Private nonprofit · Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst College
Report an issueAmherst, MA · City · Small (1,911 undergrads)Website Net price calculator
The total cost of attendance at Amherst College was $90,670 for 2024–25, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Students who received federal aid paid an average net price of $19,536, and $2,424 if family income was under $30,000. In its Common Data Set (2024-25), the school reports 212 international undergraduates receiving aid, averaging $82,631.
Admit rate (2024–25)
9%
SAT / ACT middle 50%
1490–1580 · 33–35
Selectivity
Admit rate: 9% (most selective)
Admit-rate bands: under 15% most selective; 15–35% very selective; 35–60% selective; 60–85% moderately selective; 85% or more admits most applicants. Descriptive only, not a prediction.
Cost of attendance (2024–25)
$90,670
Official · U.S. Dept. of Education (College Scorecard)
Net price (average)
$19,536
Federal-aid recipients; not for international students
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs
$95,161
Median debt
$13,250
Net price by family income
| Family income | Avg net price | Students in band |
|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $2,424 | 34 |
| $30k–48k | $3,063 | 21 (small group) |
| $48k–75k | $13,814 | 27 (small group) |
| $75k–110k | $17,999 | 22 (small group) |
| $110k+ | $49,700 | 37 |
College Scorecard (most recent cohorts, release 2026-10-15), students who received federal (Title IV) aid. Bands with fewer than 30 students are greyed out because one or two students can move the average a lot. Counts: Scorecard fields NUM41–NUM45.
Your real cost
Published cost → aid by income → what internationals pay
- 1
Published cost of attendance: $90,670 per year (2024-25)
- Tuition & fees
- $67,280
- Housing & food (on campus)
- $17,560
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Other expenses
- $1,800
Total: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 2024-25. Breakdown: NCES IPEDS academic-year charges, 2023-24 (first-time, full-time undergrads). Costs usually rise each year.
- 2
U.S. students: average net price by family income
- $0–30,000
- $2,424
- $30,001–48,000
- $3,063
- $48,001–75,000
- $13,814
- $75,001–110,000
- $17,999
- $110,001+
- $49,700
Average for all aided students: $19,536. Net price = cost minus grants and scholarships (not loans).
Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25; students who received federal aid. Use the school's net price calculator for your own estimate.
- 3
International students: cost minus the school's own aid to internationals
Cost for a non-resident: $87,640. In 2024-25, 212 international (nonresident) undergraduates received institutional aid averaging $82,631.
For those aided students, that leaves about $5,009 a year. Students without an award pay the full cost. Past averages don't predict your award.
Source: the school's Common Data Set 2024-25, Section H6, numbers checked for consistency in the PDF (PDF copy from the College Transitions CDS repository), 2026-10-15. Open the CDS PDF
International students can't receive U.S. federal aid (Pell, federal loans, work-study). Add health insurance and travel.
Net price, earnings and debt
- Average net price per year
- $19,536
- Median earnings 10 years after entry
- $95,161
- Median federal debt at completion
- $13,250
Four years at the average net price ($78,144) is about 0.82× one year of median earnings.
Earnings and debt cover only students who received federal aid (grants or loans), not every graduate, and include students who did not finish. They describe past students and do not show that a college causes higher or lower earnings: who enrolls, what they study and where they live after all matter. International students are generally not in these figures.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (October 15, 2026 release). Earnings: median earnings of former students who received federal financial aid, measured 10 years after they entered the college (MD_EARN_WNE_P10). Debt: median federal loan debt of undergraduate borrowers who completed (GRAD_DEBT_MDN). Net price: average annual net price for federal aid recipients (NPT4). Compare colleges.
How students pay here
Need-based aid
We haven't verified this school's Common Data Set need figures (% of need met, average need-based grant).
Policy: need-blind for U.S. applicants (reported — confirm on the official aid page).
Merit (non-need) aid
No verified merit-aid figures. Federal data below combines need-based and merit grants.
All first-year aid (federal data)
- Got any financial aid
- 65%
- Got a grant from the school
- 58%
- Average $63,167 (need + merit)
- Got a Pell Grant
- 21%
- Average $5,485
- Got a state grant
- 4%
- Average $3,524
- Took a federal student loan
- 5%
- Average $5,192
International students
Need-blind for internationals and meets full need (reported — confirm on official page; No loans; international transfers same policy.)
Forms & deadlines
- FAFSA for U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens (this school takes federal aid). studentaid.gov
- CSS Profile or the school's own form: check the school's aid page; many private colleges require it, including for internationals. CSS Profile
- Aid deadlines: see the official aid page. We only list dates we've confirmed.
Sources: NCES IPEDS Student Financial Aid 2022-23 (full-time, first-time undergrads; IPEDS doesn't separate need and merit).
Curated policies
International aid: need blind full need (secondary) · Test policy: unknown · Early Decision (November): Not verified · Regular: Jan 5, 2027 · checked Oct 13, 2026. Official aid page
Living here
Amherst · Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
Cost of living about the U.S. average · 2-bedroom median rent $1,473 · transit commute share 2.8%
Est. monthly student budget
$1,270
See the area
· Compare
Compare cost with similar schools
- Boston UniversityBoston, MA · cost of attendance $90,106 · avg net price $36,503
- Williams CollegeWilliamstown, MA · cost of attendance $89,520 · avg net price $15,157
- Tufts UniversityMedford, MA · cost of attendance $92,054 · avg net price $38,797
- Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, CA · cost of attendance $91,510 · avg net price $26,039
- Duke UniversityDurham, NC · cost of attendance $90,696 · avg net price $23,706
- Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · cost of attendance $92,093 · avg net price $33,934
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts institution file (released Oct 15, 2026). Cost of attendance & admissions: 2024–25. Net price, earnings, debt and completion are the most recent cohorts in that release and lag by a few years; net price covers federal-aid recipients (not international students). Fit labels are rough indicators from published ranges, not admission odds. “—” = not reported.