Flagship campus welcomes most diverse class in its history
AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst will welcome a first-year class of approximately 4,900 students with an outstanding academic profile – and the most diverse in its history – as Fall Welcome kicks into high gear on Friday, Aug. 27 with a full slate of activities planned on campus.
This year’s class represents an increase in the number of ALANA (African, Latino/Hispanic, Asian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and Native American) students and under-represented minority students, at 37% and 19% respectively, making the incoming class the most diverse in UMass history. Female students account for 54 percent of the class, an increase of nearly 2 percent over the previous year. The campus will also welcome about 1,200 new transfer students to the campus community.
UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said, “UMass Amherst continues to attract extraordinary students from a rich variety of backgrounds from Massachusetts and across the country and the world. These exceptional students have made UMass their destination of choice, and we welcome them with great enthusiasm as we undertake a full complement of campus activities this semester.”
The university received a record 42,110 applications for this year’s entering class. The size of the class, approximately 4,900 students, is somewhat smaller than last year by about 125 students. Massachusetts students number 3,380, or 69 percent of the first-year class. There are 1,250 from out of state, including 420 international students. Overall fall undergraduate enrollment, including an increase in transfer students, is projected to be 22,600, with 76 percent of them Massachusetts residents.
The academic profile of the class is strong. The average high school grade point average is an impressive 4.00. The average ACT score is again 31.8, and the combined SAT score for incoming students increased from 1401/1600 to 1420/1600. In recognition of the many challenges that COVID-19 posed for prospective students and their families, UMass instituted a temporary test-optional policy and only about one-third of the class has a test score.
Commonwealth Honors College will welcome 675 students, up 89 students over last year.
This is the 16th year that the university offered an Early Action (EA) admission program whereby students apply early for admission and receive 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 21,190 this year. A little more than half of the students apply through EA, and more than 2,570 students admitted through EA will enroll in the fall.
Along with the first-year class, about 1,200 transfer students will be arriving on campus this fall, up 110 from last year. The transfers include 335 community college students enrolling through the MassTransfer program. MassTransfer guarantees admission to Massachusetts community college students who complete a designated program with a GPA of 2.5 or above.