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 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, 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.
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 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, 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.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Excellent affordability. Median debt of $13,740 is well under annual earnings, enabling comfortable repayment.
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 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, 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.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
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 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.
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
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 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, 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.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
