Admissions Factors
What Amherst Looks For
Amherst rates 7 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, standardized test scores, application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities and talent or ability.
How Amherst rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Very important
Important
Considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
7.7%
1,222 of 15,819 applicants
Early decision admit rate
22.2%
Early decision admits equal 45% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
5.9%
44 of 740 who stayed on it
88% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Amherst look for in applicants?
Amherst rates 7 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, standardized test scores, application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities and talent or ability.
Does Amherst consider legacy status?
Amherst rates alumni relation as "not considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Amherst track demonstrated interest?
Amherst rates the level of an applicant's interest as "not considered".
What is Amherst's waitlist acceptance rate?
740 students stayed on the waitlist and 44 were admitted, a rate of 5.9%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
What is Amherst's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 216 of 971 applicants were admitted (22.2%), against 7.7% overall. Early pools include recruited athletes and other students with a strong tie to the college, so the gap overstates the boost for an ordinary applicant.
Source: Amherst’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.
