Access to Amherst - Application

Saturday, September 26 - Monday, September 28, 2026
(ASTRO and EONS: Friday, September 25)

Application Deadline: Monday, August 10, 2026.

Instructions

Thank you for showing interest in Access to Amherst! Please review this application in advance and have the necessary information ready before you begin, as you CANNOT save and return to this form and you should only submit it once. Should you have any updates about your application after it’s been submitted, please email us at admissionprograms@amherst.edu.

Application Requirements:

High school transcript including courses and grades from 9th grade through the end of 11th (an unofficial copy will be accepted)
Senior year class list (confirmed or intended)
A2A Writing Supplement (350 word maximum)
Additional Short Answer Question (250 word maximum)

Recommended additional documents:

Academic writing sample (with comments from a teacher or evaluator, if possible)
School profile

You may submit these documents through the final section of this form or choose to upload them at a later time. After submitting this online application form, you will establish a username and password for access to our Application Status Portal, where you may upload your remaining application requirements. Please read the Application and Selection Processes section of our A2A FAQ page if you have any questions about these documents.

Application

Questions marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

I’m also interested in attending the Early Opportunity on Native Studies (EONS) program on Friday, September 25. *

Yes

No

I'm also interested in attending the Amherst Small Town and Rural Overnight (ASTRO) program on Friday, September 25. *

Yes

No

College Entry Term*

First Name *

Middle Name

Last Name *

Chosen First Name *

Suffix

Birthdate*

Email Address *

Phone Number

Phone Type

Permanent Address *

Country

Street

City

Region

Postal Code

Sex*

Female

Male

X or another legal sex

Personal Information

Gender Identity: Please specify

Pronouns

Do you identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community?

Yes

No

Prefer not to respond

How do you identify?

Are you enrolled in a federally or state recognized tribe? (If yes, name the tribe in which you are enrolled)

First Language(s)

Language(s) Spoken at Home

Have you visited Amherst before? *

Month/Year visited:

Will you be a first-generation college student? (If neither of your parents graduated from a four-year college or university, you should answer “yes” to this question.)

Yes

No

Not Sure

Is your annual household income below $65,000?

Yes

No

Not Sure

Are you a participant in Upward Bound, Trio or other program intended to aid economically disadvantaged students, and/or are you associated with a community-based organization (CBO) or program such as QuestBridge, Minds Matter, Breakthrough, etc. that has provided free assistance with your college search and application process?

Yes

No

What is the organization?

What is the second organization (if applicable)?

If they are not available in the search above, please list the name and location of each organization

Family Information

Parent/Guardian 1

Relationship *

Mother

Father

Legal Guardian

Other

Is parent/guardian living?

Yes

No

Year deceased:

Do you make your permanent home with this parent/guardian?

Yes

No

First Name

Last Name

Occupation

Email Address

Can we send informative emails to this parent/guardian?

Yes

No

Parent/Guardian 2

Is parent/guardian living?

Yes

No

Year deceased:

Do you make your permanent home with this parent/guardian?

Yes

No

First Name

Last Name

Occupation

Email Address

Can we send informative emails to this parent/guardian?

Yes

No

Parents' Marital Status (relative to each other):

Add another parent/guardian?

Yes

No

Additional Parent/Guardian Information

Relationship

Mother

Father

Legal Guardian

Other

Is parent/guardian living?

Yes

No

Year deceased:

Do you make your permanent home with this parent/guardian?

Yes

No

First Name

Last Name

Occupation

Email Address

Can we send informative emails to this parent/guardian?

Yes

No

Financial Aid Information

If there are aspects of your family’s financial circumstances that you’d like to tell us about, please do so here. This information will be used only for contextual purposes. (Maximum of 175 words.)

Do you plan to apply for financial aid for college? *

Yes

No

High School Information

Name of High School:*

School Address:

Country

Street

City

Region

Postal Code

School CEEB Code:

School Type:

My GPA:

My GPA is:

Weighted

Unweighted

On what scale is your GPA (e.g. 4.0 scale):

My Class Rank is? (e.g. 10/100, Decile)

My class rank is:

Weighted

Unweighted

My school does not rank

Testing Information

Consistent with our admission application process, Amherst follows a test-optional policy for the A2A application process. Applicants may still submit PSAT, PreACT, SAT or ACT scores for consideration. If you would like to self-report your scores, you can do so below:

Which test scores are you reporting? (Check all that apply)

SAT

Date of SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Test

Highest SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Subscore

Date of SAT Math Test

Highest SAT Math Subscore

ACT

Date of ACT Composite Test

Highest ACT Composite Score

Date of ACT English Test

Highest ACT English Score

Date of ACT Math Test

Highest ACT Math Subscore

Date of ACT Reading Test

Highest ACT Reading Subcore

Date of ACT Science Test

Highest ACT Science Subcore

PSAT

PSAT Evidence Based Reading and Writing

PSAT Math

PreACT

PreACT (composite score):

Do you plan to take the ACT or SAT in the future (for the first time or again)?

Yes

No

Which test do you plan to take and when?

Academic/Career Interests

Our academic interest list includes academic majors and academic programs available at Amherst College. In order of preference, please select three academic areas you are interested in exploring or pursuing at Amherst.

Please indicate your primary academic interest.*

Please indicate any additional academic interest.

If you would like to add more about why you are drawn to your academic interests (including if you are undecided), please share more here.

Please select the career field you are currently most interested in. *

Honors and Extracurricular Activities

Please limit your responses to a maximum of 175 words.

Please list honors, awards, or recognitions you have received during high school. These may be from your school or from other organizations.

Briefly list the extracurricular activities or work experience that you have been most active with in high school and any leadership positions: *

Application Materials

If you are unable to submit any of your required documents at this time, you can do so through the Application Status Portal before the deadline. After submitting your application, you will receive an email with Application Status Portal login instructions.

The instructions for setting up your Application Status Portal will be emailed to you within the next 24 hours after submitting this form. You are seeing this message because the deadline to apply is near and you may not get the instructions to set up your portal before the deadline. Therefore, you should submit all of the documents you want considered with your application now, as you might not be able to submit them in time through the portal.

High School Transcript (9-11th Grades)

List of Senior Classes

A2A Writing Supplement

Please respond to the following essay prompt in no more than 350 words. Write your response in a document and upload it below.

“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?

A2A Writing Supplement

[Please note that, should you eventually decide to apply for admission to Amherst College, you will have the option of using this A2A Writing Supplement in satisfaction of Amherst's Writing Supplement requirement for your admission application to Amherst.]

Additional Short Answer Question

Please respond to the following short answer question in no more than 250 words. Write your response in a document and upload it below.

Amherst has no distribution requirements and no core curriculum. Instead, students work with their faculty advisors to choose the courses that matter most to them within our Open Curriculum. This flexibility allows for deep engagement within your major with room to explore other disciplines – and it means Amherst classrooms are filled with inquisitive, fully engaged learners.

Tell us about a class, idea, or academic project that broadened your perspective or helped you learn something new about yourself. What did you take away from this experience?

Additional Short Answer Question