UMass Amherst Welcomes Its Most Diverse Class Ever
Photo: umass.edu
Source: UMass News and Media
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is welcoming approximately 5,300 first-year students to campus this week, its most diverse class ever from its largest application pool to date.
UMass Amherst received 53,040 applications for the fall, its largest candidate pool to date and its third consecutive year of receiving more than 50,000 applications for admission.
The Class of 2029, ranging in age from 16 to 26, is the most diverse in the university’s history, surpassing last year’s record numbers. Forty-two percent identify as ALANA (African, Latino/Hispanic, Asian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Native American) students, up from 39% last year, with 19% from under-represented minority groups.
Academically, the incoming class again ranks among the strongest of the past decade, posting high combined optionally submitted SAT (1394) and ACT (31.1) scores and tying last year’s class for second-highest average high school GPA (4.06). Students have declared 92 different majors, with biology the most popular—chosen by more than 400 first-year students.
Sixty-six percent of incoming students—about 3,500—are from Massachusetts. Another 1,800 come from outside the commonwealth, including 400 international students. Overall, the class represents 43 U.S. states and roughly two dozen countries.
“It’s clear UMass Amherst continues to be a magnet for the talent that will fuel the innovation economy across Massachusetts and beyond, especially during this critical time in higher education,” said Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, provost and senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. “This group of highly capable students will have a rich educational experience as they meet peers from across the commonwealth, country and the world from all walks of life.”
The campus will also welcome more than 1,000 new transfer students—including nearly 300 from MassTransfer programs—sporting the second-highest transfer GPA score (3.46) in the university’s history.
The overall fall undergraduate enrollment at UMass Amherst, including transfer students, is projected to be just under 23,000, with 71% being Massachusetts residents.
Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) will welcome approximately 640 first-year students. The incoming class touts an outstanding average high school GPA of 4.42 and impressive combined SAT (1432) and ACT scores (32.7). The fall 2025 CHC class is also among the most diverse in the college’s history, with 53% ALANA students and more than a quarter from under-represented groups.
This is the 19th year that UMass Amherst has offered an Early Action (EA) admission program whereby students apply early for admission and begin receiving notification of their acceptance by mid-December. The number of students using the EA option has increased annually from about 8,000 applicants in 2009 to nearly 33,000 this year. Sixty-two percent of prospective students applied for the Class of 2029 through EA.