UMass Amherst is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and one of the more research-heavy public universities in New England, an R1 institution founded in 1863 that now enrolls over 31,000 students, including more than 1,600 international undergraduates. What makes it stand out for international applicants isn't a sky-high overall acceptance rate (it sits around 60%, moderately selective rather than open) but the strength of specific departments, especially the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS), which is ranked among the top public computer science programs in the country. That combination (a solid, well-known public research university overall, with a genuinely elite CS department inside it) is unusual and worth understanding before you assume "UMass" means uniformly moderate selectivity across every major.
This guide covers what matters most: acceptance rate (including the reality that it varies sharply by college and major), tuition and living costs, admission requirements, exact IELTS/TOEFL/PTE/Duolingo thresholds, and career outcomes with OPT relevance.
UMass Amherst Acceptance Rate
UMass Amherst's overall undergraduate acceptance rate for the Fall 2025 cycle was approximately 59-60% (roughly 31,800 admitted out of about 53,100 applicants, per the university's own admissions statistics). This is UMass Amherst's official, university-wide figure and is not broken out separately by residency status in the university's own public reporting.
Two important caveats for international applicants:
- Third-party sources report an international-applicant-specific admit rate in the roughly 50-53% range, somewhat lower than the domestic figure; this is not an official UMass statistic broken out on the university's own site, so treat it as a third-party estimate.
- UMass Amherst does not publish acceptance rates by college or major. However, the university's own admissions guidance is explicit that colleges are not equally selective: a GPA and course rigor that clears the bar for a major in Humanities & Fine Arts or Social & Behavioral Sciences will not necessarily meet the bar for the Isenberg School of Management or CICS (Computer Science). Third-party estimate sites cite CICS-specific admit rates as low as roughly 10-15%, but this figure is not published by UMass and should be treated strictly as an unverified third-party estimate, not a fact.
The practical takeaway: don't apply to UMass Amherst assuming a ~60% overall rate applies to your intended major. If you're targeting CICS or Isenberg, treat the application with the same seriousness you'd give a much more selective standalone program.
Tuition and Cost of Attendance
UMass Amherst's published 2026-2027 estimates for international students (full-time, 9-month academic year) are:
| Cost item | On-Campus | Off-Campus |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $43,505 | $43,505 |
| Housing | ~$10,188 | ~$9,772 |
| Food | ~$9,878 | ~$8,312 |
| Supplemental health insurance | ~$2,470 | ~$2,470 |
| Approximate total | ~$66,000/year | ~$64,000/year |
These are UMass's own published estimates and are explicitly noted as subject to final approval by the UMass Board of Trustees, so treat them as a strong planning estimate rather than a locked-in final figure. International students on a student visa do not qualify for in-state tuition and must maintain the university's Student Health Benefit Plan.
Graduate tuition varies significantly by program; as one reference point, the MS in Computer Science runs approximately $35,662/year in tuition and fees for non-resident students, while other graduate programs (for example, the MS in Data Analytics and Computational Social Science, housed outside CICS) can run higher.
International students are not eligible for US federal financial aid. UMass Amherst and individual colleges offer limited merit scholarships to strong international applicants, and graduate students in research-active departments like CICS commonly receive funding through teaching or research assistantships, though this is competitive and not guaranteed for every admitted student.
Admission Requirements
Undergraduate (International First-Year)
- Completed Common Application, including UMass-specific questions
- Official high school transcript (grades 9-11 at minimum) or secondary school exam results
- Official transcripts for any completed college coursework
- One academic letter of recommendation, plus a School Report or Counselor Recommendation
- $85 application fee (not waivable for international applicants)
- SAT/ACT: test-optional; UMass reviews applications with or without scores, though submitted scores are considered if provided
- Evidence of English proficiency (unless exempt)
- Financial documentation to support visa/I-20 processing once admitted
Deadlines: Early Action, November 5; Regular Decision, January 15. UMass Amherst's admissions process is holistic, meaning no single factor (GPA, test scores, or otherwise) determines the outcome on its own; the university does not publish a minimum GPA threshold.
Graduate (MS in Computer Science, as a representative example)
- Application through the UMass Graduate School
- A four-year undergraduate degree in Computer Science or a closely related field
- Strong performance in relevant coursework is the most important qualification cited by the department
- GRE: not required for the MS in Computer Science; submitting it is optional and its absence does not disadvantage an applicant
- Statement of purpose, resume/CV, and letters of recommendation
- English proficiency scores (unless exempt)
- Deadline: Fall entry only, typically December 15 for international applicants (January 15 for domestic applicants); the MS in CS does not currently admit for Spring
Requirements vary by department and program, so always check the specific program's page. UMass's Data Analytics and Computational Social Science MS, for instance, sits in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences rather than CICS and has its own separate admission process and cost structure.
