Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college founded in 1821 serving approximately 1,907 undergraduate students through 43 majors under an open curriculum with a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio and need-based financial aid meeting 100% of demonstrated need.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1821
- HeadquartersAmherst, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Amherst College does
Amherst College is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit liberal arts college founded in 1821 in Amherst, Massachusetts, serving approximately 1,907 undergraduate students drawn from 49 U.S. states plus DC, Puerto Rico, and Guam, and 76 countries (13% international). The college offers 43 majors across the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences under an open curriculum with no distribution requirements, supported by a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio and a faculty body of which 86% of courses enroll fewer than 30 students. The college is governed by a Board of Trustees and led by President Michael A. Elliott '92. It administers the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., and operates three on-campus museums (Mead Art Museum, Beneski Museum of Natural History, Emily Dickinson Museum) plus the student-conceived Book & Plow Farm.
Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and fees with a need-blind admissions model that meets 100% of demonstrated financial need; the average aid award was $71,000+ in 2024-25, with 59% of students receiving aid in 2025-26. A secondary revenue stream comes from auxiliary operations, including the Follett-managed Amherst College Store in downtown Amherst, library services, museums, and dining/housing. The college is part of the Five College Consortium with Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, and UMass Amherst, providing students access to 6,000+ cross-registered courses and 11 certificate programs.
Distribution and go-to-market rely on selective direct admissions (8% acceptance rate), campus visit programs, and a multi-channel marketing approach combining organic social media (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, X) under a dedicated Director of Social and New Media, diversity outreach programs (Access to Amherst), alumni networks feeding the Loeb Center for Career Exploration, and community partnerships such as the Morning Movement and Mentoring program. The college's operating technology stack is administrative (Workday, Moodle, Zoom, G Suite) with no proprietary AI/ML or product technology; technology is explicitly noted as not applicable for the institution as a whole. Recent milestones include the 2018 opening of the Science Center, the Ford Family gift naming a new student center, and the launch of 50th-anniversary coeducation programming running through 2027.
Amherst College firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Amherst College
- Legal name
- Amherst College
- Website
- https://amherst.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1821
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Amherst College is a private liberal arts college founded in 1821 serving approximately 1,907 undergraduate students through 43 majors under an open curriculum with a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio and need-based financial aid meeting 100% of demonstrated need.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Amherst College industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Liberal Arts Higher Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Selective/Highly Selective Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG), Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAH)
Keywords
Where Amherst College is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amherst
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Amherst College business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Amherst College generates revenue through tuition, fees, and related educational services. The college is known for substantial financial aid, with an average aid award of $71,000+ in 2024-25.
- College Store Operations: The Amherst College Store, managed and operated by campus retailer Follett, sells apparel and merchandise. Located in downtown Amherst at 45 South Pleasant St.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Need-Based Financial Aid |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Amherst College product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college offering undergraduate education through an open curriculum with no distribution requirements, encompassing 43 majors across the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. The college serves approximately 1,907 students with a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 86% of courses enrolling fewer than 30 students. Academic offerings are complemented by three museums (Mead Art Museum, Beneski Museum of Natural History, Emily Dickinson Museum), the Frost/Music/Science Library system, the Book & Plow student farm, and access to 6,000+ cross-registered courses via the Five College Consortium.
Product overview
Amherst College is a liberal arts educational institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of academic programs and campus resources. The core academic offering includes 43 majors across arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences with an open curriculum. Supporting the educational mission are museums (Mead Art Museum, Beneski Museum of Natural History, Emily Dickinson Museum), the Amherst College Library system, and the Book & Plow Farm for experiential learning. The college also operates a student content creation program for digital marketing and participates in the Five College Consortium for expanded course access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Amherst College Academic Programs Undergraduate liberal arts education delivered through an open curriculum with no distribution requirements, offering 43 majors across the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences with a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 86% of courses enrolling fewer than 30 students. Open to admitted undergraduate students pursuing a four-year residential degree.
- Mead Art Museum Campus art museum holding more than 19,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of global culture, functioning as a research lab, classroom, and gallery resource for Amherst students and the wider public.
- Beneski Museum of Natural History Three-floor natural history museum featuring the world's largest collection of dinosaur tracks and North America's first confirmed evidence of a dinosaur, available to students and visiting public.
- Emily Dickinson Museum Historic house museum comprising two residences — The Homestead and The Evergreens — illuminating the life and work of poet Emily Dickinson, open to students, researchers, and the visiting public.
- Book & Plow Farm A 20-acre student-run farm that grows vegetables for the college dining hall, a campus-supported agriculture (CSA) program, and donations to local food pantries, providing hands-on agricultural and food-systems learning for students.
- Amherst College Library System Library system comprising Frost Library, Music Library, and Science Library, providing research help, special collections and archives, and study spaces to Amherst students, faculty, and visiting researchers.
