by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is the data on what it actually costs to attend University of Massachusetts-Amherst, from sticker cost of attendance and projected degree cost to net price, debt at graduation, and aid breakdowns.
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Attendance costs at University of Massachusetts-Amherst fell between $33,389.00 ranging to $56,066.00 across residency tiers.
In-state residents qualified for the lower cost, with out-of-state students paying more: around $33,389.00 in-state versus $56,066.00 out of state.
Below, the published cost is shown three ways — the full sticker price with no aid, the net price after the average grant package, and the net price for low-income students who typically receive the most aid.
| Tuition and fees | $17,772.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $15,617.00 |
| Total cost | $33,389.00 |
| That is 73% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $33,389.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$12,166.00 |
| Net price | $21,223.00 |
| That is 10% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $33,389.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$24,385.00 |
| Net price | $9,004.00 |
| That is 53% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $40,449.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $15,617.00 |
| Total cost | $56,066.00 |
| That is 191% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $56,066.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$12,166.00 |
| Net price | $43,900.00 |
| That is 128% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $56,066.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$24,385.00 |
| Net price | $31,681.00 |
| That is 65% above the national average net price. | |
| Explore each piece on the tuition & fees page plus room and board. |
Costs have trended upward in recent years at a recent average of 3.0% per year; the projections below compound that across a degree. The detailed projections below compare a degree for a low-income aided student, an average-aid student, and a no-aid student. Loan math assumes ten-year repayment at 6.8% interest.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Freshman year | $9,279.00 | $21,870.00 | $34,407.00 |
| Senior year | $10,153.00 | $23,932.00 | $37,651.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $38,846.00 | $91,563.00 | $144,051.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $14,799.00 | $34,882.00 | $54,878.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $447.00 | $1,054.00 | $1,658.00 |
| Total amount paid | $53,645.00 | $126,445.00 | $198,929.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Freshman year | $9,279.00 | $21,870.00 | $34,407.00 |
| Senior year | $9,561.00 | $22,537.00 | $35,456.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $18,840.00 | $44,407.00 | $69,863.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $7,177.00 | $16,917.00 | $26,615.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $217.00 | $511.00 | $804.00 |
| Total amount paid | $26,017.00 | $61,324.00 | $96,478.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Freshman year | $32,647.00 | $45,238.00 | $57,775.00 |
| Senior year | $35,725.00 | $49,504.00 | $63,223.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $136,682.00 | $189,399.00 | $241,887.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $52,071.00 | $72,154.00 | $92,150.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $1,573.00 | $2,180.00 | $2,784.00 |
| Total amount paid | $188,753.00 | $261,553.00 | $334,038.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Freshman year | $32,647.00 | $45,238.00 | $57,775.00 |
| Senior year | $33,642.00 | $46,618.00 | $59,537.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $66,289.00 | $91,856.00 | $117,312.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $25,254.00 | $34,994.00 | $44,692.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $763.00 | $1,057.00 | $1,350.00 |
| Total amount paid | $91,543.00 | $126,850.00 | $162,004.00 |
Jump to the net-price detail in the net price section below.
The net price is the real out-of-pocket cost — what families pay after grant and scholarship aid is applied. It is usually a better planning number than the sticker cost above.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $22,383.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $23,691.00 |
Net price is not the same for every family — it falls as financial need rises and grant aid increases. The breakdown below splits average net price across income brackets:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $11,103.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $13,259.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $16,738.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $24,016.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $31,297.00 |
Use University of Massachusetts-Amherst Net Price Calculator, or contact the financial aid office.
Dig into how aid is awarded on the grants & scholarships detail.
Median graduate debt at University of Massachusetts-Amherst comes to $20,000.00, placing the school in the Moderate ($20-30k) debt-burden category.
The percentile spread of debt at graduation is shown below:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $5,500.00 |
| 25th | $11,500.00 |
| Median (50th) | $20,000.00 |
| 75th | $27,000.00 |
| 90th | $30,500.00 |
How far apart the 10th and 90th percentiles sit tells you how uneven debt outcomes are.
Read the complete debt breakdown on the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Debt at graduation is far from uniform across income levels. Below, debt is broken out by low, middle, and high family income:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $20,000.00 |
| Middle income | $21,250.00 |
| High income | $19,500.00 |
On average, low-income graduates leave with $500.00 more debt than high-income graduates.
Debt at graduation often differs for first-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,500.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500.00 |
First-gen students at University of Massachusetts-Amherst take on $1,000.00 in extra median debt compared with continuing-generation peers.
Pell Grant eligibility is a useful proxy for low-income status among undergraduates. Comparing Pell recipients vs non-recipients shows how debt is distributed by need.
The median debt gap between Pell and non-Pell graduates of University of Massachusetts-Amherst is $2,000.00. This school is flagged by the Department of Education for Pell-related debt inequity.
The federal default-rate classification for University of Massachusetts-Amherst is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 5.0% |
For scale, federal Stafford loan disbursements at University of Massachusetts-Amherst total $1,334,961,399.00 spread across 74,260 recipients.
Veterans and active-duty students can access dedicated federal education aid including the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Department of Defense Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 244 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $12,032.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 15 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $2,417.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the college veterans page.
Beyond the data above, it helps to ask a few questions when weighing University of Massachusetts-Amherst, keep these questions in mind:
Dig further into the cost picture with the related pages below:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.