Amherst College 2026/2027: Need-Blind Financial Aid for International Students

Note: Like Harvard’s, Yale’s, Princeton’s and MIT’s, this isn’t a separate named scholarship with its own application — it’s Amherst’s own need-based financial aid, built into the regular undergraduate admission process. There is no merit-based aid of any kind at Amherst; need is the only criterion for receiving financial aid, and that has been true since the college’s founding.

Amherst College is need-blind for every applicant — domestic, international, and undocumented — and commits to meeting 100% of calculated financial need for every admitted student who applies for aid, with no student loans in the initial aid package.

What the aid actually covers

• 100% of calculated financial need met, with no gap — the difference between Amherst’s cost and what your family can contribute is covered entirely by scholarship and grant aid.
• No initially packaged student loans — for almost 20 years, Amherst’s aid offers have not included loans; the first $1,800 of need is met through a student employment opportunity, and everything beyond that is grants that don’t need to be repaid.
• 82% of international students receive aid (2025–2026), with an average international financial aid award of $84,000+.
• College-wide, 59% of all students receive aid, the average financial aid package is about $76,000, and Amherst awards roughly $84 million in scholarships annually.
• No merit scholarships exist at Amherst at all — the college has been strictly need-based since it opened, so a strong application doesn’t unlock extra aid; it unlocks admission, and the aid is calculated the same way for every admitted student who has need.

The real bottleneck is admission, not the aid

Amherst is a small liberal arts college — about 13% of its roughly 1,900 undergraduates are international, drawn from more than 76 countries, and it is one of a very small number of U.S. colleges that runs a genuinely need-blind admission process for international applicants specifically, rather than only for domestic ones. That selectivity, not the aid formula, is what actually gates admission: build the application around real academic and personal strengths, since Amherst’s admission committee doesn’t see whether you’ve applied for aid at all.

How to apply: step by step

1. Apply for undergraduate admission through the Common Application, QuestBridge, or Coalition with Scoir — there is no separate “Amherst scholarship” application.
2. Indicate you want financial aid as part of your application; because admission is need-blind, this has no bearing on the admission decision itself.
3. Submit the CSS Profile (Amherst’s CSS code is 3003) for the relevant admission cycle, along with your and your parents’ income tax returns or other income documentation, translated into English where needed.
4. Use the ISFAA instead (International Student Financial Aid Application) if the CSS Profile fee is a genuine financial hardship — it’s treated as fully equivalent to the Profile and doesn’t change your aid eligibility. Applicants from North Korea must use the ISFAA, since they cannot complete the CSS Profile.
5. Receive your aid offer alongside your admission decision via the Financial Aid Portal. Early Decision applicants should note their final aid offer is typically finalized closer to the regular decision release date in late March, once the coming year’s cost of attendance is set.

Frequently asked questions

Is Amherst really need-blind for international applicants?

Yes — Amherst’s admission policy is need-blind for all applicants, domestic, international, and undocumented alike. Your family’s financial circumstances have no bearing on whether you’re offered admission.

Does Amherst offer any merit scholarships?

No. Amherst offers no merit-based scholarships of any kind and never has. Financial aid is awarded strictly on demonstrated need.

Will I have to take out loans?

Not as part of your initial aid package. Amherst has not included packaged student loans in aid offers for almost 20 years — need beyond a small student employment expectation is met entirely with grants and scholarships.

What if the CSS Profile fee is a hardship for my family?

Request the International Student Financial Aid Application (ISFAA) instead, through your Application Status Portal. It’s treated as equivalent to the CSS Profile and won’t change your aid eligibility.

Verify details on the official site: Amherst College Office of Financial Aid — International Students. Aid figures and policy can change year to year; always confirm the current numbers before applying.

Explore more options on our Scholarships hub, including Harvard’s, Yale’s, Princeton’s, MIT’s, Bowdoin’s, and Dartmouth’s matching need-blind policies, and Duke’s, Georgetown’s, Northwestern’s, Wellesley’s, Williams’s, Vanderbilt’s, UChicago’s, and Rice’s need-aware international aid programs.