Amherst College

Amherst College's published cost of attendance is $87,640, but need-based aid substantially reshapes that figure across income levels. Low-income families see a net price of approximately $1,086 — meaning institutional aid covers most or all of the cost for qualifying families — while middle-income families pay around $17,478, and higher-income families pay approximately $47,521.

Azimuth ranks Amherst College #631 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Amherst College's aid structure is need-based, with no merit component.

The college commits to meeting demonstrated financial need in full for admitted students, and families apply using the FAFSA and CSS Profile. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.

Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $13,740, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $47,598; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions. For a graduate at Amherst College's median four-year earnings of $79,243, median federal debt of $13,740 projects to a monthly payment of about $155 under standard ten-year repayment.

For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates earn median 4-year earnings of $79,243, placing Amherst College in the 86.3 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $57,042 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band).

Graduates earn about $13,294 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Amherst College in the 13.5 percentile for [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Amherst College #225 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings pattern at Amherst College is anchored by Social Sciences, which accounts for 22% of degrees and consistently channels graduates into high-earning analytical and professional roles. Arts represents 5% of the degree mix, and other STEM fields accounts for 5%, together forming a program portfolio oriented toward graduate-school pipelines and knowledge-economy careers.

Economics stands out as the highest aggregate-return field — combining meaningful cohort scale with strong four-year earnings — and Azimuth ranks Economics #13 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions [per the program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/), with 91 graduates earning median earnings of $141,730 four years after enrollment, roughly 1.7x the national benchmark for the field. Mathematics and Research Psychology follow as the next largest programs by cohort, with graduates earning $124,324 and $69,204 respectively at the four-year mark.

Among the highest-earning programs, Political Science and Computer Science deliver strong early-career pay, with Azimuth ranking Political Science #146 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment.

Amherst College's program mix is anchored in Social Sciences, a concentration that shapes the institution's academic identity and career outcomes. Social Sciences account for 22% of graduates, with Economics as the dominant subfield — a pattern more closely aligned with selective liberal arts peers than with engineering-heavy research universities.

Arts and other STEM fields round out the mix at 5% and 5% respectively, reflecting the breadth of a classic liberal arts curriculum. The strongest financial outcomes cluster in quantitative and analytically oriented fields.

Azimuth ranks Computer Science #46 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with graduates earning $142,680. Azimuth ranks Economics #13 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with graduates earning $141,730, and Mathematics ranks #7 among nonprofit four-year institutions for the same measure with median earnings of $124,324.

The most popular programs by graduate volume — Economics, Mathematics, and Research Psychology — reflect the institution's social-sciences-leaning identity. Several of these fields are grad-school-dependent pathways where four-year earnings undercount the longer-run trajectory, as a meaningful share of graduates continue to law school, graduate study, or professional programs before entering the workforce.

The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these program families align with national labor-market trends. Across 27 programs serving roughly 738 graduates annually, Amherst College's academic portfolio rewards students who pair a liberal arts foundation with analytically intensive coursework — particularly in economics, mathematics, and the quantitative social sciences.