Home
Colleges
Amherst College
Academics

Amherst College
Academics

Back to Profile

How strong are the academics at Amherst College?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

7:1
Student to faculty ratio
19
Average class size
72%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

Amherst has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 7:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Class Sizes
2-9
118
10-19
162
20-29
76
30-39
44
40-49
16
50-99
12

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at Amherst College:

97%
First-year retention rate
72%
4-year grad rate
93%
6-year grad rate

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are Amherst College's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
Computer Science
Mathematics, General
Mathematics, General
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
22.4
32.72
43.04
53.36
63.68
74

The Full List

Major Graduates
Architecture And Related Services
  • Architectural History and Criticism, General 6
Area
  • Asian Studies/Civilization 14
  • American/United States Studies/Civilization 12
  • African-American/Black Studies 11
  • Women's Studies 5
  • Latin American Studies 1
  • Women's Studies 1
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 29
  • Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other 23
  • Neuroscience 13
  • Neuroscience 12
  • Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other 4
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 2
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 52
  • Computer Science 3
Education
  • Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education 5
  • Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education 2
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • English Language and Literature, General 31
  • English Language and Literature, General 10
Foreign Languages
  • Spanish Language and Literature 8
  • French Language and Literature 6
  • French Language and Literature 6
  • German Language and Literature 3
  • Russian Language and Literature 3
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 2
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 2
  • Russian Language and Literature 1
  • Spanish Language and Literature 1
  • Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature 1
History
  • History, General 14
  • History, General 9
Legal Professions And Studies
  • American/U.S. Law/Legal Studies/Jurisprudence 11
  • American/U.S. Law/Legal Studies/Jurisprudence 9
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Mathematics, General 45
  • Mathematics, General 44
  • Statistics, General 12
  • Statistics, General 3
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 1
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Studies 12
  • Environmental Studies 4
Philosophy And Religious Studies
  • Philosophy 8
  • Philosophy 7
  • Religion/Religious Studies 2
  • Religion/Religious Studies 1
Physical Sciences
  • Chemistry, General 23
  • Physics, General 5
  • Astronomy 4
  • Geology/Earth Science, General 3
  • Geology/Earth Science, General 2
  • Physics, General 1
  • Chemistry, General 1
Psychology
  • Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 31
  • Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 30
Social Sciences
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 74
  • Political Science and Government, General 31
  • Political Science and Government, General 30
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 17
  • Sociology, General 7
  • Anthropology, General 6
  • Sociology, General 5
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Art/Art Studies, General 15
  • Music, General 9
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 5
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 4
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 3
  • Music, General 2
  • Art/Art Studies, General 2
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 0

Mistakes were made

(But not by you!)

These are the top 10 mistakes people make when searching for colleges

Top Ten Mistakes

CollegeIQ relies on data from government and private resources. Always confer with the individual college or university for the most recent data. Learn more about our data and methodology.

© 2024 Whittier Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service