Last Updated on September 30, 2026
Quick answer: If you want to know how to get into Amherst, focus on fit with its open curriculum, a rigorous course load with top grades, detailed teacher recommendations, and meaningful activities you can document through arts or research supplements. Amherst admits about 8% of applicants, so every part of your application should show intellectual curiosity.
How to Get Into Amherst
If you are researching how to get into Amherst, start by understanding what makes this liberal arts college distinct. Admission to highly selective colleges remains very competitive. If you want to get into top liberal arts colleges like Amherst, the competition is tougher than ever.
So, to all the rising seniors (and ambitious underclassmen) who are preparing their applications to top-tier colleges and universities, I offer you a word of advice: instead of thinking about all the schools you’ll apply to and the one million essays you’ll have to write, try to take things one step — and one school — at a time.
Among the top liberal arts colleges, Amherst College admits about 8% of all applicants. [1]The profile of the admitted students has gotten more competitive, with admissions officers taking note of the sophistication of admitted students’ understanding of worldly issues. High grades and standardized test scores are not enough. This might have you wondering how to get into Amherst.
While it’s certainly true that the ever-increasingly hyper-competitive nature of the admissions process can feel utterly insurmountable, hope is not lost. In fact, the distinct, annual lull of this post-notification period strikes me as an excellent opportunity for reflection and planning. As an alumnus and Former Admissions Officer from Amherst College, I hope to give you some practical and strategic tips on how to get into Amherst.
Show Your Fit With Amherst’s Open Curriculum
I’ve often told my students that if they’re applying to every single Ivy League institution, they haven’t done enough thinking about FIT. There’s such tremendous diversity among those eight institutions, I can’t imagine that a single student would be a good fit at all of them.
It’s no surprise that schools are looking for particular kinds of students whom they anticipate will socially and academically thrive within the context of their unique environment. Liberal arts colleges like Amherst each have their own personality. Instead of trying to mold yourself into the kind of student who would be a good fit at a particular place, do the opposite: think about what unique attributes you already bring to the table, and research a range of schools that you suspect would appreciate those attributes.
For example, when wondering how to get into Amherst, remember that Amherst is a liberal arts college. It does not view itself as a pre-professional institution. The curriculum, much like Brown’s, is entirely open, which means that there are no distribution requirements that you’ll have to fulfill over the course of your four-year residency. Read between the lines: Amherst is not looking for single-minded, career-oriented students. If you know right now that you want to become a structural engineer, a neurosurgeon, or a management consultant, and want to focus only on your intended discipline, a more pre-professional program may be a better match.
Are you a little bit intellectually quirky? Are you considering structural engineering but fostering a deep interest in medieval literature? Are you interested in neurosurgery but also destined with an underlying interest in women’s and gender studies? Do you envision yourself reading theoretical physics on your lunch breaks at McKinsey? If so, Amherst might be the school for you.
Earn Detailed Letters of Recommendation
More so than almost any other document that comprises a college application, letters of recommendation can make or break an Amherst applicant. Let me explain.
Amherst features an average class size of 18 students, which means that you will be participating in classroom conversation, whether you’d like to or not. It’s simply part of the small college culture (Harkening back to FIT: if this doesn’t sound like something you’re excited about, perhaps Amherst is not the right choice for you). No one can better attest to your classroom contributions than your high school teachers, and Amherst asks for two teacher recommendations along with one from your school counselor. [2]
Furthermore, the letters of recommendation are the only components of your application materials that you — most likely — will not have seen. You will not have control over them. You will not have the chance to edit them or show them to your friends for feedback. This makes them especially trustworthy and important.
Go to office hours. Try to avoid smarminess. Attend with the intention of getting to know your teachers as humans and educators. You don’t have to talk about in-class material. Where did they grow up? Go to college? What did they study? Start a habit of raising your hand in class. Help out students who are struggling around you. Be a helpful and welcoming presence in the classroom. Ask challenging questions. Engage in healthy debate with your classmates. The better your teachers know you, the more detailed letters they will be able to write.
