Amherst College supplemental essays
Amherst College asks for two supplemental essays in 2026-27, chosen from five options. Common App. Personal statement required (250-650 words).
That is two supplements plus the Common App personal statement: three pieces of writing in all. Early Decision closes November 9, 2026 and Regular Decision closes January 5, 2027. The prompts carry this limit: 350 words. Every Amherst College prompt is printed on this page in full, with its word limit and who has to answer it, checked against the college’s own admissions page.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Early Decision | November 9, 2026 |
| Regular Decision | January 5, 2027 |
Checked against www.amherst.edu/admission/apply/firstyear/writingsupplement. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Required (choose 1) · 350 words
Option A, Prompt 1. "Hope and curiosity — these are qualities that are the foundation of what Amherst College means, of everything that we do here. Curiosity is at the core of a liberal arts education — a spirit of inquiry that shapes not only what our students do in the classroom, but also how they learn from and about each other." (Michael A. Elliott, 20th President of Amherst College, address at Amherst College’s 203rd Commencement) What does curiosity mean to you? How do you experience curiosity in your own life?
Get a free read on this essayPaste your draft, see the verdict before you pay.No draft yet? Pick a topic for this promptRequired (choose 1) · 350 words
Option A, Prompt 2. "We seek an Amherst made stronger because it includes those whose experiences can enhance our understanding of our nation and our world. We do so in the faith that our humanity is an identity forged from diversity, and that our different perspectives enrich our inquiry, deepen our knowledge, strengthen our community, and prepare students to engage with an ever-changing world." (Trustee Statement on Diversity and Community) In what ways could your unique experiences enhance our understanding of our nation and our world?
This is also the Access to Amherst (A2A) writing supplement prompt. A2A applicants may submit an updated version of that essay here.
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Option A, Prompt 3. "We are working together to build a community that makes room for both true disagreement and true connection, one that practices the kind of recognition and robust negotiation that the everyday life of democracy requires, and one that explicitly prepares our students to work for the greater good in their professional and personal endeavors." (Presidential Priorities: Serving the Greater Good) Tell us about a time that you engaged with a viewpoint different from your own. How did you enter that engagement, and what did you learn about yourself from it?
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Option B. Submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. Amherst is looking for a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological or historical evidence. Not a laboratory report, journal entry, creative writing sample or in-class essay.
An alternative to Option A, not an essay we review. We read application essays, not graded coursework.
Required
Option C. If you are/were an applicant to Amherst's Access to Amherst (A2A) program, you may use your A2A Writing Supplement essay in satisfaction of the supplementary essay requirement. Option A, Prompt 2 is the same prompt as the A2A Writing Supplement essay; to submit an updated version, choose Option A, Prompt 2 instead. Option C is available only to applicants to Amherst's A2A program; non-A2A applicants must choose Option A or Option B.
One of three options; applicants may elect only one of Option A, Option B or Option C. A2A applicants only.
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Your Amherst College checklist
Two supplements, all required. The first deadline, Early Decision, is November 9, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- Supplements 1 to 4Required
- Supplement 5Required
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Getting into Amherst College
Amherst College admits 9.0% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1490-1580 on the SAT and 33-35 on the ACT.
About 1 in 11 applicants are admitted, at a college of 1,911 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1490 | 1540 | 1580 |
| SAT reading and writing | 740 | 760 | 780 |
| SAT math | 750 | 780 | 800 |
| ACT composite | 33 | 34 | 35 |
What SAT score do you need for Amherst College?
A 1580 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1540 at their midpoint, and a 1490 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 33, 34 and 35. A quarter of an enrolled class scoring under the 25th percentile is not a rounding error, so a score below the range is a reason to strengthen the rest of the application rather than a reason not to apply.
US Department of Education, College Scorecard (2026-09-17). Percentiles describe students who enrolled, not everyone admitted. SAT totals are the reading and math bands added together, which is how every source in this market reports them and is an approximation of about 10 to 20 points, because the two sections are correlated.
- What SAT score do you need for Amherst College?
- Amherst College sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1490-1580 on the SAT: a 1490 sits at the 25th percentile, 1540 at the median and 1580 at the 75th. A score at or above 1580 is a clear strength in the application; below 1490 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures Amherst College reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for Amherst College?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 33-35 on the ACT, with a composite of 34 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 33. Reported by Amherst College to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for Amherst College?
- The honest answer is that the federal data behind this page does not contain one. Colleges report their admit rate and their enrolled students' test scores to the Department of Education; they do not report a GPA distribution, so any site quoting an exact average GPA for Amherst College is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that Amherst College admits 9.0% of applicants, and the more selective a college is, the closer to the top of the class its admitted students sit and the more the strength of your course load counts alongside the number itself.
- How hard is it to get into Amherst College?
- Amherst College admits 9.0% of the people who apply, which is about 1 in 11 applicants. At that rate no set of numbers makes admission likely, a perfect one included, because the college turns away far more qualified applicants than it takes. Strong grades and scores get the application read; the essays, the recommendations and what you have actually done decide it from there.
What Amherst College costs after grant aid, by family income, from the same federal data.
Sort your whole college list into reaches, targets and likelies, or find colleges that fit your GPA and test scores. Both are free and neither needs an account.
Amherst College essay questions, answered
- Does Amherst College have supplemental essays?
- Yes. Amherst College asks for two supplemental essays in 2026-27, chosen from five options. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 350 words.
- How many essays do you write for Amherst College in 2026-27?
- Two supplements, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
Amherst College admits 9.0% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: Williams College (8.3%), Cornell University (8.8%), Barnard College (8.8%), New York University (9.2%), Claremont McKenna College (9.6%), University of Southern California (9.8%).