University of Massachusetts – Amherst

university of massachusetts amherst tuition

Degree Programs Available at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst

The University of Massachusetts – Amherst appears in our ranking of the 50 Most Affordable Bachelor’s Degrees in Journalism Online.

The University of Massachusetts – Amherst offers more than 70 graduate programs, nearly 50 doctoral programs and close to 100 majors for undergraduate students. Students who have good math skills and want to work as accountants can enroll in the university’s accounting program. It includes an option for those who want to attend graduate school and can help students transition into the accountancy program that the university offers. The finance program features some of the same courses and is available from the Isenberg School of Management too.

Both a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) is available from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst in Art. This program requires that students submit portfolios for evaluation and that they choose their best work to show the university why they deserve a spot in the program. It gives majors the chance to take courses in sculpture, photography and other areas of art and includes options for them to show their work in a public setting. Some of the top undergraduate programs available from the university let students major in legal studies, journalism, chemistry, biology, and industrial engineering.

Graduate and doctoral students can attend the University of Massachusetts – Amherst too. One of its unique programs is in Afro-American Studies. The graduate program includes a terminal option for those who do not want to continue their studies, but this is also available as a doctoral program for students who can do the research needed for a dissertation. The business, education, nursing, engineering, and public health programs rank among the best that the university offers. In the community health education program, students earn a Master of Public Health after taking their required classes and doing some fieldwork.

About the University of Massachusetts – Amherst

The University of Massachusetts – Amherst is a comprehensive public university in Amherst, Massachusetts known for its research and liberal arts programs. Founded in 1863 as the Massachusetts Agricultural College, it became Massachusetts State College in 1931 and kept this name until the late 1940s. Though some use the university’s full name, others use its nicknames, which include UMass and Massachusetts.

Massachusetts ranks as both the largest campus and the flagship institution in the UMass system. U.S. News and World Report ranks UMass as one of the world’s and nation’s best schools. It also ranked the university as having some of the best graduate programs in public health, sociology, math, psychology and engineering. UMass is one of the members of the Five Colleges Consortium, which gives students access to the resources available on other campuses in the organization. More than 30,000 students attend UMass every year.

University of Massachusetts – Amherst Accreditation Details

UMass has multiple types of accreditation that incoming and returning students can use. The most important type comes from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) through its Commission on Institutions of Higher Learning (CIHL). This lets incoming students transfer credits from another regionally accredited campus and take their UMass credits to another school. It also gives students the option of getting financial aid, which they get after using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). UMass also has accreditation for many degree programs, including those in nutrition and dietetics, education, public health, nursing, and psychology.

University of Massachusetts – Amherst Application Requirements

Students can find out whether UMass accepted them before the holiday season when they apply and submit all their documents by the early action deadline of November fifth. Students must use the Common Application and apply online, but they have until January 15 to apply and meet the university’s final deadline. UMass then lets students submit their decision letters through the beginning of May. Prospective freshmen need to submit transcripts that list their grades up through the end of the 11th grade, an ACT or SAT score, one letter of recommendation and a response to an essay question. There is also an $80 application fee. Students’ transcripts should show that they completed two years of one foreign language and social science classes, three years of life or health science and math courses and four years of English classes as well as a few electives. Certain programs will ask for portfolios or require that students audition.

Prospective graduate students can attend virtual and in-person information sessions to learn about the university’s degree programs and to check out its admissions requirements. All programs require that students have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited campus and that they apply online and pay an $80 application fee. They will also write a personal statement on their reasons for choosing UMass and their professional experiences and provide two letters of recommendation. Most UMass programs ask for a test score, resume and transcript too. Students applying to a doctoral program will need to meet the same requirements and follow the same steps.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Only students who submit a residency form and show proof that they are Massachusetts full-time residents will qualify for the UMass in-state rate. This rate comes to $16,389 for tuition and fees. Nonresidents pay $35,710 per year for their tuition and fees. New England residents who live in other states receive a discount of nearly $7,000 a year off the nonresident rate. All undergrads who live on the UMass campus will pay close to $14,000 a year for room and board too. Full-time graduate students pay $8,486 per semester for their classes and fees if they qualify for the in-state rate. The cost rises to $14,635 per semester for other New England residents and $17,293 per semester for all other nonresidents.

UMass financial aid packages include government and institutional aid for students in need. The university requires a completed FAFSA and will only grant financial aid to students who also submit a full application and all other required documents. Dozens of scholarships go to undergrads in need, but some of these scholarships are based on the merit that students show on their applications or the talent that they demonstrate in sports or performing arts fields. The financial aid packages that go to students in all the degree programs at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst can include on-campus jobs, grants and loans also.