University of Massachusetts Amherst
Massachusetts' land-grant flagship: a big public research campus in the Pioneer Valley with an honors college inside it.
- Acceptance rate
- 60%
- Fall 2025 entering class (Common Data Set 2025-26); applying now for fall 2027
- Students
- 31,318
- 24,019 undergraduates
- International
- 8%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 17:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $43,819
- 2026-27
About UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst was founded in 1863 as the Massachusetts Agricultural College under the federal Morrill Land-Grant Act, opened with 56 students in 1867, became Massachusetts State College in 1931 and the University of Massachusetts in 1947. It is now the flagship campus of the state's five-campus UMass system, with 31,318 students in fall 2025: 24,019 undergraduates and 7,299 graduate students.
Undergraduates choose from more than 100 majors across a set of schools and colleges that include the Riccio College of Engineering, the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, the Isenberg School of Management, the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, the College of Natural Sciences (home of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture) and the School of Public Health and Health Sciences. Commonwealth Honors College gives about 3,000 students small seminars capped at 25 and a capstone project inside the larger university, and the Five College Consortium lets you take courses at Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith colleges.
Admission is selective rather than ultra-selective: 59.9% of 53,117 first-year applicants were admitted for fall 2025, but business, computer science, engineering and nursing are far harder to get into than the university as a whole. UMass suits students who want a large research campus with a strong STEM and applied-science core, real in-state value, and a college-town setting two hours from Boston.
Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem
“By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty” — university motto
Why students choose UMass Amherst
In-state students pay about $19,200 a year in tuition and fees for 2026-27, and US News ranks UMass No. 31 for best value for in-state students.
Computer science (No. 12 among public universities in US News 2027) and artificial intelligence (No. 11 among publics) sit in the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, one of the most competitive majors on campus.
Commonwealth Honors College offers a small-college experience with honors seminars capped at 25 students and its own residential area.
The Five College Consortium opens courses, libraries and facilities at Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith colleges, reached by the free PVTA buses.
Admissions
Fall 2025 entering class (Common Data Set 2025-26); applying now for fall 2027
About 1 in 2 applicants is admitted
31,813 admitted from 53,117 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
For fall 2025, 31,813 of 53,117 first-year applicants were admitted and 5,315 enrolled. Admission to Isenberg business programs, computer science, engineering and nursing is described by UMass as selective or highly selective; nursing is open only to first-year applicants.
Deadlines
- Early Action Non-binding Next deadline · In 30 daysNovember 5, 2026
Non-binding; decisions posted by the end of January; reply by May 1. SAT/ACT scores taken through October 31 are reviewed. UMass does not offer Early Decision.
- Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 15, 2027
Decisions posted in early March; senior grades and test scores taken through January 30 can be considered. FAFSA priority deadline March 1.
UMass publishes these as recurring annual dates (November 5 and January 15) on its Important Dates and Deadlines page; applied to the fall 2027 cycle. Both rounds get full consideration for merit scholarships and Commonwealth Honors College.
How to apply
Common App with an intended major (and optional second major), personal essay, three UMass short answers (why UMass, why your major, and either why Commonwealth Honors College or a community question), at least one academic recommendation, school report and transcript, optional SAT/ACT, and a $90 fee. Architecture and art need a portfolio; music and dance need an audition.
What admissions looks for
- Rigor of the high school record and academic GPA are the most important factors, with special attention to courses relevant to your intended major and trends in your grades.
- Personal qualities such as leadership, motivation, intellectual curiosity and concern for others, shown through what you do rather than what you say.
- Sustained co-curricular involvement and achievement, including work experience, rather than a long list of activities.
- The essay and recommendations are rated important, and UMass reads each application in its life context (family responsibilities, adversity, language at home).
Tips for applying to UMass Amherst
- 1 For business, computer science and Isenberg's sport management, show strong math through pre-calculus; engineering also expects chemistry and physics.
- 2 If you want nursing, apply for it as a first-year: UMass does not allow students to switch into nursing later.
- 3 Answer the Commonwealth Honors College short question if you want honors; admission is decided with your general application.
- 4 Apply Early Action if your record is ready by November 5: UMass says admission to some majors is typically more competitive in Regular Decision.
- 5 Self-report your courses and grades in STARS; UMass strongly encourages it because it recalculates every GPA.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for University of Massachusetts Amherst
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
UMass awards need-based aid through the FAFSA (priority date March 1) and met on average 86.4% of need for first-year aid recipients in 2025-26. Admitted students are automatically considered for merit awards: the Chancellor's Award ($10,000 to $18,000 a year) for students from outside Massachusetts, and the Dean's Award ($2,000) and Flagship Award ($6,000 to $10,000) for Massachusetts residents. Nonresident (international) undergraduates can receive institutional aid.
