What a friend would tell you
What UMass is looking for
Apply to your intended school or program directly (Isenberg School of Management and College of Engineering are competitive). UMass values students who can articulate why a public flagship in the Five College Consortium offers something private alternatives don't. Honors College applicants face an extra review; treat it seriously. Strong STEM grades and AP coursework matter more than narrative polish here.
What students wish they'd known
The 64% four-year graduation rate is below peer flagships and reflects advising challenges at scale. Intro classes in popular majors are large and impersonal. The campus is spread out and hilly, making winter walks between classes unpleasant. While the Five College Consortium sounds great, cross-registration logistics are clunky in practice. Western Massachusetts is beautiful but remote; Boston is 90 minutes east.
UMass might be a fit if...
- You want a large public research university with Five College Consortium access and a New England college town setting
- You're targeting Isenberg Business, Engineering, or the Commonwealth Honors College specifically
- You want flagship-level opportunities and research at a Massachusetts public school price
UMass Admissions Strategy
Application Info
Plans: EA, RD
Deadlines: EA November 5 · RD January 15
Deadlines: EA November 5 · RD January 15
Test Policy
Test-optional
You choose whether to send scores. A strong score helps your case; a weak one is better left off.
Demonstrated Interest
Not Tracked
Not tracked. Skip the info-session circuit and put those hours into the application itself.
Interview
Not Offered
Yield Rate
36%
Only 36% of admits choose to enroll. The waitlist moves more than you'd think; if you land on it, make your interest loud.
Want the strongest possible application to UMass, plus better odds and merit offers everywhere else you apply?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at UMass
$45,200
Sticker Price
$13,500
In-State Tuition
$6,500
Avg Merit Aid
Need-aware admissions. Meets need: Partial. 73% receive financial aid.
For context: UMass spends about $12,000 per student per year on instruction and student resources, right around the $15K national average.
What UMass Graduates Get
$59,000
Avg Starting Salary
91%
Employed or in Grad School
75%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (83%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
UMass Campus & Culture
The Campus
UMass Amherst's 1,450-acre campus spreads across hills in the Pioneer Valley, anchored by the 26-story W.E.B. Du Bois Library (the tallest academic library in the world) and the brutalist Campus Center. Newer additions include the Isenberg School of Management building and the Integrated Sciences Building. The campus sits within the Five College Consortium (Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire), and downtown Amherst's restaurants and shops are a 10-minute walk.
The Social Scene
Five College Consortium access, college town culture, New England academic tradition
UMass Traditions & Trivia
Minuteman Foot Rub
The bronze Minuteman statue near Old Chapel gets his foot rubbed by students before exams, a superstition the Class of 1950 commissioned into existence when the sculpture arrived on the quad.
Pond Fires
On select weekend evenings, the university sets up fire pits and Adirondack chairs along Campus Pond with free s'mores, a tradition born after COVID that students voted to keep forever.
Spring Concert
For nearly 70 years the University Programming Council has brought headliners to campus, drawing acts from Bruce Springsteen to Phish.
Academics at UMass
What UMass is known for
Engineering, business school, Five College Consortium, Massachusetts culture
Most popular majors at UMass
Standout programs
Engineering, Business, Chemistry, Polymer Science
How the curriculum works
General Education (30 credits), major (36-54), electives
Recommended high school courses
4 years English, 3-4 Math, 3-4 Science, 2-3 Social Studies, 2 Foreign Language
Notable UMass Alumni
Julius Erving (Dr. J)
Basketball legend, UMass class of 1971
Natasha Trethewey
U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, UMass MFA
Jeff Taylor
Founded Monster.com, UMass class of 1982
Jack Welch
Legendary GE CEO, UMass BS in chemical engineering 1957
Jack Canfield
Co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, UMass class of 1966
If you like UMass, also consider
University of Connecticut
New England flagship peer with basketball culture
University of Vermont
smaller New England public with outdoor focus
SUNY Binghamton University
comparable Northeast public with stronger value reputation
University of New Hampshire
smaller New England flagship with similar setting
Penn State
larger Big Ten option with more school spirit