 21% were awarded federal grants. While 14% received federal loans. Many students do also need to apply for additional private student loans.
Tuition and fees(Out of state)
Books and Supplies
Room and Board
Total On Campus
We use student reviews and the most current publicly available data on our school pages. As such, we don't typically remove or edit college information. Sources for school statistics and data include the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Portions of college data include copyrighted material, which is reproduced on this website by permission of Wintergreen Orchard House, a division of Carnegie Communications. © 2009-2016 by Wintergreen Orchard House. All rights reserved.
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