Amherst College

Our story is your story. Since 1821, we’ve been helping our students find their own voices, discover their own truths and forge their own paths in the world. Our students and alumni are the true authors of the Amherst story. Help write our next chapter. Amherst is a private, not-for-profit college that for almost two centuries has prepared students to use ideas to make a difference in the world. At Amherst, you are part of a lively, inquisitive, devoted community of students, faculty, staff and alumni who find inspiration in one another and in the process of learning.  

We prepare students to use ideas to make a difference in the world. Since our 1821 founding, Amherst has demonstrated steadfast confidence in the value of the liberal arts and the importance of critical thinking. Today, our financial aid program is among the most substantial in the nation, and our student body is among the most diverse. Small classes, an open curriculum and a singular focus on undergraduate education ensure that leading scholars engage daily with talented, curious students, equipping them for leadership in an increasingly global and complex world.

Amherst students have many opportunities to enrich their educations through co-curricular and extracurricular activities. A student might go to hear a guest speaker in anthropology, take a karate class, sing in an a cappella concert and then help paint a house with Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity—all in a single week. Students lead more than 100 autonomous organizations, including groups for activism, religious  cultural affinity groups, intramural sports, arts clubs, a debate team, a radio station and more. 97 percent of students live on campus, and housing is guaranteed for all four years. First-year students live in new or renovated residences on the Main Quad. Our Theme Houses offer learning-by-living opportunities. The Amherst College dining experience is much more than great food. It is a community experience focused on great service, culinary expertise, and fresh, local and natural ingredients with a commitment to environmental and social responsibility.