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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Amherst College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/amherst-college/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/amherst-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/amherst-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/amherst-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/amherst-college/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Amherst College cost after financial aid?

The lowest income band averages $1,086, while the highest averages $47,521. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients is $23,367, which is the average cost after grants and scholarships.

That sits $1,020 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places the college in the 56th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $13,740 in federal loans, which is $11,260 below the median for comparable institutions.

About 19.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, the group the lowest band applies to. After grants and scholarships, aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $1,086.

The figure is $1,570 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $17,478 for the $48,001–$75,000 band, $23,639 for the $75,001–$110,000 band, and $47,521 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $46,435.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$1,086

**$30–48K**
$1,570

**$48–75K**
$17,478

**$75–110K**
$23,639

**$110K+**
$47,521

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$23,367**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 73% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a reduction of $64,273 from the sticker price. The pattern across income bands is steep.

The lowest-income band averages $1,086 while the highest band averages $47,521, a spread of $46,435. The lower bands see the published cost nearly erased, while the highest band pays a figure closer to the sticker price.

The pricing structure here means the net cost is higher for families with more income, concentrating the largest aid offsets on the lowest-income families.

The published cost of attendance at Amherst College is $87,640 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the college #627 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $1,086, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $17,478, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $47,521. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $46,435.

Aid covers about 73% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price for first-time full-time aid recipients to $23,367. That is $1,020 above the median of $22,347 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $13,740 in federal student loans, $11,260 below the peer median of $25,000. About 50.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $47,598 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $156 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

At Amherst College, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $79,243 four years after completing a degree. That is $23,328 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size), which is $55,915.

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that earnings figure is at the 88th percentile. Graduates earn about $14,494 less than the model expects for similar students.

That gap lands at the 9th percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a wide range.

The downside earnings scenario is $55,935, the typical scenario is $79,243, and the upside scenario is $138,381. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $13,740 in federal loans, $11,260 below the peer median.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $156 a month. That debt sits below the peer median, while earnings are above the peer median but below the model's expectation.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $47,598. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $156 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$47,598

**Estimated parent payment**
$605/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$13,740

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$47,598

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$156/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$605/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$761/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $79,243, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**3.3%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=amherst-college#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.