Although these are small, seemingly intangible things to focus on, they add up over the course of your high school years. You are unlikely to see immediate results derived from this sort of preparation, so you’ll just have to trust me: it’ll all be worth it if the accumulation of your hard work results in an Amherst acceptance!
Showcase Your Talents Through Amherst’s Supplements
Amherst takes supplemental materials very seriously. If you are a student with exceptional talent in one or another realm of extracurricular engagement, I clearly encourage you to submit evidence of your talent. While these supplements will not compensate for low grades, easy coursework, or low test scores, they will help distinguish your application from others, especially if you demonstrate leadership and tangible achievements.
Amherst requires a writing supplement: you can answer one of three prompts in up to 350 words, on topics such as curiosity or engaging with a different viewpoint, or submit a graded paper from junior or senior year. [3] Use your essays and activities list to showcase your talent or interest, and how you might continue it at Amherst. Portray how you have changed the game with this activity – whether you started a club, created opportunities for others who enjoy it, or excelled at it in competitions. If you founded your school’s jazz club, talk about how you hope to learn from musicians at Jazz @ Amherst. If you were the editor-in-chief of your school newspaper with an interest in politics, write about how your experience might help with their student run political review, The Octagon Papers. Show the commitment, growth and impact you’ve brought to your interest.
Moreover, you can expand on your skills in your field of interest by taking advantage of the three types of additional supplements that you’re able to submit, all of which figure differently into the admissions equation.These are:
- Arts:
If you are an artist, use the arts supplement option to your advantage. Arts supplements are literally sent to Amherst arts faculty with expertise in the area. They are then independently rated, and sent back to the Office of Admission. If you are given a high rating as a musician, dancer, actor, or visual artist by a faculty member, it is significantly advantageous for you in the admissions process. Submit an arts supplement when your work reflects serious, sustained commitment. The application pool will be top-notch, and professors only want to be reviewing materials of serious applicants! Choose a piece of artwork that you believe showcases your talent the best and defines you as an artist.
- Research:
Amherst’s Science Center gives undergraduates room to take part in hands-on research. For years, they have been trying to increase their research footprint. Show how you’ll help them do that with a research supplement. To share your research, include a brief description of significant independent work in the Optional Research Questions section of the Writing Supplement. [2] The keyword is significant here. Choose work that reflects sustained inquiry and real results.
When brainstorming how to get into Amherst, keep in mind that the school is trying to build a picture of the contribution you’re likely to make if you come to campus. If you’re submitting a research supplement, it’s best to emphasize your scholarly inclinations in other parts of your application: activities lists, essays, and descriptions of your future plans.
- Athletics:
Athletics are huge at Amherst. Amherst competes in NCAA Division III and has a long, competitive athletics tradition across many sports. The athletic recruiting process is long, complex, and particular to the sport that you play. If you’re a super athlete and hoping to compete in college, your first step should be talking to your high school coaches. They should be able to give you more information about how to proceed.
If you have specific questions about certain athletic programs at Amherst, you are also encouraged to reach out to Amherst coaches via email. Unlike the arts and research supplements, the athletic recruiting process involves direct communication between your high school coaches, the Amherst coaching staff, and the Office of Admission. Your role in portraying your own talent as part of the Common Application process is comparatively minimal.
Just like with any other college, there is no single component that guarantees your admission to Amherst College. When tackling the question of how to get into Amherst, think about whether the school is a good fit for you, and how you can portray this to the admissions officers. Play to your abilities, boost your extracurriculars, and talk to your teachers and counselors. Remember that showing evidence of your talent rather than just writing about it in the Common App can only boost your chances. As you build your college list, compare Amherst with other liberal arts colleges. If your application paints you as an intelligent and driven leader, you could be well on your way to an acceptance letter from one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.
Get Noticed in a Competitive Admissions Process
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