The University of Massachusetts Amherst (otherwise known as UMass Amherst, Massachusetts, or UMass) is a research and land-grant university in Amherst, Mass. The University of Massachusetts Amherst offers over 90 undergraduate and 65 graduate areas of study. It was known as the University of Massachusetts from 1947 until the creation of the UMass system.
The university was founded in 1863 under the provisions of the Federal Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act to provide instruction to Massachusetts citizens in the "agricultural, mechanical, and military arts". Accordingly, the university was initially named the Massachusetts Agricultural College, popularly referred to as Mass Aggie or M.A.C.. At the time, the university had 50 men enrolled and including only a fraction of what the campus is today- including the Old Chapel, South College, and Goodell Hall, which was the library at the time. In 1931, due to an increase in enrollment and support from the Commonwealth, it was renamed Massachusetts State College.
In 1947, the Massachusetts General Court passed legislation making Massachusetts State College the University of Massachusetts. Like most schools at the time, it was relatively small, enrolling ~5,000 students annually. Some expansion occurred in the 1950s, but the bulk of its transition to the present size occurred in the 1960s. The new president set a goal of expansion to 20,000 by the end of the decade, and the university entered a program of intense building. Many prominent structures rose during this time, including the Southwest Complex, Student Union, Campus Center, Fine Arts Center and famous 26-story library tower. UMass growth drastically altered the regional economy, prompting the commercial development of Route 9 in Hadley, the extension and redirection of several highways (including the widening of Route 9 in Hadley to four lanes and the relocation of Route 116 to a limited access bypass road around the college) and the transformation of the town of Amherst from its conservative thinking to its liberal reputation today. In spite of the various expansions and changes of status of the University, it remains true to its roots, continuing to provide high-quality education in the agricultural (Stockbridge School of Agriculture), mechanical (College of Engineering), and martial (Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC) arts.
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Top States for Incoming Freshman
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| Percent of Students International: | 6% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 49% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (Atlantic 10 Conference) Basketball (Atlantic 10 Conference) Baseball (Atlantic 10 Conference) Track (Atlantic 10 Conference) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | In-State | Out-of-State | |
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 9,278 | $ 18,397 | |
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 1,714 | $ 9,937 | |
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 7,564 | $ 8,460 | |
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,118 | 15% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 2,667 | 20% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 2,201 | 36% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 4,113 | 42% | |
Any Aid: |
53% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 80% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 99% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 510, Math: 520 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 620, Math: 630 |
| Application Fee: | $ 40.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Recommended |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Required |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Recommended |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
College Advice
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Question:
College question?
I live in Massachsetts and have noticed that UMASS has different locations. For example, umass-lowell, umass-dartmouth, umass-amhurst, umass-boston. But, all of the schools belong to different sports conferences. Umass-amhurst plays in division I, but the others do not. Are they all UMASS? If so, then how can Umass - amhurst be called the Minutemen, but umass-dartmouth is the Crossiers. Is it all Umass? I am confused.
14 months ago
Best Answer
Hey there!
I go to UMASS!! Wooo!!! (Sorry got carried away)
UMass Amerst was the first UMass, and then others got added into the system. So they are all techniquely different schools, but in the same system. Like, UMass Dartmouth USED to me Southeastern Massachusetts University before they went under. I believe they were always the corsairs, though. UMass Boston used to be Boston State College, etcetera, etcetera. They are all their own entities, but are owned by the same people, per se.
Amherst just has a better sports team than the others, though.
I'm so happy there is a UMass question here, I love my school.
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Being in the military I can attend any state college for free. What are the top ones. I have been considering Umass Dartmouth.
Buzzy I thought MIT and Harvard were private?
14 months ago
Best Answer
UMass Amherst is the best UMass school. It's one of the top schools in the country.
Yes, MIT and Harvard are private.
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Question:
I have a financial aid question?
My sister is going to UMASS Amherst this coming school year and she applied for financial aid (I'm not sure from where). She just got a letter today saying that she isn't eligible. I'm not really sure why though. She has good grades and has never really gotten in trouble or anything. I'm just wondering why she isn't eligible and what can be done differently so that in two years when i am applying for financial aid for college i will be eligible.
Also I was wondering if other places where she could get financial aid might let her be eligible even though the first place didn't .
Do you have any suggestions for me about how i might increase my chances of being eligible for financial aid in two years when i go to college?
Thanx
15 months ago
Best Answer
if she applied through fafsa it has nothing to do with grades or getting into trouble and everything to do with how much money your parents make. if she did not use fafsa, she should. she can get private loans
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Question:
is umass amherst a good school?
15 months ago
Best Answer
Here are the U.S. News rankings for UMass Amherst for this year and the previous two years:
• Top Public National Universities: 2007, No. 46; 2006, No. 50; 2005, No. 46.
• Best National Universities: 2007, No. 98; 2006, No. 104; 2005, No. 98.
