University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Founded in 1863, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass Amherst or UMass) is an open research university in Amherst, Massachusetts. It is a part of the Five College Consortium, which includes Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Hampshire College. Established as the Massachusetts Agricultural College, the institution has been renamed twice: first, in 1932, as Massachusetts State College, and later in 1947, as the University of Massachusetts.

In 1962, UMass Medical School in Worcester was founded, followed by UMass Boston in 1964, creating a multi-campus system for the university. Since then, the institution has achieved several landmarks, such as the establishment of the UMass Law School–the only public law school in Massachusetts–in 2010. Thus, UMass has eventually transformed into a regional academic powerhouse that educates up to 75,000 students annually, a remarkable contrast to its humble origins as a small land-grant college with 56 students. 

The university was ranked 68th among ‘National Universites’ by US News & World Report 2022. Additionally, the institution was ranked 253rd in the QS World University Rankings 2023. Some of UMass Amherst’s notable alums include Russell Hulse, recipient of Nobel Prize in Physics; Catherine Coleman, NASA Astronaut; General Andrew Iosue, US Air Force General; Serena Williams, Olympic Gold Medalist and Grand Slam-winning tennis player; Taj Mahal, Grammy Award-winning Blues Musician; and Natalie Cole, Grammy Award-winning singer, among others. 

In this article, we will discuss the programs offered by UMass Amherst, its admission process, fee structure, and the financial aid provided by the university to its students. So read on!

Programs Offered at UMass Amherst

The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, offers over 110 undergraduate majors and 127 graduate programs. These courses cover multiple fields of study; some are mentioned below:

• Business
• Management
• Marketing
• Biological and Biomedical Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Engineering 
• Psychology
• Communication
• Journalism

The various courses at UMass Amherst are provided through its 12 colleges:

• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Humanities and Fine Arts
• Robert and Donna Manning College of Information and Computer Science
• College of Natural Science
• Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
• College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Commonwealth Honors College 
• Isenberg School of Management 
• School of Public Health and Health Sciences
• Stockbridge School of Agriculture
• Graduate School

The university is known for its research programs and projects. In the year 2021, it spent around 287 million dollars on research and development. Aptly, it is classified among the R1: Doctoral Universities in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This classification is granted only to colleges and universities that consistently conduct research on different subjects and allocate a significant amount of their resources to research activities.

Students and Faculty

Over 25,000 undergraduates and 7,500 graduate students attend classes at UMass Amherst every year. They are taught by over 1,400 faculty; the student-faculty ratio stands at 20:1. The faculty at the university consists of 16 Guggenheim Fellowship Recipients and 25 National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Recipients. UMass Amherst’s faculty also includes five members, each from the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering.   

Campus 

UMass Amherst’s campus is a sprawling one: 1,450 acres in size. From the Campus Center, the campus extends about 1.6 km in all directions. It houses a variety of artistic venues for both performance and visual art, one of which is the Fine Arts Centre (FAC). Throughout the year, the FAC presents nationally acclaimed theatre, music, and dance productions in its performance spaces–Concert Hall, Bezanson Recital Hall, and Bowker Auditorium.

UMass is also a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 American, Canadian, and Puerto Rican schools. The students at this university participate in several sports, such as baseball, basketball, ice hockey, football, soccer, and swimming, among others. The UMass football team has enjoyed success over the years and has won 17 Yankee Conference Championships (a collegiate sports conference in the eastern US). 

Admission Process at UMass Amherst

The admission process at UMass Amherst largely depends on the program that you choose to pursue. Since each course requires a specific set of skills, the admission prerequisites for all courses differ. However, we have listed below the eligibility criteria that are common for all the programs.

Tests	Required Scores
TOEFL (Internet-Based Test)	80
IELTS	6.5
PTE	53

The eligibility requirements specific to each course are available on the official website of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. You can visit the website to learn more about the admission prerequisites of your chosen program.

Fee Structure, Scholarships, and Financial Aid

The table below illustrates the cost of attendance for students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate programs: 

For Undergraduate Programs
Tuition and Fees	$38,582
Room and Board	$14,776
Total	$53,358
For Graduate Programs
Tuition and Fees	$35,769
Room and Board	$13,595
Total	$49,364

UMass Amherst helps students finance their education through financial aid programs such as scholarships, grants, work-study, and many more. A few scholarships provided by the university are listed below:

• Boren Awards
• Fulbright Student Program
• Gates Cambridge Scholarship
• Goldwater Scholarship
• Marshall Scholarship

So if you aspire to study at an institution that brings out a researcher in you, then the University of Massachusetts, Amherst is the place to be. We hope that this article has provided you with all the information that you require to apply to this university. All the best!