- $39,896 in-state; $63,983 out-of-state; $69,465 international
- Estimated cost of attendance 2026-27
- $10,000-$18,000 per year, renewable for four years
- Chancellor's Award (non-Massachusetts admits)
- 86.4%
- Average need met, first-year aid recipients (2025-26)
- $18,559
- Average need-based grant, first-year students (2025-26)
- 1,591 students, average $13,674
- International undergraduates receiving institutional aid (2025-26)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Computer Science (Manning CICS)
Ranked No. 12 among public universities by US News (2027), with No. 11 among publics in artificial intelligence; first-year admission is highly selective and favors strong math through pre-calculus.
Food Science
UMass lists food science and technology as No. 1 nationwide in US News rankings.
Business (Isenberg School of Management BBA)
AACSB-accredited, with selective entry to accounting, finance, management, marketing and operations majors plus the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management.
Nursing (Elaine Marieb College of Nursing)
Ranked among the top 25 nationally by US News according to UMass; entry is highly selective and restricted to first-year applicants.
Engineering (Riccio College)
General admission to the college, then choice of a specific engineering major after the first year.
Stockbridge School of Agriculture
A school within the College of Natural Sciences that UMass says is ranked No. 2 nationally by US News, rooted in the university's land-grant origins.
Research
- UMass reports $282 million in research expenditures (FY23), 492 active patents and the most NSF awards of any public research university in New England.
- The Institute for Applied Life Sciences and the Conte National Polymer Research Center anchor its life-science and materials research.
- The W. E. B. Du Bois Library, built in the 1970s, is described by the university as the world's tallest academic library.
- Field sites include the Gloucester Marine Station on the Gulf of Maine and the UMass Cranberry Station.
Schools & faculties
- College of Education
- Daniel J. Riccio Jr. College of Engineering
- College of Humanities and Fine Arts
- Robert and Donna Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences
- College of Natural Sciences
- Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
- College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Commonwealth Honors College
- Isenberg School of Management
- School of Public Health and Health Sciences
- Stockbridge School of Agriculture
- Graduate School
UMass reports that 85% of graduates are employed, in military service, continuing their education or volunteering after graduation, and that 64% of bachelor's recipients stay in Massachusetts. College Scorecard reports median earnings of $71,631 ten years after entry for students who received federal aid.
Student life
UMass runs one of the largest on-campus housing systems in the US: over 14,000 students, about 60% of undergraduates, live in 51 halls across seven residential areas, from the Southwest towers to suite-style Sylvan and the Commonwealth Honors College complex. First-years are guaranteed housing, and 23% of the fall 2025 class joined one of 22 Residential Academic Programs. UMass Dining, with four dining commons, has been ranked No. 1 nine years in a row. There are more than 400 active student groups, club sports and student-run cooperative businesses.
- UMass Dining has been ranked No. 1 in the country nine years in a row, according to the university.
- More than 400 active student organizations, plus club and intramural sports and student-run co-op businesses.
- The Minutemen and Minutewomen compete in NCAA Division I; the Minuteman Marching Band performed in the 2018 Rose Parade.
- 22 Residential Academic Programs let first-years live with classmates in the same courses.
Housing. First-year students are guaranteed on-campus housing, and about 60% of all undergraduates live on campus.
Location
Amherst is a college town in western Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley, the "Happy Valley", surrounded by farms, the Holyoke Range and the Connecticut River. Northampton's cafes and venues are a short, free PVTA bus ride away, and Boston is about two hours by direct bus, New York about three hours by train or bus.
Nearest airport: Bradley International Airport (BDL), Hartford-Springfield
Notable alumni
- JW Jack WelchChairman and CEO of General Electric (1981-2001); studied chemical engineering at UMass Amherst
- KF Kenneth FeinbergAttorney who ran the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund; BA 1967
- JE Julius ErvingBasketball Hall of Famer "Dr. J"; played for UMass and completed his degree in 1986
- WM William MonahanAcademy Award-winning screenwriter of The Departed
- BS Briana ScurryUS women's national team goalkeeper and World Cup and Olympic champion; UMass soccer
- TM Taj MahalGrammy-winning blues musician
- BP Bill PullmanActor; MFA in theater from UMass Amherst, 1980
Frequently asked questions
What is the UMass Amherst acceptance rate?
For fall 2025, UMass Amherst admitted 31,813 of 53,117 first-year applicants, about 59.9%. Majors such as computer science, nursing, engineering and business are considerably more selective.
Is UMass Amherst test-optional for fall 2027?
Yes. Tests are optional for all first-year applicants and all majors, and scores are superscored if you send them. Enrolled students who submitted scores in fall 2025 had a middle 50% SAT of 1330-1480 or ACT of 30-34.
Does UMass Amherst have Early Decision?
No. UMass offers non-binding Early Action (deadline November 5) and Regular Decision (January 15); Early Action decisions are posted by the end of January.
How much does UMass Amherst cost for out-of-state and international students?
For 2026-27 UMass estimates tuition and fees of $43,299 for out-of-state and $43,819 for international students, and a total cost of attendance of $63,983 and $69,465. Non-Massachusetts admits are automatically considered for the Chancellor's Award of $10,000 to $18,000 a year.
How do I get into Commonwealth Honors College?
Indicate interest on your application and answer the honors short-answer question; selection is holistic and decisions arrive with your admission letter. Current students can also apply after one full-time semester.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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