Profile of the Class of 2026

Welcome to Amherst College’s Admission and Enrollment Profile for the Class of 2026. After nearly eight decades of a formal report to secondary schools, I'm thrilled to be able to present the statistics on our enrolling class in this digital format. While below you'll find some demographic and statistical information about our newest Mammoths, there is even more to know about who they are. For example, more than 80 have names that start with the letter “A,” four are U.S. military veterans and nearly half identify as domestic students of color. You can read more about this incredible class in our fall web story, but I also encourage you to check out our student blogs and stories from campus, and see what else you'll learn about our diverse community of learners.

Yours in education,

Matthew L. McGann, Ed.D.
Dean of Admission and Financial Aid

Wilson Admission Center at Amherst College

Admission and Financial Aid Staff for 2022–2023

Our Admission and Financial Aid teams work together to strive toward providing an education for a more equitable and just world.

Admission Staff Financial Aid Staff

Who is in the Class of 2026?

17%

First-generation college students

21%

Pell Grant recipients

49%

Self-identify as U.S. students of color

12%

Non-U.S. citizens

9%

Dual citizens of U.S. and another country

49

Languages spoken

Racial and Ethnic Identity

  Federal Reporting Guidelines All Self-Reported Identities*
American Indian or Alaskan Native <1% 2%
Asian American 12% 20%
Black or African American 11% 17%
Latinx 16% 16%
Two or more races 10% N/A
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0% 2%
White 36% 54%
Did not report 3% 3%

*Total percentage exceeds 100% because students may indicate more than one race and ethnicity.

Gender Identification

A pie chart of Man 45%, Woman 52% and Another Gender Identity 2%

Class Rank & Test Scores


  • 90% of those with reported class rank are in the top 10% of their class
  • 26% of those ranked are valedictorians
  • Mean SAT scores: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 740, Math 763
  • Mean ACT scores: Composite 33, English 34, Math 32

Where Are They From?

High School Representation

 PublicIndependent/ 
Non-Religious		ReligiousHome SchoolUnknown
Applied88754474131111887
Admitted59336212140
Enrolled2331736010
Number of Schools in the Class2041284710

Geographical Distribution of Residence (Domestic)

New England 19%; Mid Atlantic 32%; Mid West 9%; South S. East 9%; West S. West 19%; International 11%; U.S. Territories 1%
  • New England: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut
  • Mid-Atlantic: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and West Virginia
  • Mid-West: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
  • South / Southeast: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas
  • West / Southwest: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming
  • U.S. Territories: Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico

Countries of Residence Represented

Students reside in:

  • 44 states, including the District of Columbia
  • 2 U.S. territories: Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico
  • 34 foreign countries

Countries of citizenship with multiple international students: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong S.A.R., India, Japan, Nepal, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom

Admission Statistics for the Class of 2026

Admission Statistics

Number of Applicants Number of Students Admitted Number of Students Enrolled
14,865 1,080 (7.3%) 467 (43%)

Enrollment Plan

Early Decision Regular Decision Questbridge Match
46% 51% 4%

Distribution of SAT Scores

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Applied Admitted Enrolled
Mean 727 748 742
Mid 50% 700–770 720–780 710–780
Math Applied Admitted Enrolled
Mean 752 766 763
Mid 50% 730–790 750–800 750–790
Total Number of Test Submissions 5917 525 184

Distribution of ACT Scores

ACT Composite Applied Admitted Enrolled
Mean 33 34 33
Mid 50% 32–35 33–35 32–35
ACT English Applied Admitted Enrolled
Mean 34 35 34
Mid 50% 34–36 34–36 34–36
ACT Math Applied Admitted Enrolled
Mean 32 33 32
Mid 50% 29–35 31–35 31–35
Total Number of Test Submissions 2110 254 101

Fall Transfer Students

  Male Female Total
Applied 252 (50%) 252 (50%) 504
Admitted 18 (58%) 13 (42%) 31
Enrolled 9 (47%) 10 (53%) 19
  • 53% of enrolled fall transfer students matriculated from a community college.
  • 3 transfer students enrolled in the spring of 2022.

Financial Aid

783 (73%) Admitted students who applied for scholarship and grant aid
582 (54%): Admitted students who demonstrated need for scholarship and grant aid
57.50%: Percentage of class receiving scholarship and grant aid

Admitted Students

  • 582: Of those, admitted students awarded scholarship and grant aid
  • $35,549,505: Total amount offered
  • $61,082: Average amount offered

Matriculating Students

  • 268: Matriculating students who received scholarship and grant aid
  • $16,964,709: Total amount
  • $63,538: Average amount

Academics

A pie chart: single 260; double 236; triple 9

Senior Major Distribution by Major

Select an accordion below to see a breakdown single, double and triple majors.