Amherst College vs Reed College

Amherst College and Reed College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Amherst, located in Massachusetts, boasts a lower acceptance rate (13.2%) compared to Reed's (39.5%) in Oregon. Amherst's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate enrollment of 1,851 compared to Reed's 1,460. While Amherst students predominantly pursue majors in the social sciences, humanities, and biological sciences, Reed students often explore majors in the natural sciences, social sciences, and arts. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Amherst at 94% and Reed at 88%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional institutions. Dive in to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Amherst College	Reed College
Overview
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts	Portland, Oregon
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	88.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.7%	43.8%
Application fees	$60	$75
SAT range	1370 - 1550	N/A
ACT range	32 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	36.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%
Total number of applicants	13,999	7,010
Total number of admissions given out	1,224	3,071
Admitted students who chose to enroll	515	502
Yield rate	42.1%	16.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,050	$77,020
Average net price	$18,809	$33,056
Tuition	$60,700	$62,420
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,700 Meal plan: $7,400	Room/dormitory: $8,130 Meal plan: $7,510
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $58,644	58.0% Average amount $43,945
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,233	46.0% Average amount $4,374
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $16,803	7.0% Average amount $19,335

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,971 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	1,548 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
Graduate students	N/A	18 Men 61.1% Women 38.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	88.7%
International students	10.4%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,000	1,113
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California New Jersey Connecticut Pennsylvania	California Oregon Washington New York Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Biological and Biomedical Sciences Ethnic Studies	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.4%	72.7%
Dropout rate	2.5%	8.2%
Transferred out	3.6%	17.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,775 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $94,870 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,970 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $85,992 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,271 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $84,030 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $53,743 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,419 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $46,160 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,744 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $36,173 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,896 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $96,310 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: N/A Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: N/A	English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: $26,088 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,874 Year 3: $23,169 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: N/A Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,125 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A

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Amherst College vs Reed College

Amherst College

Reed College

Overview

Admission

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Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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