World Ranking (UMass System)
The London Times (11/04): 45th
National Rankings (UMass Amherst)
U.S News and World Report:
Linguistics - 1st
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence - 6th
Graduate Programs: Biological Sciences-60th, clinical psychology-44th, computer science-25th, education-45th, nursing-58th, psychology-66th, and speech language pathology-39th.
National Research Council:
Computer Science - 18th in quality of PhD education
Polymer Science - 2nd in quality of education; 7th in quality of scholarship among all
U.S. materials departments
Institute for Scientific Information:
Chemical Engineering program - 5th
Computer Science Department - 9th
Recognized Geosciences Department for producing most cited paper on Global Warming
American Chemical Society:
Chemistry Department: a "Top 25" program in numbers of PhDs awarded
Grants 27% of the nation's Polymer Science PhDs
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16 months ago
Best Answer
Well...that's a very vague question!
It's an extremely large and diverse campus in every way shape and form. Whoever you are, there is a place for you on campus. Whether you are athletic, a brain wave, or anti social, you fit in somewhere.
Southwest is party central, more of the ghettofied area of campus. I do not venture in that area of campus. If you're athletic, like to party and make noise, love to socialize 24/7 then that's the prime area for you. 90% of the campus lives there, and it's supposedly a very popular choice.
Central and Northeast are more quiet and quiant. The buildings were built in the 30s and 40s and have that typical New England college appeal. Many Engineering and science students live in this area of campus because it's close to the science and engineering classes.
There are also the brand new North apartments. These are for upperclassmen, and are highly recommended.
There is also Sylvan, the least liked of the dorm areas. If you plan on going to UMass, do not go to Sylvan. Stay. Away.
The professors are extremely well qualified in their fields and I personally have never had any problems with them. I'm very happy here. I come from a small town in Mass and coming to a big campus with a lot of people was not a big deal for me. The campus seems to get smaller every day! However intro lecture classes can range from 150-500 students. Yes, 500 students in a class. It can be a little daunting, but the professors have a remote system that every student must have where you can answer questions annonymously. Some professors choose not to do this. When you enroll in higher level classes your class size will become smaller and you will have more personal attention. (And taking exams will not be as distracting!)
I remember when I toured the campus in the late fall/winter I was not pleased about how the campus looked whatsoever. However in the spring and summer and after more construction projects were completed the campus is beautiful. Going into Amherst center is also a prime location. It's right off campus, either a 20 minute walk away, also next to Amherst College, or a short bus ride. A++++ restaurants, although some are expensive.
You may also choose to rub elbows with Amherst College students and the other 4 colleges in the area by being in the 5-college program. You can take several classes at these colleges, and it looks very good on your transcript. That's a plus.
There is also the almighty library commons (the tower). It's extremely wobbly, I do not recommend going to the top floor. However there is a newly built study area in the basement. It has cafe-style sitting areas and also hundreds of computers. I believe the library is also open 24 hours a day.
If you have heard of the controversies around Umass, such as the "party" atmosphere many people from around the state flock to, it's really not the case (unless you go to Southwest). I personally never went to a party (I'm lame) but that doesn't bother me. If you don't like to party, you will not feel left out. There are plenty of things to do on campus.
Also, food. Food is supposedly "award winning". It is compared to every other college, but don't expect 5 star dining at the dining halls. Ordering out from the many restaurants off campus is pretty much the same cost wise as eating on campus with a meal plan. When you become a junior you have the option of having a meal plan where you can eat at the many restaurants ON campus. There is a pita shop (I highly recommend this), a smoothie shop, the "blue wall" (popular pizza, sandwich, salad, coffee cafeteria), thai noodle shop, and also a "healthy alternative" cafeteria. You are allowed about 12 meal swipes at these special cafeterias if you are a freshman or a sophomore (you must go to the dining halls otherwise).
I could go on and on. Go on the website, it will give you plenty of info. Hope that helps.
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Question:
UMass Amherst?
What is the life like there? How is the Quality of Life? How much of a party school is it?
17 months ago
Best Answer
Top notch in all respects. Not much of a party school, but good academics.
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Question:
UMass-Amherst???
I'm currently an engineering student at Umass-Lowell and I commute. I'd like to live at school but I find Umass-Lowell to be kind of depressing and I don't really like it there.
What I'm asking is if Umass-Amherst is a suitable school for a quiet, introverted student like me?? I've heard wild stories about the place and people calling it "zoo"-mass. I'd like to get some feedback from students with experience there and I'd like to know if there are lots of people there with personalities like mine??
19 months ago
Best Answer
Although it's been a LONG time since my Zoo-Mass days (B.A., 1978), I think a big school like UMass offers something for everyone. Sure, there are plenty of opportunities for partiers and slackers to waste Daddy's money, but serious students can always find like-minded friends, and the Engineering Department would be a good place to find them, I'd say!
There are plenty of places to live off-campus as well, and I think it's a much quieter atmosphere, with more older students. It's a large, diverse group of people. I loved it there and I think you could find your niche as well.
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29 months ago
Best Answer
Marroon and white/red and white. Mascot: Sam the Minuteman
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