Freshman Requirements
Read your UMass Amherst application carefully and check the requirements twice.
Application Requirements
For a complete application you’ll need:
- The completed application form
- Your high school transcript (an official copy including your first term senior year grades)
- SAT-I or ACT scores
- Essay
- Letters of recommendation
- Application fee
- Verification of english language proficiency for non-native speakers of english (see below)
- International student materials
More in international students section - Achievement tests are optional
High School Course Requirements
You will also need to meet certain high school unit requirements (remember, these are minimums): Four years of English, three years of college preparatory mathematics (Algebra II is a minimum requirement), two years of the same foreign language, three years of science (including two with a laboratory component), two years of social science including one course in U.S. History, and two electives from the above areas, arts and humanities, or computer science.
Applicants to the College of Engineering, Isenberg School of Management, or the Computer Science major must have four math units (Algebra I & II, Geometry, and an advanced math course, such as Calculus or Trigonometry). Applicants to the College of Engineering must also have Chemistry and Physics.
English Language Proficiency
If you are not a native speaker of English, you are required to demonstrate your English language proficiency in one of the following ways:
SAT-I verbal score:
Non-native speakers with a SAT-I verbal score of 400 or higher do not need to take the TOEFL or ELPT.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or English Language Placement Test (ELPT):
You must submit official copies of scores. For the TOEFL, a minimum score of 550 or better (213 or better on the computer-based TOEFL) is required, although achieving this score does not guarantee admission. For the ELPT, a minimum score of 968 or better is required, although achieving that score does not guarantee admission.
Prueba de Aptitud Academica (PAA):
If you are a freshman, Stockbridge, or transfer applicant applying directly from Puerto Rico, you may take the TOEFL, ELPT, or the PAA, and must submit official score reports.
TOEFL/ELPT/PAA Exemption:
If you are a transfer applicant currently studying in the U.S. and have completed two (non-ESL) English composition courses with grades of B or better, you may be exempt from the TOEFL or ELPT requirement. This exemption is not automatic but is based upon a review of your complete academic history, which must include above-average performance in several humanities and social science courses.
Go to the TOEFL website for more information on that test.
Music, Dance, or Art Applicants
If you are a Music, Dance, or Art applicant, you are encouraged to contact the department and apply as early as possible to allow enough time for a portfolio review or audition.
Applicants planning the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (BFA) are required to submit a portfolio of their work to the Art Department. The Art Department website will give you the details you need on how to prepare your portfolio, and when and where to send it.
Music and Dance applicants must contact the department directly to arrange for an audition. Audition requirements and/or audition request forms may be requested by phone (Dance: 413-545-2413, Music: 413-545-6048), or on the Music and Dance Department's website. Music and Dance auditions must be requested at least three weeks prior to the desired audition date. Students must have their admission application on file in the Undergraduate Admissions Office before scheduled auditions will be allowed to occur.
