Does UMass Amherst require the SAT or ACT in 2027?

As of November 2026: UMass Amherst does not require the SAT or ACT: it is test-optional for first-year applicants in all majors for fall 2027 entry, the published policy as of November 2026, with no end date stated. Among enrolled first-years who sent an SAT in fall 2023, the middle half scored 1300 to 1480.

UMass Amherst is test-optional for students applying for fall 2027. Here is what the score band says, when we think a score is good to send, and what to do this month.

By Nick Standlea, Test Prep Gurus. Figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

Only 27 percent of enrolled first-years sent an SAT In fall 2023, 27 percent of enrolled first-years at UMass Amherst sent an SAT, and 4 percent sent an ACT.

The SAT band runs from 1300 to 1480 The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored 1300 to 1480, and the middle half who sent an ACT scored 29 to 33.

57.8 percent of applicants got in In fall 2023, UMass Amherst admitted 29,145 of its 50,424 applicants, an admit rate of 57.8 percent.

Does UMass Amherst require the SAT or ACT?

This is the policy UMass Amherst publishes for first-year applicants.

College	Policy	Who it covers	In the college's words	Policy page
University of Massachusetts-Amherst	Test-optional	first-year applicants, all majors; no end date stated on the live policy page -- in effect for fall 2026 and fall 2027 applicants	At UMass Amherst, standardized tests are optional for first-year entering applicants.	Source

Published policy as of November 2026, with no end date stated.

UMass Amherst: score bands, who sends a score, how many get in, what it costs

Score bands describe enrolled first-years who sent that test in fall 2023.

Measure	Value
applicants, fall 2023	50424
admits, fall 2023	29145
admit rate, percent	57.8
SAT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	1300
SAT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	1480
ACT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	29
ACT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	33
share of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT, percent	27
share who sent an ACT, percent	4
application fee, dollars	85
full price of a year, dollars	34549
average net price after aid, dollars	22383

Bands describe enrolled first-years who sent a score in fall 2023, not every admitted student.

Does UMass Amherst require the SAT or ACT in 2027?

No -- UMass Amherst is test-optional for first-year applicants in all majors, and that is the published policy as of November 2026, with no end date stated.

The university's own page says it plainly: "At UMass Amherst, standardized tests are optional for first-year entering applicants." That covers high school seniors in the 2026-27 school year, who start college in fall 2027. Homeschooled students in an approved curriculum do not have to send a score either.

If you want the full picture on scores, our companion page, What SAT or ACT score do you need for UMass Amherst?, walks through the numbers at https://www.prepgurus.com/blog/sat-act-score-for-umass-amherst.

Could the policy change before fall 2027?

UMass Amherst names no end date on its policy page as of November 2026, so we treat the policy as open for fall 2027 applicants.

You may read on some websites that the policy ends with the fall 2026 term. The university's own page does not say that. Colleges usually announce changes for the next cycle in the spring, so we tell families to check the UMass Amherst admissions page again each spring.

For juniors planning ahead, our rule is simple: plan as if a score could matter. A student with a strong score in hand is ready for any change.

What scores do enrolled first-years carry?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT in fall 2023 scored between 1300 and 1480.

On the ACT, the middle half of submitters scored between 29 and 33. These ranges describe students who enrolled and chose to send a score. They are not a cutoff, and they do not describe every admitted student.

Only 27 percent of enrolled first-years sent an SAT, and 4 percent sent an ACT. So the band tells you about the students who chose to share a score, not about the whole class.

Here is how we read the band with families. A score inside or above the band is one to send. A score below the band is one to think hard about, since UMass Amherst does not require it.

Should my child send a score to UMass Amherst?

If your child scores 1300 or higher on the SAT, or 29 or higher on the ACT, we tell families to send it.

At a selective test-optional college like UMass Amherst, we tell families it is nearly always good to have a score. A strong score bolsters the odds of getting in, and most merit scholarships are keyed to one.

Plan for how the score travels. UMass Amherst does not accept self-reported scores, so official scores must come straight from the College Board or ACT.

If a score sits below the band, your child can still apply without one. In that case, we help our students make the rest of the application as strong as it can be.

How many students get in, and what does a year cost?

UMass Amherst admitted 29,145 of its 50,424 applicants in fall 2023, an admit rate of 57.8 percent.

The full price of a year is $34,549, and the average net price after aid is $22,383. The application fee is $85.

The university publishes a net price calculator, as every US college must. We tell families to run it with their own numbers before senior fall, so the cost is clear early.

What should we do this month?

Have your child sit a full-length mock SAT and a full-length mock ACT this month, then compare each result with the UMass Amherst band of 1300 to 1480 on the SAT or 29 to 33 on the ACT.

Test Prep Gurus offers a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT. Call us at 949.229.5359 or book at https://www.prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step. Pick the test where your child does better and stick with it.

Then plan 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts. Our students prepare for the whole test every sitting, not only their weakest part, because that is how scores climb and hold.

Questions parents ask

Does UMass Amherst require the SAT or ACT for fall 2027?
No -- UMass Amherst is test-optional for first-year applicants in all majors, and that is the published policy as of November 2026, with no end date stated.

What SAT scores do enrolled first-years at UMass Amherst have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT in fall 2023 scored between 1300 and 1480.

Does UMass Amherst accept self-reported scores?
UMass Amherst does not accept self-reported scores, so official scores must come straight from the College Board or ACT.

Could the UMass Amherst test policy change before fall 2027?
UMass Amherst names no end date on its policy page as of November 2026, so we treat the policy as open for fall 2027 applicants.

Ready to plan the next test date? Free mock SAT and free mock ACT at Test Prep Gurus, then a plan built on the result: prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step or 949.229.5359.

Method and sources: The policy comes from UMass Amherst's own test-optional policy page, which names test-optional admission for first-year applicants in all majors and states no end date as of November 2026. The SAT and ACT bands describe enrolled first-years who sent that test in fall 2023, the latest federal data, so they leave out students who sent no score. Applicant, admit and score figures come from IPEDS, and prices come from the College Scorecard.