In Completing your Application please be mindful of the following sections:
Use your full legal name on all documents. Use this same full legal name on all of your application materials (including test scores, if you submit them). For U.S. citizens, this should be the name listed on your Social Security card. For non-U.S. citizens, this should be your name as listed exactly on your passport.
If you intend to apply for financial aid, please enter your Social Security number accurately on your application. An omission or error will delay processing of your financial aid award.
Confirm that your mail address is correct and provide an email address that you will check frequently. Don’t forget to notify us if your mail or email address changes. Please add mail@admissions.umass.edu to your address book so that important emails from us do not go to your spam folder.
Note: We recommend not using a school email address, since some schools block outside emails, and you may not have access to that address after graduating.
Providing this optional information on your ethnic background will assist the university in complying with state and federal laws and reporting requirements.
You are required to select an intended major, and you have the option to select an additional major of interest.
Should space limitations or your academic background preclude admission to your choice of major(s), you may be considered for our Exploratory Track Program. You can also apply to an Exploratory Track if you are undecided about a major.
Note: Exploratory Track programs are listed as Undecided on the Common App.
Certain majors have special requirements for admission. Additionally, architecture, art, dance, and music majors should file an admission application with the Admissions Office early to facilitate the audition or portfolio review process.
This is a required part of the application. Take your time writing your essay. Get feedback from your parents, a favorite teacher, or your school counselor. Proofread it carefully. We want to know something about you. This is an ideal opportunity to provide further information not apparent in your transcripts and other materials.
First-year applicants require at least one academic letter of recommendation.
Letters of recommendation should be sent by the recommender via the Common App or college counseling systems including Naviance, SCOIR, etc. or by emailing a PDF to mail@admissions.umass.edu.
Request that your high school send or transmit the Common Application School Report and an official transcript directly to Undergraduate Admissions. Transcripts for grades 9-11 must be issued from the high school in which you completed junior year and must include a listing of all high school courses and grades.
The SRAR is used to enter, track, and submit documents—including courses, grades, and test scores. We highly encourage students to self-report through the SRAR, as it offers more accuracy in recalculation and allows us to ensure equal consideration is given to each applicant's academic profile.
To complete the SRAR, log into your portal and enter all course names and grades from your unofficial high school transcript, including all courses and final grades earned from grades 9–11, as well as grade 12 courses in progress. All course attempts, including repeats and withdrawals, must also be included.
For more information, visit the SRAR FAQ page.
We prefer the transcript be sent through the Common Application. It can also be submitted via email to mail@admissions.umass.edu. If it needs to be mailed the address is:
UMass Amherst Undergraduate Admissions Office
Mather Building
37 Mather Drive
Amherst, MA 01003
At UMass Amherst, standardized tests are optional for first-year entering applicants. UMass Amherst will review applications with or without standardized test scores. Students who have taken the SAT/ACT exams are welcome to send their scores. Please refer to our test-optional policy page for more information.
We will accept both redesigned and old SAT results. The SAT essay and ACT writing component are neither recommended nor required. All scores must be sent directly from the testing agency, which may take up to two weeks. The UMass Amherst SAT code is 3917 and the ACT code is 1924. All test scores are processed upon receipt. Check your status page to learn whether your score has been processed.
Applicants who are non-native speakers of English are required to demonstrate their English language proficiency. Please see the International Application Procedures.
Please do not send non-required supporting documents or items such as photographs, recordings, writing samples, awards or commendations, etc. If you would like us to know about a relevant activity, talent or award, please include that information in your essay.
Although we request that you disclose criminal history on your application, any information you provide will not be used to determine your candidacy for admission. Candidacy will be based only on your academic performance, test scores, activities, essay, recommendations, and so on. If you are admissible, only then will one of our directors look at the criminal history information you provided. This separate evaluation will be done to determine whether the criminal activity was serious enough to have a bearing on the final admissions decision. In the rare event that we determine prior criminal history may adversely affect your candidacy for admission, we typically ask an applicant to first provide additional information to help us in making our determination.
(Note: You are not required to answer “yes” to the criminal history question if the criminal adjudication or conviction: (1) has been expunged, sealed, annulled, pardoned, destroyed, erased, impounded, or otherwise ordered by a court to be kept confidential; (2) was a first conviction for misdemeanor drunkenness, simple assault, speeding, minor traffic violations, or disturbance of the peace; or (3) any conviction of a misdemeanor where the conviction occurred more than five years prior to the date of this application, unless you were sentenced to imprisonment upon conviction of the misdemeanor, or you have been convicted of another criminal offense within the five-year period.)
If you have not been enrolled in college coursework for one or more semesters after high school graduation, please provide an explanation about the reason for the gap/s in your education. This may take the form of a resume, a list of activities, or an essay.
