# University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Public college in Amherst, MA. IPEDS ID 166629.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-massachusetts-amherst · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/university-of-massachusetts-amherst.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 60% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $22,383 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 83%; beats 73% of MA colleges and 92% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $71,631; beats 64% of MA colleges and 87% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $20,000

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $10,164 |
| 30-48k | $10,456 |
| 48-75k | $12,932 |
| 75-110k | $18,964 |
| 110k+ | $30,793 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.1 years on average (76% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $71,631 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $39,880 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MA (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $10,164 | $41,672 | 1.3 years |
| 30-48k | $10,456 | $42,870 | 1.4 years |
| 48-75k | $12,932 | $53,021 | 1.7 years |
| 75-110k | $18,964 | $77,752 | 2.4 years |
| 110k+ | $30,793 | $126,251 | 4.0 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $34,549 in-state; about $57,226 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $17,772 in-state, $40,449 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $14,869; books: $1,000

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 650–730; SAT math: 660–770; ACT: 30–33 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 50,424 applicants, 29,129 admitted, 5,286 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 60%, ACT 30–33 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 58%, ACT 29–33 (IPEDS Admissions)

### Common Data Set 2025-26 (Fall 2025)
- Very important: rigor, gpa; important: class rank, essay, recommendations, extracurriculars, talent, character, work experience; considered: test scores, first generation, volunteer
- Early decision: no; early action: not reported; waitlist: yes (2349 admitted of 7261 who accepted a spot)
- Average high school GPA of enrolled first-years: 4.05
- Aid (full-time first-years): average 86.4% of need met; 474 of 2354 with need fully met; merit aid to students without need: 1972 students, average $7,757
- Source: https://www.umass.edu/uair/media/1062/download

## Majors (73 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $88,554 | $123,519 | $23,569 |
| Computer Engineering | $89,327 | $113,083 | $27,000 |
| Electrical Engineering | $79,414 | $101,091 | $27,000 |
| Accounting | $67,574 | $100,516 | $23,250 |
| Chemical Engineering | $72,514 | $97,990 | $27,000 |
| Industrial Engineering | $70,554 | $97,791 | $27,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $73,972 | $96,999 | $27,000 |
| Finance | $68,920 | $96,995 | $23,250 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | $64,939 | $93,156 | $23,750 |
| Business Administration | $64,138 | $92,623 | $22,014 |
| Nursing | $81,452 | $90,309 | $29,548 |
| Civil Engineering | $69,757 | $88,076 | $27,000 |
| Marketing | $58,462 | $86,299 | $23,750 |
| Mathematics | $42,682 | $83,338 | $23,250 |
| Economics | $52,309 | $80,434 | $26,000 |
| Chemistry | not reported | $78,373 | not reported |
| Biochemistry | $44,324 | $77,853 | $25,916 |
| Food Science and Technology | $59,547 | $77,771 | not reported |
| Physiology | $31,915 | $74,422 | $27,000 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $36,362 | $73,242 | $25,742 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $36,419 | $73,238 | $26,227 |
| Biology | $40,427 | $72,726 | $27,000 |
| Physics | not reported | $72,596 | $27,000 |
| Hospitality Management | $39,266 | $70,916 | $24,385 |
| Legal Studies / Paralegal | $36,181 | $69,269 | $23,000 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | $47,331 | $66,642 | $27,000 |
| Landscape Architecture | $46,163 | $64,477 | not reported |
| Public Health | $37,364 | $63,854 | $26,000 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | $30,693 | $63,620 | $23,250 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $47,762 | $63,383 | $29,309 |
| Nutrition Science | $24,746 | $63,019 | $23,791 |
| Communications | $36,380 | $60,891 | $25,125 |
| Political Science | $43,545 | $60,726 | $24,865 |
| Animal Sciences | $40,008 | $59,543 | $27,000 |
| Veterinary / Animal Health Technologies / Technicians | $42,482 | $59,298 | $27,000 |
| Agriculture / Veterinary Preparatory Programs | $34,600 | $57,461 | $24,388 |
| Sociology | $31,686 | $56,960 | $25,000 |
| History | $26,805 | $56,597 | $22,750 |
| Environmental Design | not reported | $55,571 | $26,000 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $29,690 | $54,215 | $25,000 |
| Journalism | $37,091 | $52,011 | $25,447 |
| Plant Sciences | $37,170 | $51,912 | $27,000 |
| Psychology | $32,223 | $51,274 | $26,000 |
| English | $24,521 | $48,475 | $23,950 |
| Studio Art | $18,072 | $46,027 | $27,000 |
| Agricultural Production Operations | $25,439 | $42,520 | $23,250 |
| Anthropology | $24,120 | $31,186 | not reported |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biomedical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | $20,334 | not reported | not reported |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sustainability Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics and Computer Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Public Policy Analysis | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Sciences, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | $27,000 |

## Major to career
- Communications → Public relations specialist: median wage $72,610 (Amherst Town-Northampton, MA), $79,660 (MA), $74,750 (U.S.)
- Nursing → Registered nurse: median wage $101,270 (Amherst Town-Northampton, MA), $104,550 (MA), $97,550 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).