Amherst College
Basic Information
Type
Private, Liberal Arts
Geographical Reach
National
Location
Amherst, MA
Population
250,000
Website
http://www.amherst.edu/
Demographics
Total Undergraduates
1,907
Men / Women
45% / 55%
White
34%
Asian
14%
International
13%
Hispanic
12%
Mixed
8%
Black
7%
Native American
0%
From State
13%
From Region
20%
Academics
Undergraduate Degrees
Life & Natural Sciences
18%
Business & Economics
16%
Physical Sciences & Math
16%
Computer Science
10%
Arts
5%
Education
2%
Financial
Tuition & Fees
$70,480
Est. Cost of Attendance
$87,640
10-Year ROI
$251,000
ROI Percentile
92th
Retention & Graduation
Full-Time Retention
97%
4-Year Graduation Rate
75%
6-Year Graduation Rate
94%
Transfer-Out Rate
3%
Weather
Comfortable Days
110 (71%)
Sunshine Hours
2,350 (21%)
Days Without Precipitation
231 (21%)
Admissions
Uses Common App
Yes
Acceptance Rate
8%
Yield (Unbound)
27%
Early Decision 1
Nov 1
Regular Decision
Jan 1
Research
Research Level
R3
Expenditure
| Humanities & Social Sciences | $1M | #252 |
| Life & Natural Sciences | $4M | #312 |
| Engineering, Computing & Math | $1M | #364 |
Honors College
Standardized Tests
Test Scores
Test Policy
optional
Submitted Test Scores
56%
SAT Range
1480
–
1540
SAT Math Range
730
–
790
SAT RW Range
730
–
770
ACT Range
33
–
35
Earnings by Major Category
Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).
Schools & Majors
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst College | 486 | 51% / 49% | 12% | $100,114 | 93% | ||
| Computer Science | 48 +4 | 77% / 23% | 31% | $194,751 | 100 | 94% | |
| Astronomy | 7 — | 43% / 57% | 0% | $95,021 | 89 | — | |
| Chemistry | 20 +1 | 55% / 45% | 10% | $71,041 | 57 | — | |
| Geosciences | 5 +3 | 40% / 60% | 0% | $62,864 | 34 | — | |
| Mathematics | 35 +46 | 57% / 43% | 17% | $125,945 | 99 | 91% | |
| Physics | 6 +18 | 67% / 33% | 0% | $95,912 | 90 | — | |
| Statistics | 5 +14 | 60% / 40% | 20% | $140,888 | 99 | — | |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 24 — | 33% / 67% | 12% | $65,214 | 41 | — | |
| Biology | 33 +1 | 27% / 73% | 6% | $62,856 | 34 | — | |
| Environmental Studies | 11 +4 | 45% / 55% | 9% | $57,899 | 20 | — | |
| Neuroscience | 20 +5 | 55% / 45% | 15% | $55,661 | 15 | 92% | |
| Economics | 78 +10 | 62% / 38% | 15% | $150,151 | 100 | 91% | |
| African-American Studies | 11 +2 | 27% / 73% | 0% | $58,174 | 21 | 90% | |
| American Studies | 2 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | $67,246 | 47 | 95% | |
| Anthropology | 6 — | 0% / 100% | 17% | $77,734 | 71 | — | |
| Asian Languages | 7 — | 57% / 43% | 0% | $67,246 | 47 | 95% | |
| Classics | 4 +1 | 25% / 75% | 25% | $71,025 | 57 | — | |
| English | 26 +9 | 50% / 50% | 12% | $63,891 | 37 | 93% | |
| European Studies | 1 +2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $67,246 | 47 | 95% | |
| French | 6 +5 | 17% / 83% | 0% | $59,008 | 23 | 90% | |
| German | 3 +2 | 67% / 33% | 0% | $61,877 | 31 | — | |
| History | 14 +9 | 93% / 7% | 0% | $158,858 | 100 | 95% | |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | 5 — | 40% / 60% | 40% | $80,447 | 75 | — | |
| Latin | 1 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | $62,145 | 32 | — | |
| Latin American Studies | 1 — | 0% / 100% | 100% | $67,246 | 47 | 95% | |
| Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought | 23 +9 | 57% / 43% | 4% | $65,178 | 41 | — | |
| Philosophy | 5 +6 | 40% / 60% | 0% | $66,295 | 44 | — | |
| Political Science | 16 +14 | 56% / 44% | 6% | $83,307 | 79 | 94% | |
| Psychology | 26 +26 | 42% / 58% | 8% | $67,820 | 49 | 100% | |
| Religious Studies | 2 +6 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $61,587 | 30 | — | |
| Russian | — +6 | — | — | $61,587 | 30 | — | |
| Sexuality, Women's, and Gender Studies | 1 +4 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $58,174 | 21 | 90% | |
| Sociology | — +11 | — | — | $78,192 | 71 | — | |
| Spanish | 2 +7 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $59,008 | 23 | 90% | |
| Education Studies | 9 +3 | 22% / 78% | 0% | $65,529 | 42 | — | |
| Architectural History and Criticism | 4 — | 50% / 50% | 50% | $67,964 | 49 | — | |
| Art | 16 +1 | 38% / 62% | 6% | $53,536 | 11 | — | |
| Drama and Theatre Arts | — +5 | — | — | $44,010 | 3 | — | |
| Film Studies | 2 +5 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $53,015 | 10 | — | |
| Music | 1 +7 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $48,086 | 5 | — |
Rankings
Academics
Future Patagonia Vest Owners
Top Investment Banking Feeders
Settling for Evercore
Crying in the Library at 3 AM
Toughest Schools
The Students Claim They Do
Future Ambulance Chasers
Top Law School Feeders
Future SCOTUS Clerks
Don't Tell Me What To Do
No Core Curriculum
Anarchy
Future Adjunct Professors
Top PhD Feeders
TA Before You Can Say "Publish or Perish"
College Costs
Bring Me Your Tired, Your Poor
Need-Blind for Internationals
Come, Baby, Come
Prestige
Most Educated Baristas in America
Top Liberal Arts Colleges
The Big Five