Amherst College acceptance rate, SAT range and net price

Need-blind for the whole world, and what that does to the pool

Amherst reads international applications without looking at the family's finances, and the applicant pool shows it. Of the 15,819 applications for fall 2025, 6,346 came from international students, about four in ten, and only 92 of them were admitted. Massachusetts residents filed 1,061 applications and received 123 offers; students from other states filed 8,412 and received 1,007. For an international student the published rate overstates the odds; for a domestic student it understates them a little.

Early Decision is the only early round, due November 9, 2026 for the next class, with regular applications due January 5, 2027. For fall 2025, 971 students applied early and 216 were admitted, and Amherst says about 17 percent of its admitted students come through that round.

Amherst: where your SAT score lands

Your SAT total

Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.)

54%

Middle 50%	1,470 to 1,540
Your score is	inside the middle 50%

Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), CDS 2025-2026, C9 (192 SAT submitters, 78 ACT submitters). Normal curve fitted to the two published percentiles.

Odds and net price at other universities →

Scores at a college where most students sent none

Only 40% of the entering class submitted an SAT and 16% an ACT. The range of 1,470 to 1,540 therefore describes a minority that chose to show a strong result. Amherst accepts self-reported scores and treats the ACT science section as optional. A score close to the median of 1,510 supports an application; a score well below the lower end is usually better withheld, since students without scores were admitted on transcripts, essays and recommendations.

A comprehensive fee that does not cover the full cost

For 2026-27 Amherst bills tuition of $75,330, housing and meals of $20,320 and $710 of student activities fees, then adds $1,800 for personal expenses in its budget, for $98,160. The college says a year of education actually costs it about $140,000; the endowment covers the difference for every student. Aid is never based on merit. Amherst calls itself a no-loan school, and more than 80% of the Class of 2025 graduated with no student debt. The federal averages for 2023-24 were $1,570 for incomes between $30,001 and $48,000, $23,639 between $75,001 and $110,000 and $47,521 above that.

Amherst: net price for your family income

Family income per year

$

Average net price, 2023-24

$17,478

Income band	$48,001-$75,000
Share of the 2023-24 cost	20%

Federal figure for first-year students on federal aid.

Compare with other universities →

Amherst beside Williams and Wellesley

Amherst and Williams admit at similar rates and charge within a few thousand dollars of each other, yet Williams adds free tuition up to $200K while Amherst extends need-blind reading abroad. Wellesley and Bowdoin complete the comparison in the comparison tool.