How to Get Into UMass Amherst
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Understand that CICS and Isenberg are meaningfully more selective than the university-wide rate. If Computer Science, Informatics, or Business is your target, build an application (grades, course rigor, and supporting materials) as though you're applying to a selective standalone program, not a 60%-admit-rate university.
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Lean into UMass's test-optional policy strategically. Because standardized tests are optional, a strong academic transcript and course rigor carry more relative weight; if your SAT/ACT score doesn't clearly strengthen your profile, you're not penalized for omitting it, but a genuinely strong score can still help, especially for competitive colleges like CICS.
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For CS/Data Science graduate applicants, treat GRE as fully optional, not a hidden expectation. UMass's own guidance states that not submitting GRE scores will not harm your MS in CS application, so redirect that prep time toward your statement of purpose, and toward strengthening relevant coursework performance and technical projects instead.
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Apply Early Action if UMass is a serious option. The November 5 Early Action deadline is nonbinding but signals strong interest and gives you an earlier decision, useful for financial and visa planning timelines.
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Plan your major pathway before you enroll, not after. Because CICS admission is more competitive than general university admission, and some CICS-adjacent pathways (like changing into the BS in Informatics from Computer Science) have their own grade-based eligibility rules, understand your intended department's specific declaration or transfer-in requirements early.
IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, and Duolingo Requirements
Undergraduate
| Test | Minimum |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 overall, no subscore below 6.0 |
| TOEFL iBT | 80 overall, no subscore below 20 |
| Duolingo English Test | 115 |
| PTE Academic | Not accepted for undergraduate admission |
UMass Amherst's undergraduate page explicitly states it does not accept the IELTS Indicator, TOEFL ITP Plus for China, TOEFL Essentials, or PTE Academic Online.
Graduate
| Test | Minimum |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 overall |
| TOEFL iBT | 80 (for tests taken before January 2026); a combined score of 4 on the new scale for tests taken from January 2026 onward |
| PTE Academic | 53 |
| Duolingo English Test | 115 (some sources cite 120 for specific programs; always confirm on your target program's page) |
These are Graduate Council minimums; UMass's own guidance is explicit that many individual graduate programs expect higher scores than the university floor, so always check your specific program's admissions page rather than assuming the university-wide minimum applies, particularly for competitive departments like CICS.
Career Outcomes and OPT Relevance
UMass Amherst's career outcomes data is strongest at the college level, particularly for CICS:
- CICS BS/BA outcomes: more than 110 unique employers hire CICS graduates within six months of graduation; about 85% of the Class of 2023 undergraduates reported a career outcome (employment or further study) related to their field within six months; roughly 28% of BS/BA graduates go on to a further advanced degree
- Reported salary context: median reported salaries for CICS MS graduates are cited around $135,000, and BS/BA graduate salary ranges are cited around $93,000-$105,000; these figures come from CICS's own destination-report data collection, though response rates (and therefore representativeness) can vary year to year
- Top recruiters cited by CICS: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Cisco are frequently cited among top employers of CICS graduates
- A single, university-wide employment rate across all majors (not just CICS) is not published in a form directly comparable to the CICS-specific figures above; treat any all-university percentage as a different, broader denominator than the CICS-specific numbers
Most CICS degrees, including Computer Science and Informatics with a Data Science concentration, are STEM-designated, qualifying international graduates for the standard 12-month OPT period plus the 24-month STEM OPT extension, for up to three years of US work authorization after graduation.
Is UMass Amherst the Right Fit?
UMass Amherst makes the most sense if you want a genuine, large public R1 research university with a specific department, especially Computer Science, that punches well above the university's overall selectivity level, strong regional employer ties in the Boston tech corridor, and STEM-OPT eligibility across most CICS degrees. It's a weaker fit if you're assuming the university's roughly 60% overall acceptance rate applies evenly across every major; CICS and Isenberg in particular require a genuinely strong, competitive application, not a moderate one.
For applicants specifically targeting Computer Science or Data Science, treat UMass Amherst's CICS admissions process as a selective program in its own right, and build your application (grades, coursework rigor, and any technical projects) accordingly rather than relying on the university's headline acceptance rate.