Basic Information

Type Public
Geographical Reach Regional
Location Amherst, MA
Population 250,000
Map of the United States

Weather

Comfortable Days 110 (71%)
Sunshine Hours 2,350 (21%)
Days Without Precipitation 231 (21%)

Honors College

Name Commonwealth Honors College
Students 3,000 (13%)

Demographics

Total Undergraduates 23,580
Men / Women 48% / 52%
From State 69%
From Region 12%
Athletes 3.5%

Racial/Ethnic

White 57%
Asian 14%
Hispanic 9%
International 8%
Black 5%
Mixed 5%
Native American 0%

Schools & Majors

Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
College of Education 77 13% / 87% 1% $63,052 63 100%
Education 77 +7 13% / 87% 1% $63,052 63 100%
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
College of Engineering 488 81% / 19% 8% $95,873 95 96%
Biomedical Engineering 80 62% / 38% 4% $93,940 94
Chemical Engineering 46 87% / 13% 11% $93,428 94 96%
Civil Engineering 50 68% / 32% 4% $83,576 88 93%
Computer Engineering 73 92% / 8% 22% $119,493 99 96%
Electrical Engineering 43 86% / 14% 9% $95,621 95 100%
Industrial Engineering 19 68% / 32% 16% $92,364 94 95%
Mechanical Engineering 177 87% / 13% 4% $91,554 93 96%
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
College of Humanities and Fine Arts 455 36% / 64% 3% $48,969 25 93%
Afro-American Studies 2 +2 0% / 100% 0% $61,424 60 95%
Chinese 3 0% / 100% 0% $40,644 9 79%
Classical Languages 7 +2 14% / 86% 0% $45,143 15 100%
Comparative Literature 12 +1 33% / 67% 0% $45,754 17 95%
English 88 +12 36% / 64% 1% $54,717 42 96%
French 3 +1 67% / 33% 0% $67,875 72 95%
German 7 +1 71% / 29% 29% $56,178 46
History 57 +6 44% / 56% 2% $51,850 33 92%
Italian 3 +3 33% / 67% 0% $67,875 72 95%
Japanese 7 +2 29% / 71% 0% $40,644 9 79%
Jewish/Judaic Studies 2 0% / 100% 0%
Liberal Arts 70 +10 37% / 63% 3% $52,843 36 90%
Linguistics 35 +4 40% / 60% 9% $45,754 17 95%
Linguistics and Computer Science 6 +1 50% / 50% 17%
Near and Middle Eastern Studies +1 $60,500 58
Philosophy 11 +8 73% / 27% 0% $45,075 15 80%
Portuguese 4 +4 0% / 100% 0% $67,875 72 95%
Russian and Eastern European Studies 1 +1 0% / 100% 0% $60,638 58
Spanish 13 +18 8% / 92% 8% $67,875 72 95%
Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies 8 +2 12% / 88% 0% $61,424 60 95%
Art History 11 +1 27% / 73% 0% $42,143 10 89%
Dance 15 7% / 93% 0% $39,746 8
Music 17 47% / 53% 0% $31,021 3 96%
Music Performance 18 50% / 50% 6% $31,021 3 95%
Studio Art 39 +1 28% / 72% 5% $42,143 10 89%
Theater 16 +1 56% / 44% 0% $39,556 7 92%
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
College of Information and Computer Sciences 538 72% / 28% 24% $122,354 99 93%
Computer Science 463 +8 74% / 26% 25% $126,556 99 95%
Informatics 75 63% / 37% 17% $96,417 95 86%
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
College of Natural Sciences 1,526 40% / 60% 6% $65,487 68 94%
Mathematics and Computer Science 1 100% / 0% 0% $100,615 97
Astronomy 16 +9 62% / 38% 19% $69,666 75
Chemistry 33 +1 58% / 42% 3% $82,538 88 92%
Geosciences 10 +3 40% / 60% 0% $64,061 65
Mathematics 186 +61 72% / 28% 25% $81,612 87 94%
Physics 41 +8 88% / 12% 12% $68,438 73 95%
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 140 +5 44% / 56% 6% $75,176 82 90%
Biological and Physical Sciences 8 38% / 62% 0% $65,315 68
Biology 336 +6 38% / 62% 2% $65,605 68 95%
Microbiology 46 39% / 61% 4% $66,935 71 84%
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture 31 +4 29% / 71% 3% $32,272 3 85%
Animal Science 27 +1 11% / 89% 0% $57,789 51 100%
Environmental Science 68 +1 40% / 60% 1% $55,177 43 97%
Food Science 20 40% / 60% 40% $72,020 78 95%
Horticultural Science 21 +2 48% / 52% 0% $49,127 25 96%
Natural Resource Conservation 78 +1 36% / 64% 1% $55,177 43 97%
Nutrition Sciences 40 +1 10% / 90% 10% $59,564 55 100%
Plant Science 9 33% / 67% 0% $49,127 25 96%
Turfgrass Science and Management 4 100% / 0% 0% $54,778 42 93%
Veterinary Technology 20 10% / 90% 0% $56,116 46 100%
Veterinary and Animal Sciences 68 16% / 84% 1% $86,776 91 100%
Communication Disorders 77 +1 4% / 96% 0% $57,533 50 100%
Interdisciplinary Studies 220 31% / 69% 0% $55,062 43 88%
Sustainability Studies 26 +2 42% / 58% 0% $57,657 50
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences 1,574 43% / 57% 6% $68,335 73 94%
Economics 116 +3 72% / 28% 19% $87,959 91 94%
Economics 169 +47 73% / 27% 14% $87,959 91 94%
Anthropology 25 +9 24% / 76% 8% $43,938 13 95%
Communication 179 +24 45% / 55% 3% $71,260 77 93%
Geography 14 +2 71% / 29% 7% $65,215 68
Journalism 62 +26 31% / 69% 2% $56,627 47 97%
Political Science 127 +15 55% / 45% 1% $65,589 68 95%
Psychology 528 +42 23% / 77% 5% $59,927 56 93%
Public Policy 14 +3 36% / 64% 7%
Social Sciences 13 +2 54% / 46% 0% $52,125 34
Sociology 95 +15 28% / 72% 1% $51,762 33 95%
Architecture 118 73% / 27% 3% $87,892 91 100%
Landscape Architecture 23 48% / 52% 0% $60,833 58 100%
Legal Studies 91 +34 38% / 62% 1% $65,057 67 95%
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing 93 15% / 85% 1% $86,127 90 99%
Nursing 93 15% / 85% 1% $86,127 90 99%
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
Isenberg School of Management 1,273 57% / 43% 7% $84,291 89 95%
Accounting 123 61% / 39% 3% $95,864 95 94%
Finance 383 73% / 27% 9% $95,114 95 96%
Hospitality and Tourism Management 56 +11 18% / 82% 9% $60,652 58 97%
Management 134 51% / 49% 5% $87,918 91 94%
Marketing 232 38% / 62% 4% $68,663 74 96%
Sport Management 118 +36 74% / 26% 7% $67,952 72 98%
Supply Chain Management 227 52% / 48% 7% $87,918 91 94%
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
School of Public Health and Health Sciences 333 26% / 74% 2% $68,253 73 96%
Kinesiology 150 +2 43% / 57% 5% $73,896 80 97%
Public Health 183 +10 13% / 87% 1% $63,629 64 96%

