Location: Amherst, Massachusetts
Established: 1821; the third-oldest college in Massachusetts
Enrollment: ~1,910
Admit Rate: 9% (Class of 2028)
Yield Rate: 39%
Endowment: ~$3.5 Billion
Academic Calendar: Semester
School Colors: Purple and White
School Mascot: Mammoths
Undergraduate Tuition and Fees: $70,480 USD (2024–25 Tuition)
Typical SAT Scores: Reading and Writing 740–780, Math 750–800
Motto: Terras Irradient (Let them give light to the world)
Notable: Open Curriculum (no distribution requirements), member of the Five College Consortium.

Quick Facts Snapshot
Location: Amherst, Massachusetts
Founded: 1821
Enrollment: ~1,910
Admit rate: 9% (Class of 2028)
Yield rate: 39%
Endowment: ~$3.5 Billion

Why This School Fits the Little Ivy Profile 
Amherst is arguably the perfect example of a Little Ivy. It is often compared directly to Harvard and Yale. As a member of the "Little Three" along with Williams and Wesleyan, it provides the historic prestige, large endowment per student, and intense intellectual closeness that define this group.

Selectivity & Admissions
Approximate admit rate: 9%
Selectivity trend: Highly competitive; consistently ranks among the top 3 liberal arts colleges.
SAT/ACT ranges: SAT 1500–1570 (Reading 740–780, Math 750–800)

Academic Strengths
Signature programs: Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought; Neuroscience; English.
Faculty ratio: 7:1
Key differentiator: The Open Curriculum. There are no distribution requirements; students have total freedom to design their course of study from day one, with only a first-year seminar required.

Outcomes
Salary or placement overview: Strong feeder for top-tier management consulting (McKinsey, Bain) and finance.
Alumni influence: Extremely high per capita; 6 Nobel laureates among its alumni and numerous Pulitzer Prize winners.Where grads typically go: Top law schools (Yale, Harvard), Wall Street, and top medical programs.

Campus Culture
Traditions: The Rivalry. The Amherst vs. Williams football game is the "Biggest Little Game in America."
Social environment: Intellectually intense but collaborative; singing groups (a cappella) are surprisingly dominant in the social scene.
Notable athletics or arts strengths: Division III powerhouse; deeply invested in the arts via the Mead Art Museum.

How It Compares
• [Amherst vs. Williams: The Ultimate Little Three Rivalry]
• [Amherst vs. Brown: Comparing Open Curriculums]
• [Amherst vs. Swarthmore: Intellectual Intensity]

FAQs
Is the open curriculum too unstructured?
No, close faculty advising ensures students build a coherent path.
What is the Five College Consortium?
Students can take classes at nearby UMass Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Hampshire, expanding their course catalog to over 6,000 options.
Does Amherst have Greek life?
No, fraternities were banned in 1984.

Further Reading
Amherst College – Fast Facts & Admissions Data (official)
https://www.amherst.edu/about/facts Amherst College
Amherst College – Open Curriculum (official academic program details)
https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/open-curriculum Amherst College
Amherst College – Common Data Sets page (official detailed stats)
https://www.amherst.edu/about/facts/common_data_sets/2024 Amherst College
Data USA – Amherst College profile (acceptance rate, enrollment, SAT)
https://datausa.io/profile/university/amherst-college datausa.io
College Tuition Compare – Admissions & test score profile
https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/edu/164465/amherst-college/admission
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