Is Amherst test optional?

Yes. You can apply without a score. A common rule is to send it if it's at or above 1540 and hold it if it's under.

What is Amherst's acceptance rate?

9.0% of applicants were admitted in 2024–25, according to the college's Common Data Set or, where that's missing, IPEDS, the federal college survey. In fall 2024, 1,238 of 13,743 applicants were admitted. Applications rose 60%, from 8,568 in 2015 to 13,743 in 2024, and Amherst's admit rate went from 14% to 9.0%.

What ACT score do you need for Amherst?

First-year students who sent an ACT scored 33–35, with a median of 34. On the official ACT–SAT concordance, their SAT range of 1500–1560 works out to about 34–35.

Does applying early decision help at Amherst?

29% of early decision applicants were admitted (216 of 735), against 9.0% of all applicants. Early pools often include recruited athletes and other strong applicants, so the real edge is smaller than the gap.

How many students get off the waitlist at Amherst?

8 of the 623 students who stayed on the waitlist were admitted, or 1.3%, per the Common Data Set 2024–25.

All colleges

What SAT score do you need for Amherst? (Middle 50%: 1500–1560)

First-year students at Amherst who sent an SAT scored 1500–1560, with a median of 1540 (Common Data Set 2024–25). Amherst admits 9.0% of applicants and is test optional.

Amherst College · Amherst, MA

Where your score lands at Amherst

First-year students who sent an SAT: 1500–1560, median 1540

Your score

Middle 50% of admitted students Median

Enter your SAT or ACT to see which tier Amherst is for you and whether to send your score.

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Amherst by the numbers

Admit rate: 9.0%
Middle 50% SAT: 1500–1560
Median SAT: 1540
About on the ACT: 34–35

Test optional · checked Nov 9, 2026 · Amherst admissions · SAT range from the Common Data Set, 2024–25; admit rate from it or IPEDS

Amherst admit rate over 10 years

Applications rose 60%, from 8,568 in 2015 to 13,743 in 2024, and Amherst's admit rate went from 14% to 9.0%.

14%
9.0%

Show the numbers

Fall	Applied	Admitted	Admit rate
2024	13,743	1,238	9.0%
2023	12,727	1,250	10%
2022	14,864	1,079	7.3%
2021	13,999	1,224	8.7%
2020	10,603	1,254	12%
2019	10,569	1,195	11%
2018	9,723	1,246	13%
2017	9,285	1,198	13%
2016	8,396	1,149	14%
2015	8,568	1,210	14%

In fall 2024, 480 of the 1,238 admitted students enrolled. Applicants and admits from IPEDS, the federal college survey, by fall of entry.

What each SAT score means at Amherst

Which tier your score puts them in, and whether it's worth sending.

Your SATTierSend it?

Under 1540Far reachHold
1540–1550Far reachSend
1560 and upReachSend

135014001450150015501600

Tiers here use only your SAT and their admit rate. Essays, activities and recommendations still decide most admissions at selective colleges.

Amherst SAT sections, ACT and class rank

Scores of enrolled first-year students who sent one, by percentile.

Test	25th	Median	75th
SAT Math	750	780	800
SAT Reading and Writing	740	760	780
SAT total	1500	1540	1560
ACT composite	33	34	35

Common Data Set 2024–25.

Top 10% of their class: 93%; of new students who reported a rank

Amherst early decision and waitlist

Early decision

216 of 735 early decision applicants were admitted.

Early decision29%
All applicants9.0%

Early pools often include recruited athletes and other strong applicants, so the gap overstates how much applying early helps on its own.

Waitlist

1,105 applicants were offered a spot, 623 took it, and 8 were admitted from it.

1.3%of students who stayed on the waitlist got in

Common Data Set 2024–25.

Amherst cost and outcomes

What students pay after grants, how many finish, and what they earn.

Average net price: $23,367; per year, after grants
Graduate in 6 years: 94%
Median earnings: $77,644; 10 years after starting
Undergraduates: 2,059

College Scorecard, 2022–23, from the US Department of Education. Net price averages federal-aid students across family incomes.

Colleges like Amherst

Similar SAT ranges and admit rates.

Sources

Amherst Common Data Set 2024–25
SAT and ACT ranges, early decision, waitlist, GPA and class rank, as the college reported them.
College Navigator (IPEDS)
Applications, admissions and enrollment by year, from the federal college survey.
College Scorecard
Net price, graduation rate and earnings, from the US Department of Education.
Amherst admissions
Test policy for 2026–27, checked Nov 9, 2026.
Amherst website
Amherst College

Updated Nov 9, 2026. Spot a number that's off? Email support@tryashore.com and we'll check it against the source.

Questions

Still have a question? support@tryashore.com

There's no cutoff. The middle 50% of first-year students who sent an SAT scored 1500–1560, and the median was 1540. At 1540 or higher you're above half of them. Amherst admits 9.0% of applicants, so a top score keeps you in the running but doesn't decide it.

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SAT Math · 1 of 5

Calculator allowed

A jacket's price is increased by 20% and then the new price is decreased by 20%. The final price is what percent of the original price?

A $96\%$
B $100\%$
C $104\%$
D $80\%$