The Massachusetts Agricultural College (MAC) was founded in 1863 under the national Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act. Set on 310 rural acres, it offered its first classes in 1867. It then had four faculty members, four wooden buildings, 56 students, and a curriculum combining modern farming, science, technical courses, and a smattering of the liberal arts.
109 bachelor's degree programs, five associate's, 78 master’s and 48 doctoral programs in nine schools and colleges.
UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth’s flagship public research university, is one of the nation's top universities for research as measured by national and international rankings, academic citations, and research funding. The campus spends more than $200 million on research each year, demonstrating its contribution to the nation’s position as a technological and economic leader. We work in conjunction with academic, government, and private partners to translate new knowledge and scientific discoveries into technical innovations and scholarly works that create opportunity for students, faculty and the public.
The mission of the Career Development Hub, and of career centers university-wide, is to educate students in all phases of their career development and to empower them in making gratifying career decisions to develop and transition successfully in a diverse and global society.
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
By U.S. News & World Report
Climbed 2 places compared to 2026
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 175 | 162 | 160 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Shanghai Jiao Tong University
The university hasn’t moved up or down in the rankings over the past year.
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 201 | 201 | 201 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By TopUniversities
Dropped 13 places compared to 2026
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 275 | 247 | 260 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Times Higher Education
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2027 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 84 | 112 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
The Student Affairs and Campus Life is a campus community that actively embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion grounded in core values of compassion, care, and concern for others. We center around eight key functions that together create a supportive living and learning environment of responsive care and support for retention, graduation, and success beyond college.
The university has 52 residence halls including traditional residence halls, suites and apartments throughout campus.
Whether you prefer a residential area nestled amid rolling hills or a neighborhood located at the heart of the campus, a high-rise tower or a red brick residence hall, a suite or a traditional room, UMass Amherst offers a housing option to meet your needs and expectations.
Each residential area houses classrooms, recreational and social centers, kitchenettes, and cultural centers - in addition to the bedrooms, study areas, laundries, television rooms, and dining facilities you might expect. Each residential area also has its own student governing body and is, in effect, a community unto itself.
As a key partner in teaching, learning, and research at UMass Amherst and beyond, the Libraries foster a diverse, inclusive, and user-centered environment in which to engage with ideas and acquire the skills necessary for independent learning and critical thinking.
Information technologies at the flagship research campus of the Commonwealth support our core mission of teaching, learning, research, and engagement by using technology to reach new heights of excellence.
UHS provides comprehensive health and wellness services for the UMass Amherst campus community, with a special focus on the needs and concerns of college students.
and many more...
UMass Amherst, located in Amherst, Massachusetts, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers.
Campus Recreation welcomes you as we strive to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for all participants. As members of the campus community and patrons of recreation facilities, including the Recreation Center, Boyden gymnasium, handball/squash courts and pool, Curry Hicks pool, Turf Fields and Mullins tennis courts, we need your assistance in maintaining a safe and healthy environment. We strongly encourage our patrons to read, understand and abide by the policies and procedures. Campus Recreation reserves the right to immediately implement policies and/or procedures to protect our patrons.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
Based on 12 reviews
UMass Amherst is an amazing university where your professors care, advisors are quick to respond and extremely helpful, and the students are very supportive and know how to make your college experience genuinely fun.
Really big - much more than I was expecting. The classes are big, and pretty much everyone feels like strangers. It can be overwhelming, especially coming from a community-oriented high school. Also, I do not like the look of campus all that much - it's very brutalist at times.
I'm so glad I chose to attend UMass Amherst! The campus is beautiful and full of life, and the academic opportunities are unparalleled. The classes are challenging but engaging, and the professors are experts in their fields. The student life is also fantastic - there are so many clubs and activities to get involved in, and the social scene is always hopping. Plus, the town of Amherst is full of great restaurants.
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