Financial

In-State Tuition & Fees $18,671
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees $43,032
Est. In-State Cost $24,153
Est. Out-of-State Cost $55,666
ROI Percentile 83th

Retention & Graduation

Full-Time Retention 92%
4-Year Graduation Rate 75%
6-Year Graduation Rate 83%
Transfer-Out Rate 10%

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).

Academics

% Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
Humanities & Social Sciences 25.8% 1,642 33% / 67% 3% $58,595 53 93%
Business & Economics 24.5% 1,558 60% / 40% 8% $84,962 89 95%
Computer Science 8.5% 539 72% / 28% 24% $122,314 99 93%
Life & Natural Sciences 8.3% 530 40% / 60% 3% $68,244 73 93%
Health Sciences 7.9% 503 21% / 79% 2% $69,917 75 97%
Engineering 7.7% 488 81% / 19% 8% $95,874 95 96%
Agriculture & Food Science 6.1% 386 28% / 72% 4% $59,988 56 97%
Physical Sciences & Math 4.5% 286 71% / 29% 19% $78,548 85 94%
Arts 4.0% 257 54% / 46% 3% $63,005 63 97%
Professional 1.4% 91 38% / 62% 1% $65,057 67 95%
Education 1.2% 77 13% / 87% 1% $63,052 63 100%

Research R1

Research $ Rank Federal Industry $ PhDs Rank PhD students Postdocs
Engineering $84.1M #58 51% $4.8M 57 #66 430 56
Physical Sciences & Math $39.2M #86 66% $0.7M 52 #63 363 33
Life & Natural Sciences $38.1M #92 52% $0.0M 36 #73 256 22
Computer Science $35.9M #19 50% $2.1M 24 #37 319 11
Agriculture & Food Science $30.6M #44 57% $0.3M 35 #15 136 32
Humanities & Social Sciences $20.3M #103 48% $0.3M 67 #75 306 14
Health Sciences $14.7M #116 58% $0.6M 17 #103 95 4
Education $5.7M #89 39% $0.1M 31 #133
Business & Economics $3.9M #118 20% $0.0M 18 #67 126 3
Total $272M #98 53% $8.9M 337 #66 2,031 175

Expenditure and funding source: NSF HERD, FY2024. Degrees: IPEDS completions, 2023–24. Students and postdocs: NSF Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates, fall 2024, which covers science, engineering and selected health fields only. An em dash means the source does not report the figure, which is not the same as zero.

Admissions

Uses Common App Yes
Acceptance Rate 60%
Yield (Unbound) 18%
Early Action Nov 1
Regular Decision Jan 1

Acceptance Rates

In-State Out-of-State International
Regular Decision 60% 60% 60%

Early Action and Restrictive Early Action applicants are reported at the regular-decision rate.

Standardized Tests

Test Policy optional
Submitted Test Scores 25%
SAT Range 1310 – 1500
SAT Math Range 660 – 770
SAT RW Range 650 – 730