University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Public · Moderately Selective · MA

Photo: Quintin Soloviev (CC BY 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationMA · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads23,671

Student:faculty17:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate75.4%

6-yr grad rate83.3%

Drop-out rate8.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$18k

Out-of-state tuition$40k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity42.9%

Gender diversity52.3%

International7.6%

Identity—

Overview

UMass Amherst is the flagship of the UMass system, set in a classic New England college town in the Pioneer Valley and anchored visually by the W.E.B. Du Bois Library tower, a landmark visible for miles around. It belongs to the Five College Consortium, letting students cross-register at Amherst College, Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Hampshire — a rare arrangement that gives a large public flagship's students access to small liberal-arts classrooms as well. The overall culture leans progressive and community-minded, backed by the resource depth of a major research university.

Academics

The Isenberg School of Management is a genuine strength and a well-regarded undergraduate business program within a public university, and computer science has grown into one of the most in-demand majors on campus, alongside solid food science and public health programs tied to the university's land-grant roots — the Stockbridge School of Agriculture traces back to Massachusetts Agricultural College, UMass's original identity. Commonwealth Honors College offers smaller seminars and its own dedicated residential community for students who want that scale inside a large campus, and cross-registration through the Five Colleges meaningfully broadens course access beyond any single campus's catalog.

Campus & student life

The Amherst area is quintessential college-town New England, with several other campuses clustered nearby that add a lively, youth-heavy cultural and social scene well beyond UMass's own considerable size. UMass dining is nationally recognized and a genuine, oft-mentioned point of student pride rather than an incidental amenity. Athletics compete at the mid-major level, drawing loyal but not overwhelming attention set against the university's academic and cultural life.

Getting in

Review is holistic but operates at large-public-university scale, with strong weight on academic preparation, course rigor, and demonstrated interest in the intended major, since some programs — computer science especially — are considerably more selective within the university than admission to UMass overall, effectively creating several different admission bars under one flagship name.

After graduation

Graduates spread in many directions given the university's size and breadth, with especially strong pipelines from computer science and engineering into regional and national tech employers, and from public health and the life sciences into research positions and graduate or medical school. The New England location also gives reasonably easy access to the Boston job market for students who want it.

Worth knowing

The Five College cross-registration privilege is a genuine differentiator worth weighing seriously for a student who wants small-liberal-arts-college classes without committing to a small college. The dining program's reputation is well earned rather than marketing, and it often surprises visiting families used to typical large-university food service.

umass.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate59.7%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1310–1500 · ACT 30–33

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 5

Regular decisionJan 15

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App.

Early Action (November 5) is non-binding; admitted students have until May 1 to compare offers.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