- Five College Consortium Cross-Registration Cross-registration arrangement allowing Amherst students to enroll in courses for credit at Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, expanding the course catalog to more than 6,000 courses.
Companies that use Amherst College
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Amherst College technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Amherst College partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Five College ConsortiumcoreAmherst College is part of the Five College Consortium including Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students can choose among more than 6,000 courses for credit at these four nearby schools. The consortium also includes 31,000 undergraduates and 11 certificate programs.
- Folger Shakespeare LibrarycoreAmherst College administers the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. The library houses the world's largest Shakespeare collection. Amherst-Folger Undergraduate Fellowship awards up to six student fellowships each year for research at the Folger's collections.
- Emily Dickinson MuseumminorAmherst College maintains the Emily Dickinson Museum, consisting of two historic residences. The college administers this museum and its programming. The museums summer internship program allows interns to participate across the Mead Art Museum, Beneski Museum, and Emily Dickinson Museum.
- Mead Art MuseumminorThe Mead Art Museum contains more than 19,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of global culture. It serves as a research lab and source material for academic work. Part of the museums summer internship program.
- Beneski Museum of Natural HistoryminorFeatures three floors of exhibits including the world's largest collection of dinosaur tracks and North America's first confirmed evidence of a dinosaur. Part of the museums summer internship program.
- FollettminorThe Amherst College Store is managed and operated by campus retailer Follett. Located at 45 South Pleasant St. in downtown Amherst.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Amherst College competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bowdoin College: Bowdoin is a top-tier NESCAC liberal arts college in Maine with need-blind admissions and meet-need financial aid. Closely comparable in selectivity, size, and student-outcomes positioning.
- Williams College: Williams is a fellow elite, highly selective private liberal arts college in Massachusetts with similar open/neutral curriculum philosophy, need-blind admissions, and small residential scale. Most direct peer given shared geography, endowment scale, and admissions strategy.
- Carleton College: Carleton is a highly selective Minnesota liberal arts college with strong STEM and graduation outcomes. Comparable in selectivity, residential scale, and curricular breadth.
- Middlebury College: Middlebury is a highly selective Vermont liberal arts college with strong language/international programs. Comparable on selectivity, financial aid generosity, and residential liberal arts model.
- Pomona College: Pomona is a top West Coast member of the Claremont Colleges consortium — analogous to Amherst's Five College Consortium role. Highly selective with strong financial aid and small residential model.
- Bates College: Bates is a NESCAC liberal arts college in Maine with similar selectivity, need-aware/need-met aid policy, and small residential scale. Comparable peer in admissions strategy and outcomes orientation.
- Colby College: Colby is a Maine liberal arts college in the NESCAC with growing selectivity, meet-need aid, and Davis Museum. Comparable on financial aid strategy and residential liberal arts positioning.
- Wellesley College: Wellesley is a top women's liberal arts college near Boston with similar selectivity and financial aid generosity. Comparable as a NESCAC/neighbor elite liberal arts institution.
- Swarthmore College: Swarthmore is an elite Quaker-affiliated liberal arts college with comparable selectivity, meet-need financial aid, and small enrollment. Direct peer on prestige and outcomes metrics.
- Haverford College: Haverford is a highly selective Quaker-affiliated liberal arts college near Philadelphia. Directly comparable on selectivity, meet-need aid, and small-residential liberal arts model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Amherst College social profiles
Digital presenceAmherst College financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Amherst College leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Amherst College subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Amherst College funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Amherst College M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Amherst College
What does Amherst College do?
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college offering undergraduate education through an open curriculum with no distribution requirements, encompassing 43 majors across the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. The college serves approximately 1,907 students with a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 86% of courses enrolling fewer than 30 students. Academic offerings are complemented by three museums (Mead Art Museum, Beneski Museum of Natural History, Emily Dickinson Museum), the Frost/Music/Science Library system, the Book & Plow student farm, and access to 6,000+ cross-registered courses via the Five College Consortium.
Is Amherst College a public or private company?
Amherst College is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Amherst College founded?
Amherst College was founded in 1821. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Amherst College based?
Amherst College is headquartered in Amherst, United States, in the North America region.
How does Amherst College make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are college Store Operations.
Who are Amherst College's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bowdoin College, Williams College, Carleton College, Middlebury College, Pomona College, Bates College, Colby College, Wellesley College, Swarthmore College and Haverford College.
Does Amherst College have an API?
No public API is recorded for Amherst College.
What industry is Amherst College in?
Amherst College's product category is Liberal Arts Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHACAJ, Selective/Highly Selective Liberal Arts Colleges, with a secondary code of EDAHACAG, Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges. Its NAICS code is 61131 and its SIC code is 8200.