Converse Hall
Converse Hall was once Amherst’s main library (hence the inscription on the lintel), but now it is the main administration building, housing the Offices of the President, Dean of the Faculty, Registrar, Financial Aid, and Student Affairs.
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Financial Aid
⭐ Financial Aid
We’re committed to making an Amherst education affordable to every admitted student. Under our need-blind admission policy, your family’s financial circumstances will never affect whether you’re admitted or not.
With our generous, no-loan financial aid packages, the majority of our students pay less—often far less—than the cost of attendance.
With our generous, no-loan financial aid packages, the majority of our students pay less—often far less—than the cost of attendance.
Financial Aid Policy
Our financial aid program is well known as one of the country’s best. Here’s why:
♦ Amherst is need-blind for both domestic and international applicants. No matter where in the world you live, no matter what your citizenship status, Amherst will make your admission decision without considering whether you apply for aid or to what degree you have financial need.
♦ Amherst meets the full demonstrated need of every admitted student. If your family shows that it can pay only a small portion of tuition and costs—or maybe none at all—Amherst pays the rest.
♦ Amherst offers generous scholarships. In 2020-21, Amherst provided more than $60 million in scholarship aid to our students and the average financial aid award was more than $58,000.
♦ Amherst's financial aid awards are loan-free. Financial aid awards at Amherst consist solely of scholarship and work, and do not include loans. For this reason, most Amherst students graduate with low or no debt.
♦ Amherst has a strong commitment to enrolling U.S. veterans. Amherst participates in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon Program without caps on the number of Yellow Ribbon spaces or contribution per student.
♦ Amherst partners with QuestBridge. QuestBridge is an organization that connects talented, low-income students to elite colleges and universities. Amherst is one of QuestBridge's original college partners and QuestBridge students make up over 10% of our student body.
♦ Amherst is need-blind for both domestic and international applicants. No matter where in the world you live, no matter what your citizenship status, Amherst will make your admission decision without considering whether you apply for aid or to what degree you have financial need.
♦ Amherst meets the full demonstrated need of every admitted student. If your family shows that it can pay only a small portion of tuition and costs—or maybe none at all—Amherst pays the rest.
♦ Amherst offers generous scholarships. In 2020-21, Amherst provided more than $60 million in scholarship aid to our students and the average financial aid award was more than $58,000.
♦ Amherst's financial aid awards are loan-free. Financial aid awards at Amherst consist solely of scholarship and work, and do not include loans. For this reason, most Amherst students graduate with low or no debt.
♦ Amherst has a strong commitment to enrolling U.S. veterans. Amherst participates in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon Program without caps on the number of Yellow Ribbon spaces or contribution per student.
♦ Amherst partners with QuestBridge. QuestBridge is an organization that connects talented, low-income students to elite colleges and universities. Amherst is one of QuestBridge's original college partners and QuestBridge students make up over 10% of our student body.
Net Price Calculators
These tools can help students in the United States estimate eligibility for need-based financial aid at Amherst and how much you might expect to contribute. Amherst College utilizes the MyinTuition Calculator, which will give you an early cost estimate using six basic financial questions, and the College Board Net Price Calculator, which provides an estimate of family contribution using more in-depth financial information.
Student Employment
More than half of all students at Amherst work on campus at some time during the academic year. The Financial Aid Office is there to help students in a variety of ways, though students are responsible for finding their own jobs.
Financial Aid Peer Ambassadors
Financial Aid Peer Ambassadors are full-time Amherst College students who have been trained to help enrolled and prospective students navigate the financial aid process during their time at Amherst. Additionally, they have a variety of experiences navigating those resources themselves and are driven to help other Amherst students take advantage of the full breadth of resources available to them.
Quick Pass Application Fee Waiver
As part of our institutional commitment to expanding college access for students from all backgrounds, Amherst College wants to be certain that application fees do not pose a financial barrier for students who wish to submit an application to Amherst, so we encourage you to pursue any fee waiver opportunities for which you may be eligible. We suggest that you determine your eligibility for the general application fee waivers issued by the Common Application and the Coalition Application, since those fee waivers are automatically effective for all schools to which you submit the associated application.
Amherst accepts the general application fee waivers issued by the Common Application or the Coalition Application, but we also have our own institutional fee waiver option – Quick Pass – that allows even broader criteria as the basis for an application fee waiver for Amherst.
Amherst accepts the general application fee waivers issued by the Common Application or the Coalition Application, but we also have our own institutional fee waiver option – Quick Pass – that allows even broader criteria as the basis for an application fee waiver for Amherst.
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