Students at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst achieve exceptional long-term earnings that place the university among the top performers nationally for graduate financial outcomes.
The combination of strong overall earnings and particularly impressive results for low-income students demonstrates the university's ability to deliver meaningful economic advancement across different student populations.
Azimuth ranks the University of Massachusetts-Amherst 28th out of 406 public four-year institutions nationwide, placing it in the top 7% for overall value. As Massachusetts' flagship research university, UMass Amherst combines academic prestige with strong financial outcomes, particularly excelling in long-term earnings where it ranks in the top 10% nationally. The university serves a moderately selective student body with about 20% receiving Pell Grants and 22% being first-generation college students.
What distinguishes UMass Amherst is its ability to deliver exceptional career outcomes across a broad range of disciplines. Graduates earn a median of $71,631 ten years after enrollment, with particularly strong performance in computer science, engineering, and business fields. The university's research focus and extensive alumni network create pathways into high-paying careers, especially in the Northeast corridor's technology and finance sectors.
As a large public research university with over 30,000 students, UMass Amherst offers the comprehensive resources of a flagship institution while maintaining relatively predictable costs for Massachusetts families. The combination of academic reputation, research opportunities, and strong post-graduation earnings makes it a compelling choice for students seeking both intellectual challenge and financial security.
The University of Massachusetts-Amherst offers strong earning potential across multiple fields, with computer science and engineering leading the way in both enrollment and financial outcomes. Computer Science combines the highest aggregate return with substantial enrollment of 310 graduates earning $78,232 median income, while Computer Engineering delivers even higher individual earnings of $75,518 for its smaller cohort of 61 graduates. These STEM programs benefit from Massachusetts' robust technology sector and proximity to Boston-area employers.
Psychology represents the university's largest program with 475 graduates, though earnings are more modest at $31,961, reflecting the field's typical career patterns that often require graduate education for higher-paying positions. The university's broad program portfolio spans liberal arts, sciences, business, and professional fields, with engineering and computer science programs consistently delivering the strongest immediate financial returns.
What makes UMass Amherst particularly valuable is the breadth of programs that lead to solid middle-class careers, even beyond the highest-earning STEM fields. The university's research focus, extensive alumni network, and location in the Northeast corridor create opportunities across industries, from technology and healthcare to education and public service, providing multiple pathways to financial stability for graduates with diverse academic interests.
Graduates of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst achieve strong long-term financial outcomes, with median earnings of $71,631 ten years after enrollment. This performance places the university in the top 10% nationally for graduate earnings, reflecting both the quality of academic programs and the strength of career services and alumni networks. The university's location in Massachusetts, with its concentration of technology companies, healthcare systems, and financial services firms, provides graduates with access to high-paying regional job markets.
Computer Science stands out as UMass Amherst's highest aggregate-return program, combining strong enrollment of 310 graduates with excellent median earnings of $78,232. Computer Engineering delivers even higher individual earnings at $75,518 for its 61 graduates, while Psychology remains the largest program with 475 graduates earning a median of $31,961. The university's engineering programs consistently produce graduates who command strong starting salaries and see rapid career advancement, particularly in the Boston-area technology sector. Business, life sciences, and other STEM fields also contribute significantly to the university's overall earnings performance, creating multiple pathways to financial success for students across different academic interests.
Decomposes the earnings-above-expectation score into program mix, labor market alignment, and the remaining institutional residual.
Negative program contribution values reflect how the school's mix compares with the model, not that the school is weak in that field.
The University of Massachusetts-Amherst offers predictable affordability for Massachusetts families, with net prices that vary significantly by income level. Low-income students pay approximately $11,103 annually, which is competitive with other flagship universities, while middle-income families face costs around $16,738 per year. High-income families see net prices of about $31,297, reflecting the university's approach of providing substantial aid to lower-income students while expecting higher-income families to pay closer to full costs.
Debt levels at UMass Amherst are manageable relative to the strong earnings outcomes graduates achieve. Typical federal student loan debt is $22,763, and Parent PLUS borrowing averages $25,000 for families who choose this option. With median graduate earnings exceeding $71,000 ten years out, most borrowers can comfortably handle standard repayment schedules. The university's loan repayment data shows that borrowers pay down balances faster than national averages, with nearly 11% having paid off their loans completely by year zero and over 24% by year four, indicating strong financial outcomes that support debt repayment.
University Of Massachusetts-Amherst Hub Overview
Executive summary with admissions, cost, outcomes, and program analysis
