Amherst is a small liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has 1,907 students with a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio. There are 42 majors, more than 400 courses to choose from each term, and 83% of classes have fewer than 30 students.
For over 200 years, Amherst has been a close-knit community with a global perspective. Students come from 70 countries, and get to study with nearly no limitations. There is no core curriculum, no distribution requirements, and a huge focus on exploration and discovery as you find your academic path. When people hear about exploration and liberal arts, they often assume humanities. They think of history and English and reading fancy books under a tree with a coffee mug balanced on your lap, and that’s all true and could be your future. But Amherst also has amazing STEM programs that benefit from a small liberal arts college ideology.
Amherst is part of the Five College Consortium, a group of schools that share resources and open up more than 6,000 additional courses. The college even has its own nightclub. But the point of this post isn’t an on-campus nightclub, it’s athletics. Amherst has 27 Division III teams that have won 13 NCAA team titles and 80 NCAA individual titles. It’s also the oldest athletic program in the country. Seriously. Perhaps that is why their mascot is the Mammoth.
Amherst has become extremely popular — and has an acceptance rate that matches their popularity. Which is to say, it’s low. The Amherst acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was 9%.
In this post, we’ll break down the key steps you need to take if you are a prospective student-athlete at Amherst, from varsity-level to recreational, and, when possible, how to make it improve your chances of admissions.
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What is Amherst looking for in Student Athletes?
As a Division III NCAA school, Amherst puts academics first. This includes in where they put their money. Per NCAA DIII regulations (and NESCAC), they cannot give out scholarships to students based on athletic prowess. So, they aren’t looking to attract the best athletes in the country at any expense. Instead, they want the best athletes who are also top students and strong culture fits for Amherst.
Recruited Athletes
While Amherst can’t offer scholarships to athletes for their sports successes, the recruitment process is still really serious. Since the school is so popular, many students try to wiggle their way in through coach support via the recruitment process. This means that you’ll be having your academic and athletic successes, along with your community contributions, measured against many other extremely talented young people. But in order to enter that ring, you first need to get the ball rolling for recruitment!
Step one is to fill out the recruitment form specific to your sport. The recruitment form is, for most athletes, your first introduction to the Amherst coaching staff. And you need to follow up submitting the form with reaching out to the head coach directly to confirm that you’ve submitted the form. Treat this like a job interview, or a cover letter on a resume (your parents or mentors can explain this if you don’t know what a cover letter is). Don’t reach out to coaches on a whim. Instead, prepare a highlight reel, an athletic resume, and a copy of your transcript from school before reaching out — and then include them when you do.
Once you’ve opened lines of communication with Amherst athletics, you’ll need to continue to treat this like a long-term job interview. There will be a series of conversations, and early review of your application to determine academic and personality fit with Amherst. If things get really serious, you may also be asked to do an official visit and/or an overnight visit.
Amherst coaches can’t hand out acceptances, but they can strongly vouch for your application and seriously improve your chances of admission to one of the most popular colleges in the country.
Walk-Ons
If the coaches are interested in you, but they aren’t sure whether they’ll have a spot for you on the team, they may invite you to be a walk-on. A walk-on is an athlete who joins a varsity collegiate team after arriving on campus as a student, and so they don’t benefit from the admissions boost recruitment offers. You can also become a walk-on separate from the recruitment process. This may happen because you don’t decide to play in college until after recruitment windows or application cycles have passed — or even after you arrive on campus as a first-year student!
Becoming a walk-on requires that the team in question has spaces available and often also requires a try-out or trial period, so it isn’t automatically an option even if you’re an outstanding athlete.
If you love a sport and think you want to play but aren’t certain, walking on can be a great option. That said, it isn’t our favorite for super strong athletes because it doesn’t come with any of those admissions benefits we’ve laid out. Taking the walk-on route does still require planning and strategy, though, so definitely still start with the recruitment form and reach out to the head coach to express your interest and inquire about whether walking on might be an option.
Club Sports and Intramurals
Over a third of students at Amherst play a varsity sport, and over 80% are involved with intramural and club sports teams.
Club sports are student run and often highly-competitive. They can have a similar level of game play as a varsity squad, but without the pressures (or benefits) of being on a varsity team. Club teams at Amherst include rugby, water polo, crew, fencing, sailing, and skiing.
The easiest way to participate in a sport at Amherst, though, is to take part in an intramural. The intramurals are low stakes, all-inclusive, and just for fun. Teams and tournaments include volleyball, basketball, golf, and softball.
With the oldest athletics program in the county, Amherst understands how to find success on the field, in the pool, on the court, or anywhere else a sport takes place. Even better, they match that success with truly spectacular academics. Student-athletes receive the best on both sides, and it’s an experience worth chasing.
Applying to college as an athlete comes with a unique set of challenges. We can help you find success.