Admissions data checked October 9, 2026 by Florida Test Prep.
Amherst College reports a middle 50% SAT of 1470 to 1540 (enrolled, fall 2025, CDS 2025-26; 40% submitted an SAT). We use 1500 as a first planning target, then adjust it to the student's diagnostic and timeline. It is not an admission requirement or a guarantee.
| Middle 50% SAT | 1470 to 1540 (enrolled, fall 2025, CDS 2025-26; 40% submitted an SAT) |
| Acceptance rate | Not reported in the cited source. |
| Testing for 2026-27 | Test-optional |
| Type | Private university |
Source: Amherst official admissions data. A middle 50% describes the central half of the reported group, not a cutoff.
Amherst's own CDS puts the admitted-student SAT median at 1510, with only 40% of admits submitting a score.
| School | Middle 50% SAT | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|
| Williams College | 1490 to 1550 | 8.6% |
| Amherst College | 1470 to 1540 | Not reported |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | 1330 to 1480 | 59.9% |
Cohorts differ by school (admitted vs enrolled, and year). See every school with its cohort and source on SAT Scores for Massachusetts Colleges.
Massachusetts' best-known statewide merit award, the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship, is based on the 10th-grade MCAS test, not the SAT or ACT, so it is not score-tied in the way Florida's Bright Futures is. Score-tied money in Massachusetts comes instead from individual universities' competitive, non-formulaic merit scholarships.
The full rules, deadlines and class years are on our Massachusetts SAT prep page.
| College | State | Middle 50% SAT |
|---|---|---|
| Bowdoin College | Maine | 1470 to 1540 |
| University of Southern California | California | 1470 to 1540 |
| Brown University | Rhode Island | 1470 to 1550 |
| Emory University | Georgia | 1480 to 1540 |
A score that is competitive at Amherst lands in the same part of the range at these schools. Cohorts differ by school, so read each page's notes before comparing.
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Which of these numbers is your teen's target? Pick the Massachusetts colleges on their list and get a target score and the gap from today's score in under a minute.
Find my teen's target scoreThere is no published minimum; the middle half of the reported group scored 1470 to 1540. A score at or above 1540 puts a student in the top quarter of that group. A score near 1470 is within the range, and grades, coursework and the rest of the application still decide the outcome.
Yes. Amherst lists its policy as: Test-optional. A score inside or above the range can still strengthen an application, and some scholarships and programs use scores separately.
The cited source does not report one. Use the SAT range and the school's published requirements instead.
No. A middle 50% is a description of last year's group, not a cutoff in either direction. It tells you where a score is competitive, which is the useful part for planning test dates.
Want to know what your teen needs for Amherst? Their target, their gap and the weeks to close it are what we map in the free Strategy Session.
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