UMass Campus Vista
Undergraduate Admissions

Diversity at UMass

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

You belong at UMass Amherst. Your voice, experiences, and background shape our community. We are a campus of diverse people and ideas, but together we are one UMass Amherst.

UMass Amherst Undergraduate Admissions is committed to the responsibility of providing access and opportunities for all, while actively upholding diversity as a priority, demonstrating our commitment to inclusion of historically underrepresented communities. We believe that a multicultural and diverse campus is essential to achieving academic excellence, allowing students of all identities and backgrounds to thrive at UMass Amherst. 

Visit the Office of Equity and Inclusion to learn more about the university’s commitment to building an inclusive campus community by combatting racism and all forms of bigotry.

UMass Land Acknowledgment

In a year-long consultative and deeply collaborative process with respected advisors from local Tribal Nations, the UMass Native Advisory Council co-developed a campus Land Acknowledgement.

This Acknowledgement affirms our campus connection and relationship to the land the campus is built upon and our continued connection to the Nations who were the original inhabitants and caretakers of this land. 

The Land Acknowledgement also affirms our connection and responsibility to the 82 Native nations west of the Mississippi whose homelands were sold through the Morrill Act of 1862.

The Black Presence Project

The UMass Black Presence website serves as a living history of the experiences, contributions, and stories of Black students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Through oral history interviews and research on historical figures, we've captured these stories to provide an authentic and in-depth understanding of these lived experiences.

 

Points of Pride

Top 20

Student of color enrollment for public flagship universities

Top 30

LGBTQ-friendly campus for the 8th consecutive year

1st-Gen

Recognized as a First-Gen Forward Institution

24%

Non-white faculty

70%

Increase in students of color since 2012

Admission Diversity Fellows

The Admission Diversity Fellows are a team of undergraduate students who work for the UMass Amherst Undergraduate Admissions Office, and assist the team with the goal to increase the number of underrepresented students on our campus, and support them while they are here. The Diversity Fellows serve as mentors for prospective students applying to college, and newly admitted students deciding on a college home. They ensure that historically underrepresented students are on track for academic and social success. Diversity Fellows are essential in achieving our goal to make UMass Amherst a more diverse and inclusive campus, where students from all walks of life can feel like they belong.
 
If you would like to learn more about becoming an Admission Diversity Fellow and/or want to get touch with a current Admission Diversity Fellow, email us at urep@umass.edu.

URep UMass

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urep umass

URep UMass is a series of events and programming, hosted by the Undergraduate Office of Admission, geared toward students of color and first-generation-to-college students. Under the URep UMass heading are a series of events meant to guide students through the admissions process— from the prospective stage through enrollment. For questions about any of the programs, please contact urep@umass.edu.

 

URep UMass Real Talks

This student-only virtual space is for all prospective students, though especially insightful for students from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, including first generation and LGBTQ+ students. Current, diverse students will introduce you to UMass Amherst, share their stories and experiences, and answer your questions.

Community Access Partners

Our community access partners are critical to our success in supporting students throughout their academic journey. Access partners not only bring an array of diverse experience and resources, our partnership allow us to support students beyond the admission process, ensuring that UMass Amherst students thrive and unlock their potential every step of the way.

Dignity and Respect in Action podcast

Dignity & Respect Podcast

The Dignity and Respect in Action podcast is brought to you by the UMass Office of Equity and Inclusion, and features members of the University community and other experts in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Campus News & Updates

Chancellor Reyes and Vice Chancellor Walker seated on stage at the 2023 JEDI Conference

Hundreds of members of the UMass Amherst community kicked off the new academic year at the second annual Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Conference, held Sept. 13.

CBIKS PI team

The five-year, $30 million international Science and Technology Center based at UMass Amherst will focus on addressing the impacts of climate change, the threats to cultural places and the shift in our food systems.

NEWS Campus Pride logo

Campus Pride, a leading national organization dedicated to building future LGBTQ and ally leaders and creating safer communities within higher education, ranked UMass Amherst in the top 30 out of 230 colleges and universities nationwide.

Neena Thota

Cross-Campus Effort by Faculty at UMass Amherst and UMass Boston Funded by $499,972 Sloan Foundation Grant.